The Susan Boyle phenomenon
Originally posted at The New Agenda.
Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent
A few hours after Susan Boyle stunned audiences on Britain’s Got Talent, a commenter at my blog posted the link. “Have you seen this?” she asked. Six days later, everyone has seen it. Everyone with a TV or an internet connection, that is.
When I first watched the clip, I was disturbed by the audience’s initial eye-rolling and derisive laughter. This, I thought, is why I have so little tolerance for pop culture. The twits were laughing at Susan Boyle for no other reason than that she was not young and not gorgeous. Apparently it was heinously absurd for a not-young, not-gorgeous woman to even haul herself out there on a stage (boo! hiss! climb back in the Kitty Condo with your cats why don’t you!) much less have the sheer monstrous hubris of thinking she could sing.
But of course she can sing, beautifully, and everyone in the world is now thrilled by this reminder that even not-young, not-gorgeous women still have value. If they can sing.
Don’t get me wrong: I love Susan Boyle. I love her story, I love the phenomenon, I love the comments around the world from people tearfully rejoicing in the triumph of a “normal” person. I hope she sells a million CDs. I guess I’m just wondering what it all means. As Tamar Abrams observes in the HuffPost, “the problem is that recognition of her talent is directly proportionate to her lack of good looks and youth…what does it say about the civilized world that our expectations for greatness are diminished when people are unattractive and/or old?”
Well, I’m going to take a wild swing here and say that it means our civilization is shallow and superficial and crap. It’s also sexist. Abrams asks, “when did looks and age become the bar by which we are each judged?” which of course is a rhetorical question, unless Abrams has just arrived here as an exchange student from the Andromeda Galaxy. Looks and age have always been the bar by which women are judged, at least in male-dominated societies. The only thing that’s changed in my lifetime is that the bar has gotten higher. The pornification of our culture means that we are surrounded by a nonstop effluvient of plasticized fembot imagery, beside which any normal human being looks like Gollum. No wonder real live women are having their parts changed out for artificial bits; they’re just trying to look more like what’s on the Spice Channel.
The double standard is especially obvious in the performing arts. Of course beauty is a big plus for anybody, male or female, but the fact is that men with talent and ability have never been held back by ugliness, chubbiness, hairlessness, or any other -ess I can think of. Pop music, for example, is full of deeply ugly men — and I mean scary ugly — as well as average blokes with paunches and receding hairlines (hello, Elton John and Phil Collins). And can anyone imagine a woman of Meatloaf’s heft having the kind of career he had? My youth was haunted by videos of Meatloaf sweating and howling through 8-minute songs in heavy rotation on MTV, but when Ann Wilson put on a few pounds she was practically banned from the channel. America had to be protected from the horror.
I don’t see things changing anytime soon, but at least the wonderful Susan Boyle has given us a brief bit of breathing space. Enjoy it while it lasts.
48 Responses to “The Susan Boyle phenomenon”
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Sis says:
The Daily Mail claims to have found her singing Cry Me A River for a charity cd.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/medi.....me-a-river
And she’s going on Oprah.
Great voice, yes. But the real phenonmenon: an ugly woman got up on stage.
April 17th, 2009 at 11:21 am EST -
Sis says:
Anything else this brings her will just be so secondary, right? I mean what else matters in life.
“His fellow Britain’s Got Talent judge, Piers Morgan, has offered to take Boyle on a date. Morgan recorded a video message on his blog offering a date after she confessed on Saturday’s programme that she had never been kissed.
“I have decided to extend an invitation to Susan to take her out for a meal to a very romantic restaurant with some roses and some fine wines and some glamorous waiters to offer her the chance to break her kissing duck,” Morgan said. “Susan, if you are watching, I am available.”
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TheOtherDelphyne says:
What a condescending SOB that Piers guy is!! She ought to reply with the “Cry me a river” song above, Sis.
I ADORED watching Susan - several times, in fact. I thought the “judges” quite rude and the eye rolls from the young women in the audience made me ill. It was glorious to see the reaction when she finally sang.
