tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/lady-gaga-13318/articlesLady Gaga – The Conversation2023-07-22T00:01:26Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2102442023-07-22T00:01:26Z2023-07-22T00:01:26ZTony Bennett: the timeless visionary who, with a nod to America’s musical heritage, embraced the future<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538796/original/file-20230721-6292-8kcivc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C13%2C2991%2C1980&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga in 2015. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/ObitTonyBennett/d2da02e3d0754ead95520651844ef2a6/photo?Query=tony%20bennett&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=3377&currentItemNo=6">Charles Sykes/Invision/AP</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the history of American popular music, there have been few luminaries as enduring and innovative as Tony Bennett.</p>
<p>With a career that spanned almost 80 years, Bennett’s smooth tones, unique phrasing and visionary musical collaborations left an indelible mark on vocal jazz and the recording industry as a whole. </p>
<p>That his <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tony-bennett-dies-c3b3a7e2360449fb936a38794c7c3266">death at the age of 96</a> on July 21, 2023, was mourned by artists as varied as <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithUrban/status/1682395658395824133">Keith Urban</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/OzzyOsbourne/status/1682411338340126720">Ozzy Osbourne</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/HarryConnickJR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1682411086656557056%7Ctwgr%5E04a78435a793b5246d7bc19e09529f2b2f0bcfab%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fvariety.com%2F2023%2Fmusic%2Fnews%2Ftony-bennett-elton-john-reaction-tribute-1235676405%2F">Harry Connick Jr.</a> should come as no surprise. Yes, Bennett was a jazz crooner. But if his voice was always a constant – even late into his 80s, way past an age when most other singers have seen their vocal abilities diminish – then his embrace of the contemporary was every bit a facet of Bennett’s appeal.</p>
<h2>Vocal innovator</h2>
<p>Bennett’s journey is a testament to the power of daring innovation. </p>
<p>From the early days of his career in the 1950s to his final recordings in the early 2020s, he fearlessly explored new musical territories, revolutionizing vocal jazz and captivating audiences across generations.</p>
<p>His vocal style and phrasing were distinctive and set him apart from other artists of his time. He utilized a delayed or “laid-back” approach to falling on the note, a technique known as “<a href="https://www.musictheoryacademy.com/how-to-read-sheet-music/rubato/">rubato</a>.” This created a sense of anticipation in his phrasing, adding an element of surprise to his performances. Through Bennett’s skilled use of rubato, he was able to play with the tempo and rhythm of a song, bending and stretching musical phrases to evoke a range of emotions. This subtle manipulation of timing gave his songs a natural and conversational quality, making listeners feel as though he was intimately sharing his stories with them.</p>
<p>Armed with this silky, playful voice, Bennett found fame fairly early on in his career, delivering jazz standards alongside the likes of Mel Tormé and Nat King Cole. By the mid-1960s, he was being touted by Frank Sinatra as “the best singer in the business.”</p>
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<img alt="A man in an open-necked shirt sings" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538797/original/file-20230721-40270-jsbx42.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538797/original/file-20230721-40270-jsbx42.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538797/original/file-20230721-40270-jsbx42.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538797/original/file-20230721-40270-jsbx42.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538797/original/file-20230721-40270-jsbx42.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538797/original/file-20230721-40270-jsbx42.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538797/original/file-20230721-40270-jsbx42.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Tony Bennett in 1960.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/TonyBennett/f049da09ad994e1fab65b80524c35f7e/photo?Query=tony%20bennett&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:asc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=3377&currentItemNo=2">AP Photo</a></span>
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<p>But his musical style fell out of fashion in the 1970s – a lean period during which Bennett <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/07/21/tony-bennett-son-life-career-drugs/">almost succumbed to a drug overdose</a>. Then, in the 1990s, Bennett found a new audience and set off a series of collaborations with contemporary musical stars that would become the standard for his later career.</p>
