I am amused by the feminist lobby's outrage at the popular reaction to the Susan Boyle phenomenon. Is her voice really that exceptional? Surely the whole point is not that her voice is genuinely so extraordinary - I don't think it is (I have listened to her independent of any video footage) - but that it is so unexpected, irrespective of what prejudices that implies. I am sure that even Susan manipulated our expectations to some degree. I am also sure that, as we speak, there is a media dilemma as to whether to give Susan a 'makeover'. However, if we make her look like every other media personality, will her voice really stand up to close examination? Perhaps we should think of giving her a 'makeunder'? Discuss.
Her voice is beautiful regardless of the look, however, the hype is because the look and personality and the set up suggested that this would be a person one would feel pity and scorn for - god she thinks she's talented - we would have loved that because it would make us feel good/normal - surely we ourselves couldn't be that stupid to enter a talent show without talent. To our surprise the women can sing (personally I think she has a beautiful voice) and that makes us even happier because we think in all our misery something can be so surprisingly wonderful and perhaps we hope that of ourselves as we go about our daily lives. Moreover we can look at people in a new light - that ordinary person could hold a talent within them waiting for us to discover it. My mother once described a student at her school who perhaps would have resembled Susan Doyle as a child - the student's name was Kathleen - the school master referred to her as his beautiful Kathleen - she was no oil painting but the beauty in his eyes came from her intelligence and enthusiasm to be educated to him she was truely beautiful. I must admit that after hearing Susan Boyle sing she seemed a different person her comments now being heard in retrospect had a different light - no longer someone to be mocked but someone who is quite amusing. Simon Coyle's comment on had she achieved anything so far in singing gave hope that busy in our lives we might too be able to display our talents and have them appreciated. On another point it is sad that Britain seems to have such little talent she really was one of the few worth listening to or watching.
ReplyDeleteNo to make over or make under just keep her as she is - the dilema you raise is very interesting!
Just spoken to two people the MOT engineer of my car and a girlfriend - 'Do you watch Britain's got talent' No was the reply from both - but both watched the women who can sing. Susan Boyle is a phenomenon albeit not a singing one
The 'makeunder' was just mischief, but is it really possible for her to remain as she is? The genie has been let out of the lamp! Things can never be the same again.
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