And as to Tamar’s “the problem is that recognition of her talent is directly proportionate to her lack of good looks and youth…what does it say about the civilized world that our expectations for greatness are diminished when people are unattractive and/or old?”
I could not say it any better than Violet:
Well, I’m going to take a wild swing here and say that it means our civilization is shallow and superficial and crap. It’s also sexist. Abrams asks, “when did looks and age become the bar by which we are each judged?” which of course is a rhetorical question, unless Abrams has just arrived here as an exchange student from the Andromeda Galaxy.”
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yttik says:
This was a beautiful story. If only for a moment she challenged the stereotypes and she won.
I hate to cast a negative shadow on something so delightful, but the news, the culture, has obsessed over the fact that she is a virgin, never been kissed, doesn’t have a boyfriend. The message is “we are shocked you have not made yourself available to men sexually and we intend to correct that immediately.” Now the goal will be to help her conform, to make her over so she becomes desirable to men, indeed this will become the number one priority, her whole purpose in life. But there is hope, she’s been around for nearly five decades, so she may see be able to see thru the crap.
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simply wondered says:
young actors do have to be ‘good-looking’. there are only so many jobs for the others (euphemistically labelled ‘character actors’). it isn’t as extreme as the horrific eat-em-up-and-spit-em-out treatment of women in the industry but it’s still there.
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Cyn says:
This, from EW.Com sums it up well:
“. . .I’m pondering why the experience of watching and listening to Ms. Boyle makes so many viewers cry, me among them. And I think I’ve got a simple answer, at least for me: In our pop-minded culture so slavishly obsessed with packaging — the right face, the right clothes, the right attitudes, the right Facebook posts — the unpackaged artistic power of the unstyled, un-hip, un-kissed Ms. Boyle let me feel, for the duration of one blazing showstopping ballad, the meaning of human grace. She pierced my defenses. She reordered the measure of beauty. And I had no idea until tears sprang how desperately I need that corrective from time to time”.
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Jean Louise says:
If I recall correctly, a recent winner of America’s Got Talent was a hugely obese, bald man who sang opera. I don’t believe that anyone rolled their eyes or suggested that his physical appearance should be a consideration in the contest.
That said, I itch to get Ms. Boyle and set of tweezers in the same room.
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Anna Belle says:
Simply wondered:
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
John C. O’Reilly
Steve Buscemi
Paul GiamattiEnough said. FFS.
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Sis says:
Owen Wilson
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Sameol says:
Kevin spacey, sean Penn, Adrian brody, mickey rourke (granted he was very handsome years ago but the destruction of his face hasn’t harmed his career)
There’s already several polls about whether ms. Boyle needs a makeover.
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Cyn says:
Has anyone ever heard tenor Ronan Tynan sing God Bless America during the Yankee 7th inning stretch? He has a beautiful voice and a face that would stop a clock, but I’ve never heard anyone suggest he needed a makeover. I hope that Susan Boyle has the strength to remain exactly as she is.
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tinfoil hattie says:
Well, I’m going to take a wild swing here and say that it means our civilization is shallow and superficial and crap.
Oh, come on! You’re way off here! (rolls eyes)
Her voice. Her unbelievable, amazing, breathtaking voice. I need more!
Yeah. It’s just so shocking, and so much more delightful, that a non-”hawt” woman got up on stage and has poise, brains, and a talent that leaves me speechless.
I can’t help but wonder if someone on that show knew how amazing she was, and played up the “Oooh, she’s not hawt but ha-ha, just wait!”
And, I actually believe her to be quite beautiful, not that it matters. But I don’t buy the “she’s ugly! but listen to her voice!” crap they’re going for.
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purplefinn says:
I, of course, agree totally that there is a glaring double standard which has been expressed so well here.
The other thing that caught me about Susan Boyle is her personality. She’s a gem!