<p>No genre of artistry was deemed off-limits for Bennett. “<a href="https://www.tonybennett.com/music-detail.php?id=11">Duets: An American Classic</a>,” released to coincide with his 80th birthday in 2006, saw collaborations with country stars such as k.d. lang and the Dixie Chicks – now known as the Chicks – and soul legend Stevie Wonder, alongside kindred jazz spirits such as Diana Krall. “Duets II,” a 2011 follow-up, saw further explorations with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah, Willie Nelson and Amy Winehouse, in what would become the <a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/amy-winehouse-final-recording-session/">British singer’s last recording</a>.</p>
<p>But his cross-generational, cross-genre and cross-cultural appeal is perhaps best exemplified by his <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/21/arts/music/tony-bennett-lady-gaga.html">collaborations with Lady Gaga</a>, first on the 2014 Grammy-winning album “Cheek to Cheek.” The recording brought together two artists from different generations, genres and backgrounds, uniting them in a harmonious celebration of jazz classics. The collaboration not only showcased each one’s vocal prowess, but also sent a powerful message about the unifying nature of music.</p>
<p>Lady Gaga, a pop artist with avant-garde leanings, might have seemed an unlikely partner for Bennett, the quintessential jazz crooner. Yet their musical chemistry and mutual admiration resulted in an album that mesmerized audiences worldwide. “Cheek to Cheek” effortlessly transcended musical boundaries, while the duo’s magnetic stage presence and undeniable talent enchanted listeners.</p>
<p>The successful fusion of jazz and pop encouraged artists to experiment beyond traditional boundaries, leading to more cross-genre projects across the industry – proving that such projects could go beyond one-off novelties, and be profitable at that.</p>
<h2>Timeless artistry</h2>
<p>Bennett’s embrace of contemporary artists did not mean that he abandoned his own musical self. By blending traditional jazz with contemporary elements, he managed to captivate audiences across generations, appealing to both longtime fans and new listeners.</p>
<p>One key aspect of Bennett’s success was his ability to embody the sentiment of old America, reminiscent of artists like Sinatra, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong, while infusing contemporary nuances that resonated with the human condition of a more modern era. His approach to music captured both the essence and struggle of America, giving his songs a timeless and universal appeal. Moreover, his voice conveyed familiarity and comfort, akin to listening to a beloved uncle.</p>
<p>Bennett’s albums stood out not only for his soulful voice and impeccable delivery but also for the way he drew others from varied musical backgrounds into his world of jazz sensibilities. As a producer, he recognized the importance of nurturing creativity and bringing out the best in artists.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Bennett’s approach to evolving his own sound while preserving its essence sets him apart as an artist. Fearless in his pursuit of innovation, he delved into contemporary musical elements and collaborated with producers to infuse new sonic dimensions into his later albums. The result drew listeners into an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kNpdLZwetU">intimate and immersive, concert-like acoustic journey</a>.</p>
<h2>Depth of emotion</h2>
<p>The greats in music have an ability to speak to the human experience. And either in collaboration with others or on his own, Bennett was able to achieve this time and time again.</p>
<p>His albums were successful not only due to their technical brilliance and musicality but also because Bennett’s voice conveyed a depth of emotion that transcended barriers of time and culture, touching the hearts of listeners from various backgrounds. There was a universality in his music that made him a beloved and revered artist across the globe. </p>
<p>Bennett’s life spanned decades of societal upheavals in the United States. But in his music, listeners could always find beauty in challenging times. And as the 20th- and 21st-century American music industry went through its own revolutions, Bennett’s artistic evolution mirrored the changes, cementing his place as a music icon who defies the boundaries of time and trends.</p>
<iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/2UxxnhUE5YLchYgutxKEbJ?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="380" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210244/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jose Valentino Ruiz does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The jazz singer saw renewed success late in life on the back of collaborations with an eclectic array of artists.Jose Valentino Ruiz, Program Director of Music Business & Entrepreneurship, University of FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1678522021-09-16T14:39:56Z2021-09-16T14:39:56ZIs sexual abuse and exploitation rife in the music industry?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421541/original/file-20210916-29-hwpglg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=50%2C33%2C5557%2C3699&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/lighted-dj-controller-2111015/">pexels/francesco paggiaro</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The popular music industry has a problem – men are sexually assaulting women. Male producers, record company execs and musicians are exploiting and abusing women musicians, women working in the industry and female fans. Male fans are doing it too. It’s not new. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/18/phil-spector-toxic-svengali-music-industry">Phil Spector’s treatment of Ronnie Spector</a> and <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2018/10/tina-turner-says-ex-husband-broke-her-jaw-burned-her.html">Ike’s of Tina Turner</a> has long been known. </p>
