I just read a disturbing article on CNN.com examining the apparent trend in American music that all female musicians are slender, sexy, catwalk-worthy vixens. They point out that, while talent used to be enough to get you noticed, these days, you have to look like you just stepped out of MAXIM magazine and, well, if you can sing, that's nice too. This is nothing new and I've been noticing it for years. In fact, it applies to guys too. When local hero Elliot Yamin made it to the final four on AMERICAN IDOL, I knew he wouldn't win. Not because he didn't deserve it. He's got some pipes. But, with his crooked teeth and backwoods hairdo, he didn't have the look of a Pop superstar. (That doesn't explain the triumph of Taylor Hicks, I know, but who cares? I don't usually watch AMERICAN IDOL anyway.)
What made me roll my eyes, though, was the fact that the article called out two singers, Kelly Clarkson and Pink, as being considered "less than perfect 10s." I have to ask, by whom? I don't listen to a lot of modern Pop music but I do have several of these two artist's songs on my iPod. And I happen to think they're both pretty damned attractive. Look at the cover of this week's ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY and tell me Clarkson's not a heartbreaker. And I love Pink's screw-you attitude toward her appearance. I once saw a music video of hers in which she proudly bared her (then) pooch-belly. Didn't make her any less sexy, though. Quite the opposite.
Maybe I'm biased. My taste in women (Kate Beckinsale and Milla Jovovich notwithstanding) has always leaned toward the Rubenesque. I'll take $30 A DAY-era Rachael Ray over Keira Knightly any day. I love women who aren't afraid to order a bacon-cheeseburger with large fries on the first date. Darwyn Cooke's fleshy Wonder Woman in DC NEW FRONTIER is just about the sexiest woman I've ever seen in a comic book. UGLY BETTY's America Ferrara is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful women on TV.
But I digress. My point is that everyone is someone's "perfect 10." Pointing out two perfectly lovely women as exceptions to the rule of singers as feminine ideal...just seems like they were reinforcing the crap they were editorializing.
4 comments:
I'm with you on this one, buddy!! The best example I can think from the media is Kaylee from Firefly. She was far, far prettier in the series when she was "curved" than in the movie, when she was... er... starved?!?
And I'm just reading New Frontier now. I love Cookes art in general. His character designs are awesome, and all his females are tres sexy! Plus he's, you know, not a half bad story teller!!
Actually, now that I think of it, that brother of yours ain't too bad either!! I love his "soccer mom" take on the Invisible Woman. It's my favourite design for her... actually, his run on FF with Waid is my favorite FF in general.
Well, Denis, nothing beats the Lee/Kirby stuff but, the more I think about it, the more I prefer Mike's FF over John Byrne's. And I'm pretty fond of Byrne's run.
You remember that hot chick that was with C &C MUSIC FACTORY way back in the late 80's...? She was a lip sinc 'artist'. The actual singer was a very overweight woman who never got the credit she deserved...
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