I’m sorry that she was so forthcoming about her sexual history - feeding frenzy happening already. I so want her to come out ahead through this experience. I hope the cleverness I see in her serves her well (with the help of a few friends)! -
Sis says:
Yah tinfoil hattie. They have to do auditions on those shows. Someone, most of them, or all of them knew. They’re playing it for ratings. Apparently the show is (was) tanking.
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Sis says:
Cyn she was wearing jewellery and a wig for her CBS interview.
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Sis says:
This, from a major newspaper story about the abduction several days ago of Tori, an eight-year old girl. As yet, unsolved. This update is about a police press conference on the case:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com.....ional/home
“Wearing a shiny black-and-white print sundress and what appeared to be freshly painted purple toenails showing in strappy sandals, her long brown hair slicked back in a ponytail, (the girl’s mother) appeared mollified that Tori’s disappearance is now being called an abduction –
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Sandra S. says:
I really liked her verve. How much she got out there and had attitude, because she knew she was good, even if the audience didn’t yet. That’s the part that inspired me.
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ea says:
Just strolling down memory lane here…
Barbra Streisand
Cass Elliott
Jennifer Holiday -
Cyn says:
Sis, stop watching MSM. On the other hand, maybe she was just so overwhelmed with all of the attention that she didn’t realize she had a choice? I pray to Goddess that she does not let them make her over. Nothing (including fame, money, great sex) is worth letting someone make you into something you are not.
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Sis says:
I don’t even know what MSM is. TV? I don’t have anything to *watch* in my home but the computer. I saw the follow-up article about Susan on a Guardian website. Like most of you, I learned about Susan from a poster here.
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Cyn says:
Sis, I am so sorry. I guess I am so used to people watching Main Stream Media (MSM = CNN, MSNBC, CBS, etc.) I shouldn’t have lumped you in. I apologize. Please accept my apologies. I should have known better, as I’ve read your comments on this blog and know you are solid.
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Sis says:
I didn’t take offense. Just was confused. I do “watch”, as in a few moments I’m going to watch “Incident at Oglala” (”Robert Redford presents”) on DVD.
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Uncontainable Spirit says:
The irony of it all is that you only have feminism to blame. LOL! Enjoy.
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orlando says:
I’m just going to focus on being grateful that this has, for the most part, been spoken of by commentators as what it really is: an enormous wake-up call to those who slumber in condescension and superficiality.
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Sunday Morning Stuff « Blue Lyon says:
[...] chimes in on the Susan Boyle Phenomenon and What It All Means: Well, I’m going to take a wild swing here and say that it means our [...]
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julia says:
I don’t see the beauty standard changing anytime soon, either. I have been living in New Mexico the past few months and the sexism is blatant and ubiquitous. Even at the Women’s Poetry Slam, which was so wonderfully feminist and diverse the 1st time I went. There’s a lot of anti-racism work here, even a group at the Albuquerque Peace and Justice Center called ‘Women Kicking Racism’. How about ‘Women Smashing Sexism’ ?!
Since last year, I feel it’s gotten. I am very alone as a radical feminist; most feminists I know are afraid of hurting men or being w/o a man or somehow feel guilty, so they’re not interested in going very deep into feminism. No wonder we’re sliding backwards.
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Gwytherinn says:
I was extremely disgusted by the audience’s and judges’ reaction to Boyle. By the end of her performance I was in tears, it was so beautiful. Funny, the about face everyone took after that.
I haven’t been able to read any coverage of her because I don’t think I’ve seen her name without the pairing of the word “frumpy” and it’s driving me UP A WALL. I am shocked that someone at HuffPo had something so insightful to say. I had written them off to being just another “women’s rights stop where my dick begins” liberal dude bastion a long time ago.
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soopermouse says:
“I itch to get Ms. Boyle and set of tweezers in the same room.”
sexist much? -
Jean Louise says:
soopermouse says:
“I itch to get Ms. Boyle and set of tweezers in the same room.”
sexist much?