<p>Recently, it was revealed that when <a href="https://www.insider.com/alanis-morissette-says-raped-by-multiple-men-hbo-documentary-jagged-2021-9">Alanis Morissette was 15 years old</a>, and just starting out in the music industry, she was raped by several men. Meanwhile, a court in Brooklyn, New York heard that <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-58556274">R. Kelly sexually abused</a> the late R&B singer Aaliyah when she was 13 or 14 years old, allegations he denies.</p>
<p>Kesha’s allegations of abuse by music producer Dr Luke, in a case she later dropped, prefigured music’s own #metoo – which led to hundreds of women in <a href="https://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/2192-women-in-the-swedish-music-industry-behind-appeal-against-sexism">Sweden</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/musicnews/menomore:-400-women-call-out-sexaul-harassment-in-australian-m/9249616">Australia</a> co-signing letters detailing the abuses they have faced. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-57199018">Lady Gaga has also spoken out</a> about being raped by a male music producer when she was 19 years old and just starting out in the industry.</p>
<p>It isn’t just famous people, data from the UK <a href="https://musiciansunion.org.uk/MusiciansUnion/media/resource/Guides%20and%20reports/Equalities/MU-Sexual_harassement-report.pdf?ext=.pdf">Musician’s Union</a> shows that almost half of their female members have experienced sexual harassment at work. In New Zealand 45% of <a href="https://nzmusic.org.nz/resources/music-commission/amplify-aotearoa-gender-diversity-report/attachment/371/">women report</a> not feeling safe in places where music is performed or made. While 67% of women respondents to the US <a href="https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/nashvillecream/survey-of-u-s-musicians-finds-low-incomes-high-rates-of-sexual-harassment/article_2fc4a1c6-5aeb-5cde-9557-c186fa958947.html">Music Industry Research Association survey</a> had experienced sexual harassment. This violence seriously <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rr7NLTbuQA">hampers women’s musical careers</a>, their health and their happiness. </p>
<h2>Sexual violence at gigs</h2>
<p>Many female music fans also report experiencing sexual assault at music venues. Mine and my colleague’s <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1367877919891730">research</a> has found that the <a href="https://www.saferspaces.org.uk/">effects of these assaults</a> can be profound enough to stop women going to concerts, or to avoid certain venues or types of audiences. </p>
<p>These assaults happen at music events of all genres, at standing and at seated concerts. And typically venues and promoters are ill-equipped to deal with the problem or support victims. This too affects women’s musical participation and their health. </p>
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<img alt="People at a concert with arms up and smoke-filled room." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421138/original/file-20210914-27-ock6fq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421138/original/file-20210914-27-ock6fq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421138/original/file-20210914-27-ock6fq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421138/original/file-20210914-27-ock6fq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421138/original/file-20210914-27-ock6fq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421138/original/file-20210914-27-ock6fq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421138/original/file-20210914-27-ock6fq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Groping and lewd behaviour at gigs is often dismissed as just ‘men having a good time’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-at-concert-1105666/">Pexels</a></span>
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<p>This violence has been happening for many years. It’s a catastrophe for women’s musical participation. It’s also a catastrophe for the stories we hear – <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14680777.2021.1902368?journalCode=rfms20">our research</a>, for example, shows that in the UK rock and metal chart, only a tiny proportion of songs are written by women. The result is that we only hear stories from a limited viewpoint, a viewpoint that too often supports violence against women. </p>
<p>While not all songs are overtly violent towards women, they objectify, gaslight and infantilise. And as we discuss in our research, this behaviour can undermine women’s ability to say no to sex and so lay the groundwork for coercion and sexual assault. </p>
<h2>‘From grassroots to corporate setups’</h2>
