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There is a group of female pop stars who are channeling the netherworld of the goddess. The most prominent is Lady Gaga, whose name might imply someone who is gaga over the world, but is really is a narcissistic spotlight on her (often half-naked) self - be gaga over me. It actually fits well with gag, which is a reflex she would induce in a normal world. Yet Gaga writes such conventional songs, that her "outrageous" persona may just be another camouflage to detract from her ordinariness.
Her spawns, or "monsters" as she refers to her fans, also include a group of female pop stars, who would deny this association, but the resemblances are too great to ignore. They may not dress her part, but they certainly live up to her image.
Beyonce recently released a music video she titles "Girls run the world" Girls! Girls?! So much for girl power. She is looks all-powerful in a skimpy outfit and wobbling in ten-inch Gaga-inspired heels, lugging along a couple of wild dog beasts in an apocalyptic landscape. "When not performing, [Beyonce is] often soft-spoken, feminine," and even demure in public, I wrote here. I suppose girls want it all.
Britney Spears and Rihanna (Rihanna's S&M music video was recently banned) sing together while performing simulated lesbian sex, wearing futuristic plastic underwear. Britney, to her credit, looks tired and unconvinced throughout the video, with an aggressive Rihanna pushing the limits. Poor Britney, first Madonna, then Rihanna.
Nicki Minaj shows up in her videos with an overblown rear-end, and in multi-colored wigs and make-up as camouflage. Once again, it is surprising to hear her sing conventional pop songs behind such outfits.
Jennifer Lopez wriggles on the dance floor with her non-singing voice squeaking out mediocre melodies, making sure the attention is on her moves rather than her voice. Recently on the variety show American Idol, we realize that even these small town contestants with no name are infinitely better singers than Lopez. We also had to watch her perform a stripper dance while her Latino husband Mark Anthony took the stage with his English/Spanish song. Even Ryan Seacrest, the diplomatic host of the show couldn't help saying: "Is that the kind of think you do at home?" at the end of her performance.
Lopez and Anthony have signed up to do a Latin America Idol. Lopez gushes:
[This is] a show for the 21st century with an unprecedented global and local story. The Latin culture is a tapestry that is rich in passion, tradition and artistry. This journey for me and Marc is going be exciting and groundbreaking.Christina Aguilera keeps showing up in tight tights and bulging thighs, having given birth recently. Something tells me that she will keep this "look."
And Katy Perry, when she isn't dressed as an alien, comes out in exaggerated little-girl uniforms of short dresses and eyes wide open with mascara and kohl.
Few of these women pop stars use color - no reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, mauves - to adorn themselves. Wherever they use jewelry, it is frighteningly large, or the ubiquitous cross (goddesses have to use some religious symbolism after all). Beyonce dresses in gold - but that surely is the color of the goddess. And Katy Perry comes out in bubble-gum colors and skirts hiked up high, and she's the (little) girl who rules the world.
What happened to the feminine voice, and the feminine body covered in pleasing colors and dresses? What happened to beauty? Or even prettiness? What happened to melody?
Of course, Madonna started the lesbian kiss trend and the bizarre outfits which never fit her bouncy, danceable songs.
And Cher started exposing a semi-naked body at the rise of these young goddess wannabes to avoid being shut out of the limelight.
There are many others in earlier decades, but I don't think they conflated their imaginary lives as performers with a real-world agenda. Contemporary female pop stars take themselves very, very seriously.
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advertising her perfume "Black Star" and with
all kinds of S&M paraphernalia
What the Hell (Avril Lavigne, 2011)
You say that I'm messing with your head
All 'cause I was making out with your friend
Love hurts whether it's right or wrong
I can't stop 'cause I'm having too much fun
You're on your knees
Begging, "Please
Stay with me"
But honestly
I just need to be
A little crazy
All my life I've been good,
But now...
I'm thinking, "what the hell?"
All I want is to mess around
And I don't really care about...
If you love me
If you hate me
You can't save me
Baby, baby
All my life I've been good
But now...
What the hell?
What?
What?
What?
What the hell?
So what if I go out on a million dates?
You never call or listen to me anyway
I'd rather rage than sit around and wait all day
Don't get me wrong, I just need some time to play
You're on your knees
Begging, "Please
Stay with me"
But honestly
I just need to be
A little crazy
All my life I've been good,
But now...
I'm thinking, "What the hell?"
All I want is to mess around
And I don't really care about...
If you love me
If you hate me
You can't save me
Baby, baby
All my life I've been good
But now...
What the hell?
La, la, la, la, la, la
Whoa, whoa
La, la, la, la, la, la
Whoa, whoa
You say that I'm messing with your head
Boy, I like messing in your bed
Yeah, I am messing with your head when
I'm messing with you in bed
All my life I've been good,
But now...
I'm thinking, "What the hell?"
All I want is to mess around
And I don't really care about
All my life I've been good,
But now...
I'm thinking, "What the hell?"
All I want is to mess around
And I don't really care about...
(If you love me)
If you love me
If you hate me
You can't save me
Baby, baby
(If you love me)
All my life I've been good
But now...
What the hell?
La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
I wonder what Doris Day and her contemporaries would say?