*********
I don’t like caterpillar eyebrows on women or men. I think Boyle has the talent and the personality to make it in musical theater, which is her dream, but that doesn’t mean that I must overlook the obvious grooming issue.I knew when I made the comment that someone would perceive it as sexist. I wear makeup and a bra. Neither stops me from pursuing a feminist agenda.
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CoolAunt says:
Jean Louise, while I concede that thin eyebrows on women as part of grooming is sexist (our patriarchal culture has taught us that tweezed narrow is how women’s brows are supposed to look), I’d like to get after her with tweezers, too. Right after Peter Gallagher, that is. The unibrow must go.
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soopermouse says:
here’s the thing: what you perceive as a groooming issue is just evidence of your own patriarchal hangups. It is that pervasive. And yes, it is incredibly sexist.
Women are pressured into tweezing their eyebrows in order to look more like little girls- less threatening and vuilnerable. There is nothing on God’s green earth wrong with not tweezing one’s eyebrows, and neither you nor any fucking one else have the right to impose your views on anyone regarding how they groom their own fucking bodies.
I don’t give a flying fuck what you wear and what you do, or what you like. YOUR OPINION OF HER OR ANYONRHOWEVER if a feminist agenda is what you are following, you need to learn that what other women do with their bodies is none of your damned business. By stating you want to force her to tweeze her eyebrows, you are objectifying her, and who the fuck do you think you are to do that?
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soopermouse says:
the above caps phrase should read
YOUR OPINION OF HER OR ANYONE ELSE’S BODY CONCERNS NOBODY BUT YOURSELF AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHT WHATSOEVER TO IMPOSE YOUR PATRIARHY-SKEWED VIEWS ON ANYONE.
And yes, it should be in caps. We should know better by now. I mean, maybe, enough to know that we don’t get to judge anyone by their appearance.“Grooming issue”? Are you that completely off?
Body odor is a grooming issue. Dirt is a grooming issue. Un-tweezed eyebrows are a matter of personal preference which does not fucking affect or concern you in any way.Maybe you should take her example and learn that one doesn’t HAVE to look like a patriarchy approved standard issue female in order to ahve value. If you have missed that, you missed the whole point of feminism.
“By stating you want to force her to tweeze her eyebrows, you are objectifying her, and who the fuck do you think you are to do that?”this is aimed at CoolAunt who should know better.
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Jean Louise says:
I feel the same way about Gallagher.
It’s a constant battle between feeding the patriarchy and living with some degree of comfort in the world. Boyle wants to make a living as a professional singer. She’s only going to go so far as an oddity. I’ve seen her “makeover” and it was was minimal. She cut and colored her hair, shaped her brows and updated her clothing. I want her to have the career that she wants to have and I wouldn’t sacrifice her on the altar of feminism.
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CoolAunt says:
This is aimed at soopermouse:
Bite me.
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CoolAunt says:
Soopermouse, you typed all that text but all I read was blah blah blah blahhbity blahbity blah
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Violet says:
Haven’t you two done this before? And don’t you think it’s kind of rude to drag whatever personal feud you have to my blog? Even if you don’t, I do. Stop.
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Sis says:
It is grooming. And fun, apparently, if you look at the majority of youth today who do that and much more.
What she’s done is not exactly required but probably won’t hurt in her desired profession or personal life. Optimal words: desired profession.
What?! Are you going to turn your back on her now that she’s not going to be your poster girl?
Disclaimer: I don’t pluck or colour.
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Unree says:
Grooming is a tricky notion. To the extent it’s prescription, I think we should define it the way soopermouse did–as gender neutrally as possible, focusing on measures that both women and men can take without too much burden. Grooming rules that order women to spend extra time and money working against their inherent, perpetual ickiness are a feminist issue. Peter Gallagher’s thick eyebrows never drew nearly as much attention as Boyle’s.
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Branjor says:
What’s wrong with thick eyebrows?