<p>That more women are willing to talk about what’s happening to them is a good sign. It has led to some being accused of abuse or intimidating behaviour losing their powerful positions, such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jun/25/sony-music-hq-was-warned-about-workplace-culture-at-australian-label-under-denis-handlin-decades-ago">Denis Handlin</a>, former CEO of Sony Music Australia. <a href="https://t.co/k4vAtVGi7V?amp=1">It’s also leading</a> to exciting musical endeavours such as <a href="https://linguaignota.bandcamp.com/">Lingua Ignota’s</a> critically acclaimed CALIGULA album (2019), which musically represents her experience of abuse at the hands of a fellow musician. </p>
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<img alt="Woman Playing Guitar While Singing Beside Man Playing Bass Guitar Near Microphone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421144/original/file-20210914-21-a7isod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421144/original/file-20210914-21-a7isod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421144/original/file-20210914-21-a7isod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421144/original/file-20210914-21-a7isod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421144/original/file-20210914-21-a7isod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421144/original/file-20210914-21-a7isod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/421144/original/file-20210914-21-a7isod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Musicians of both genders need to feel safe in the industry.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-playing-guitar-while-singing-beside-man-playing-bass-guitar-near-microphone-1309240/">Pexels.</a></span>
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<p>But the fact remains that harassment, abuse and violence take place at all levels of the industry – from grassroots DIY scenarios to corporate setups. Even those scenes that claim to be egalitarian – such as punk – have <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340001830_In_defence_of_safer_spaces_Punk_privilege_and_safer_spaces_policies">problems</a> with abuse. And many people who experience sexual abuse don’t feel able to speak up – <a href="https://musiciansunion.org.uk/MusiciansUnion/media/resource/Guides%20and%20reports/Equalities/MU-Sexual_harassement-report.pdf?ext=.pdf">85% of Musicians’ Union respondents</a> who had experienced sexual harassment did not report it for fear of losing work. This highlights the vulnerability of musicians, especially young women, who rely on others (often powerful men) to make a living and so are at risk of exploitation.</p>
<h2>Support and solutions</h2>
<p>Without regulation of industry working practices or formal support for musicians’ incomes, the music industry remains a risky business for women. That’s not to say women shouldn’t follow a musical career path – emphatically they should – but rather that change needs to happen to support women. There’s no single solution to the problem, but an increase in <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/events/women-in-music/8053923/women-in-music-2017-most-powerful-executives">women in powerful roles</a>, in <a href="https://www.girlsrocklondon.com/">women-focused music organisations</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/girlgangleeds/about/">collectives</a>, along with good <a href="https://www.shesaid.so/our-story/">support networks</a> for women entering and remaining in the industry are all needed. </p>
<p>There also needs to be buy-in from men in the industry, in support of these women’s spaces. And men need to be allies too. This extends beyond not being abusive to enabling artistic freedom and actively helping musicians to follow the musical path they want. </p>
<p>Members of the Musicians’ Union can also <a href="https://musiciansunion.org.uk/safespace">report incidences</a> of sexual harassment and violence in confidence to the union. Venues and promoters that want to prevent violence and offer support for victims and survivors can access training from <a href="https://www.goodnightoutcampaign.org/">Good Night Out Campaign</a>, which advocates for a safer nightlife. Those who witness sexual violence, harassment and abuse can also learn more about <a href="https://www.goodnightoutcampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Bystander-Booklet-Digital.pdf">what to do</a> from Good Night Out.</p>
<p>And if you want to be cheered up, listen to Kesha’s <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/1IYVB8NfiRqhdZlTxjspNh?si=aTnEhkZnTFKWPEFyW_FMIA&dl_branch=1">Rainbow album</a> (2017), which is a jubilant celebration of her newfound freedom from the allegedly coercive, exploitative and abusive influence of Dr Luke.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167852/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rosemary Lucy Hill has previously consulted in a research capacity and without pay for Good Night Out Campaign. </span></em></p>Data from the UK Musician’s Union shows that half of their members have experienced sexual harassment at work.Rosemary Lucy Hill, Senior Lecturer in Media and Popular Culture, University of HuddersfieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1541642021-02-03T13:11:59Z2021-02-03T13:11:59ZWhat The Weeknd’s changing face says about our sick celebrity culture<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381792/original/file-20210201-17-1r6aoeu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=103%2C1%2C1101%2C716&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Weeknd performs at the 2020 American Music Awards on Nov. 22 in Los Angeles.