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soopermouse says:
one point: I personally believe that at this point it is not a matter of whether the makeover she had to go through was minimal or not, but that there was one. I think that for women that do not meet the sexbot2k standard, the next best thing in the Pat’s eyes is to show that they ahve made an effort to comply with the masters’ rules, in which the master is any onlooker who feels like it.
A woman who doesn’t even attempt to comply is a pariah, and in some men’s( and, as sadly we have discovered on this discussion some women with feminist pretentions) a crime. ow dare she not be an object that submits to the public gaze?
The message is simple: only those that comply have value.
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Jean Louise says:
Soopermouse,
I never suggested the use of force on Susan Boyle. I have to wonder not just at your inference but at the degree of your anger. If someone has taken away your right to control your body at some point, I’m sincerely sorry.
I want Boyle to have the career that she wants. You appear to want her to be sacrificed on the altar of feminist symbolism. Since she decided, sans input from me, to have her brows shaped, it appears that Boyle prefers to make some minor adjustments in her appearance in order to pursue her career as opposed to spending the remainder of her life as an unemployed object of curiosity.
Branjor, hyper-thick eyebrows are a distraction, that’s all. I’m sure that Boyle wants people to concentrate on her soaring voice, not her unusually thick eyebrows.
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Branjor says:
Well, I don’t know about you, but I did concentrate on her soaring voice and not her beautiful eyebrows.
So many women pluck and pluck their eyebrows until they have nothing left and then have to use eyebrow pencil for the rest of their lives. Thick eyebrows loook a ton better than no eyebrows. Seeing her thick eyebrows as unattractive is totally subjective, all in the head.
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soopermouse says:
@I’d like to get after her with tweezers, too. Right after Peter Gallagher, that is. The unibrow must go.@
you haven’t Jean Louise, CoolAunt did, and you condoned it. The above phrase? whether you acknowledge it or not, implies forcing her to do something she doesnt want to.
And if you seriously believe she made the choice of that @makeover@ by her own free will, after being put in the lightspot like that, you obviously understand nothing. 4chan is that way >>>I do not want to sacrifice her on anything, and it takes a tremendously ignorant person to claim that any feminist would want to sacrifice a woman on the altar of feminism. Of ALL moronic things I have read, this is one of the best. I have expressed my support to her choice. You know, the one she made when she was NOT under pressure from the media and various busibodies like yourself who juct can’t mind their own fucking business and leave a woman, any woman, make her own choices about her own appearance. Which part of that is unclear?
Seriously, there is a Feminism 101 link on the sidebar. For teh name of Dog go read it so you can figure out what was so offensive about your remark. Or do I need to draw you a chart? -
Sis says:
Congratulations Vi. Other thread.
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anne says:
I liked her eyebrows. She looks odd without them.
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Jean Louise says:
No thanks, soopermouse. I don’t need lessons in basic feminism from you. I’ve lived nearly twice as long as you have and have a different point of view. I try to direct my anger at real threats to women. Tweezers and those who wield them don’t qualify in my world where women are brutalized by fists, knives and guns. I just can’t get excited by the specter of over-tweezed brows.
branjor, that’s great. Personally, I found the eyebrows distracting.
I had a friend who very much wanted to have a relationship with a man. When she was in her late thirties, she even paid a matchmaker to arrange meetings. She never met a man with whom she could share her life and I always wondered how much of that had to do with the enormous wart she had on the side of her nose. She was a smart woman with a sweet personality but men never wanted to have a second date with her. Sometimes, I wonder if I might’ve been a better friend if I had suggested a makeover in an effort to help her fulfill her dreams rather than stay silent out of discomfort about commenting on another person’s appearance. Somehow, I think that she would rather have a companion even if he were the less than perfect man who would be put off by a huge wart in the middle of someone’s face.
I want Susan Boy
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Jean Louise says:
I accidentally cut off my previous post.
I want Susan Boyle to have an abundant life. It doesn’t bother me a bit if she dyes her hair, plucks her brows or chooses attractive clothing if she gets to play the East End. I think that she would be a fabulous Norma Desmond.
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Sis says:
Hey!