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/in-this-screengrab-released-on-november-22-the-weeknd-news-photo/1287129877?adppopup=true">AMA2020 via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>You might have seen The Weeknd’s altered face on the internet lately – either bloodied and covered in bandages or transformed by faux plastic surgery. With the 30-year-old singer <a href="https://www.nfl.com/super-bowl/halftime-show">set to perform at the Super Bowl LV halftime show</a> on Feb. 7, it’ll be interesting to see whether he continues the act before hundreds of millions of viewers.</p>
<p>The changes to The Weeknd’s face didn’t simply appear overnight. </p>
<p>Rather, they surfaced as a slow crescendo, as notes in a larger arrangement.</p>
<p>Initially, there were facial bruises at the end of his “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NRXx6U8ABQ">Blinding Lights</a>” music video, in which an all-night bender ends in a car accident. He sported a bandaged nose for performances on “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJYpyC1SNPc">Jimmy Kimmel Live</a>” in January 2020 and “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17GxpgE-Fwo">Saturday Night Live</a>” in March 2020. Later that March, the bloodied nose and lips appeared <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/The_Weeknd_-_After_Hours.png">on the cover</a> of “After Hours,” his most recent album.</p>
<p>He took the performance a step further at the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-g_SHNv5NI">2020 American Music Awards</a>, showing up with his whole head covered in bandages, which <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/1843099/the-weeknd-face-mask-bandages-amas-2020/">worried some fans</a> who assumed the they were real. When those bandages came off for the “Save Your Tears” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXYlFuWEuKI">music video</a>, a face disfigured by excessive plastic surgery was revealed – a carefully constructed visage created using makeup and prostheses that made him nearly unrecognizable.</p>
<p>As an anthropologist who has been analyzing <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520293885/the-biopolitics-of-beauty">the societal implications of plastic surgery</a> for over 15 years, I was struck by The Weeknd’s use of this medical practice.</p>
<p>What, I wondered, was he trying to say?</p>
<p>Initially, I’d assumed the bruises and bandages were a metaphor for The Weeknd’s struggle with drug addiction, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6663161/weeknd-lana-del-rey-songs-about-drugs-pop-radio-analysis">a topic he has long explored in his music</a>. He’s noted that, when scripting his music videos for “After Hours,” <a href="https://www.crfashionbook.com/mens/a34877992/the-weeknd-change-outfit/">he was inspired</a> by the film “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” in which writer Hunter S. Thompson, played by Johnny Depp, often hallucinates or spirals out of control. </p>
<p>However, another key emerges in the videos from the “After Hours” album. In all the videos, people are constantly watching him, whether it’s the crowd of stiff, masked fans in the “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXYlFuWEuKI">Save Your Tears</a>” music video or the frantic crowd reaching out to grab him as he tries to escape at the end of “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i58MNnk6BhY">Until I Bleed Out</a>.” </p>
<p>In both cases, he seems to be comparing fandom to an unsettling loss of privacy, one where his very safety is at stake. It’s not that he fears his fans will hurt him. It’s more a commentary on how his celebrity status makes him vulnerable to a prying gaze at all times.</p>
<p>In his most violent music video to date – for the song “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh8DT09QCHI">Too Late</a>” – the themes of plastic surgery and fandom collide. Two wealthy white women with bandaged heads find his severed head and swoon over it, before deciding to murder a Black male stripper so they can attach The Weeknd’s head onto that muscular body. </p>
<p>The racial dynamics of the video are hard to miss: The women seem to exoticize Blackness and reduce the body parts of two Black men to objects that give them pleasure.</p>
<p>People love musical performances – or art, more generally – because it’s pleasurable to soak in the talented work of other people. </p>
<p>In the celebrity culture of <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/05/late-capitalism/524943/">late capitalism</a>, however, artists are finding it more and more difficult to separate themselves from their art: The show continues after the work has been published or the performance has concluded. Fans feel entitled to access all aspects of their personal lives – even their bodies.</p>
<p>Communication scholar P. David Marshall <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/celebrity-and-power">has written about</a> the ways in which the public assumes celebrities are automatically open to – or deserving of – scrutiny thanks to their fame. When their privacy is invaded, it’s simply shrugged off as coming with the territory.</p>
<p>Some celebrities, like the Kardashians, <a href="https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/kim-kardashian-makes-more-money-on-instagram-than-kuwtk">lean into it</a>. They’re willing to expose themselves in increasingly invasive ways – whether it’s through social media or reality television – because they want to exploit the symbiotic relationship between media exposure, wealth and power. </p>
<p>But other celebrities, like <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/09/lady-gaga-hated-being-famous">Lady Gaga</a>, have been forthright about the ways in which fame has harmed their mental health. Musicians like <a href="https://www.npr.org/2014/07/08/329500971/a-reluctant-star-sia-deals-with-fame-on-her-own-terms">Sia</a> and <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/why-daft-punk-wear-helmets-182716/">Daft Punk</a> have gone to great lengths to hide their faces and protect their privacy, making it part of their act. </p>
<p>By using bandages and prostheses to hide his face, perhaps The Weeknd is also telling us that parts of his life are off limits – and should stay that way.</p>
<p>The Weeknd also seems to be acknowledging the immense pressures that celebrities feel to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. Celebrity journalism can be particularly cruel when famous people fail to measure up, with the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/04/shooting-britney/306735/">paparazzi making a fortune off pictures that demonstrate celebrities as vulnerable or imperfect</a>.</p>
<p>[<em>Insight, in your inbox each day.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=insight">Get The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>Feminist and literary scholar Virginia Blum <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520244733/flesh-wounds">has written about</a> how celebrities are admired for their ability to transform and beautify themselves, and yet they also become canvases for harsh critique when it seems they’ve gone too far with plastic surgery or have aged ungracefully. </p>
<p>For celebrities, it can sometimes seem that there’s no pleasing anyone. By making those concerns with superficial beauty part of his art, The Weeknd seems to throw that mirror back at his listeners, asking them to reflect on the irrelevance of his appearance to his craft.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154164/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alvaro Jarrin's research on plastic surgery was funded by the Wenner-Gren Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies.</span></em></p>Over the past year, the singer has carefully constructed a visage that has made him nearly unrecognizable.Carmen Alvaro Jarrin, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, College of the Holy CrossLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1167292019-06-17T19:53:46Z2019-06-17T19:53:46ZExplainer: what is fibromyalgia, the condition Lady Gaga lives with?<p>At least <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/rdcms-iasp/files/production/public/Content/ContentFolders/Publications2/PainClinicalUpdates/Archives/PCU03-2_1390265045864_38.pdf">one in ten</a> of us suffer some sort of troublesome, long-term (chronic) pain. But not all have fibromyalgia.</p>
<p>People with fibromyalgia have chronic widespread pain — including musculoskeletal aches, pain and stiffness, and soft tissue tenderness — <a href="https://arthritisaustralia.com.au/types-of-arthritis/fibromyalgia/">in many areas across the body</a>. </p>
<p>This affects other systems like the brain, impacting a person’s ability to concentrate and remember things. People who have fibromyalgia often refer to this as the “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK540974/">fibro fog</a>”. It can affect sleep patterns, emotions, and many other aspects of everyday living.</p>
<p>Fibromyalgia is a condition <a href="https://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/wellness/g3329/celebrities-with-fibromyalgia/">singers Lady Gaga and Sinead O'Connor</a>, and actor <a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/interviews/a14768/morgan-freeman-interview-0812/">Morgan Freeman</a> live with.</p>
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<p>So what causes fibromyalgia? How does it differ from other types of chronic pain? How is it diagnosed and treated?</p>
<h2>What causes fibromyalgia?</h2>
<p>When investigations can find no other cause for widespread chronic pain, it’s generally diagnosed as fibromyalgia. </p>
<p>We don’t know exactly what causes fibromyalgia, but <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30756137">genetics, environment, hormonal and neural (brain and central nervous system) factors</a> are all believed to play a role. Research indicates genes may be responsible for up to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30486733">50% of susceptibility</a> to the condition. The latest research indicates the body’s <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30756137">immune system</a> is involved, too.</p>
<p>An <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6158621/">online survey</a> of 596 people with fibromyalgia found a few common causes reported by participants. Around two thirds of people could relate the start of their symptoms to a specific incident or event, such as a physical injury, a period of sickness that might have involved surgery, or a stressful life event.</p>
<p>Notably, many of those surveyed said they experienced negativity and stigma when trying to explain and authenticate their symptoms to professionals, their families, and their communities.</p>
<h2>Who is affected?</h2>
<p>Fibromyalgia affects <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28734619">around 2%</a> of the world’s population. A recent <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28743363">literature review</a> showed the frequency of fibromyalgia in the general population was between 0.2 and 6.6%. It’s often reported as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23801009">higher in women</a>, at a ratio of three to one.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en#/http://id.who.int/icd/entity/849253504">World Health Organisation</a> recognised fibromyalgia as a disease in 1994. Since then, doctors <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30724039">have debated</a> how fibromyalgia should be diagnosed and who should diagnose it, leading to the so-called “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19342721">fibro wars</a>”. It continues to be controversial.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hidden-and-unexplained-feeling-the-pain-of-fibromyalgia-48319">Hidden and unexplained: feeling the pain of fibromyalgia</a>
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<p>The latest version of the <a href="https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en#/http://id.who.int/icd/entity/849253504">International Classification of Diseases</a> says for someone to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia, there needs to be pain in “at least 4 of 5 body regions and is associated with significant emotional distress”. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2306288">American College of Rheumatology</a> devised a widely accepted test which looks for 11 points from <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tender-points/img-20007586">18 potential tender points</a> of pain from areas across the body using what’s called the <a href="https://www.rheumatology.org/Portals/0/Files/2010%20Fibromyalgia%20Diagnostic%20Criteria_Excerpt.pdf">widespread pain index</a>. </p>
<h2>How is it treated?</h2>
<p>Everyone experiences treatments differently, and what works for one person <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6191958/">may not work for another</a>. But the main treatments focus <a href="https://www.who.int/medicines/areas/quality_safety/guide_on_pain/en/">on pain relief</a>.</p>
<p>The drugs <a href="https://darujps.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1007/s40199-019-00257-4">pregabalin and duloxetine</a> work by altering the neurotransmitters in the brain (gamma amino butyric acid and serotonin), and are effective for many people.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-support-groups-can-boost-your-health-and-make-chronic-conditions-easier-to-live-with-91756">How support groups can boost your health and make chronic conditions easier to live with</a>
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<p>There are many <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5662432/">other options</a> including medication specifically for pain (analgesics), muscle relaxants (benzodiazepines), or treatments to address nerve or spinal pain (neuropathic treatments).</p>
<p>Many of these medications can have <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18443635">side effects</a>, including constipation, or allergic reactions like digestive upset or inflammation. They can also be addictive. Always be honest with your GP about what painkillers you’re taking so they can help you safely manage your pain. </p>
<p>Another common treatment is using a <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/transcutaneous-electrical-nerve-stimulation-tens/">TENS machine</a> (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation). This involves applying pads around the area of pain, or the nerves that might be sending the pain message, and interfering with these using small electrical pulses.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279486/original/file-20190614-158931-184ree5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279486/original/file-20190614-158931-184ree5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279486/original/file-20190614-158931-184ree5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279486/original/file-20190614-158931-184ree5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279486/original/file-20190614-158931-184ree5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279486/original/file-20190614-158931-184ree5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279486/original/file-20190614-158931-184ree5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279486/original/file-20190614-158931-184ree5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Some patients find therapy with a TENS machine helpful, where pads are placed on the body and electrical pulses applied.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tens-treatment-physical-therapy-young-man-1151290940?src=vqVpG8b_6LG_S9lZMe7Q6g-1-19&studio=1">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>This <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4186747/">effective</a> treatment is thought to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4186747/">increase levels of endorphins</a> produced by the brain and spinal cord to provide pain relief. But the effects may weaken with ongoing use. </p>
<p>It’s important to check with your doctor if TENS treatment is appropriate because it might affect pacemakers or people with epilepsy. </p>
<p>Fibromyalgia can also be treated with physical interventions such as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6191958/">heat therapy</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29389485">massage</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28637133">vibration therapy</a>. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6365227/">Acupuncture</a> and <a href="https://arthritisaustralia.com.au/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ArthAus_Fibromyalgia_1705.pdf">treatment from a psychologist</a> are other options.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/pain-drain-the-economic-and-social-costs-of-chronic-pain-49666">Pain drain: the economic and social costs of chronic pain</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>How about the future?</h2>
<p>In time, we might be able to look for diagnostic <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0198625">immune markers</a> for fibromyalgia in our genetic material to help find who might be at risk of developing the condition, and take preventative action. </p>
<p>Many of the symptoms of fibromyalgia can be found in people who have a condition known as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30795933">myalgic encephalomyelitis</a>, or chronic fatigue syndrome. Our research is currently looking at the blood of people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome to see if there are specific inflammatory markers that may help us understand how these illnesses develop.</p>
<p>If we can understand the interaction of the immune system with pain and inflammation, then we can begin to target treatments more effectively for people living with fibromyalgia.</p>
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<p><em>If you or someone you know has fibromyalgia, resources and support are available from <a href="https://arthritisaustralia.com.au/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ArthAus_Fibromyalgia_1705.pdf">Arthritis Australia</a> and the US <a href="http://www.fmaware.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/10-Things-FM-Patients-Need-to-Know.pdf">National Fibromyalgia Association</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/116729/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tiffany Gill is affiliated with Arthritis SA. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Musker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>People with fibromyalgia live with chronic pain all over their body. And not all treatments work for everyone.Michael Musker, Senior Research Fellow, South Australian Health & Medical Research InstituteTiffany Gill, Senior Research Fellow, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1167422019-05-08T07:16:09Z2019-05-08T07:16:09ZHow camp was the Met Gala? Not very<p>The Met Gala is an annual fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute where fashion and celebrity often collide. It always manages to raise eyebrows and this years’ theme, “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” has generated much debate. A <a href="https://junkee.com/met-gala-camp-runway/204314">common question</a> many fashionistas and cultural critics are asking of each outfit is “ …but is it camp?” </p>
<p>This kind of overly analytical and far too serious commentary on a sensibility that is supposed to mock such things is intriguing but not surprising given how the concept of camp has evolved.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273274/original/file-20190508-183096-1n7rdo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273274/original/file-20190508-183096-1n7rdo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273274/original/file-20190508-183096-1n7rdo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273274/original/file-20190508-183096-1n7rdo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273274/original/file-20190508-183096-1n7rdo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273274/original/file-20190508-183096-1n7rdo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273274/original/file-20190508-183096-1n7rdo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273274/original/file-20190508-183096-1n7rdo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">‘Haus of Gaga’ - Lady Gaga’s take on the ‘camp’ theme.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Andres Otero/WENN.com/AAP</span></span>
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<p>In 1964, author Susan Sontag penned perhaps her most influential essay, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36436100-notes-on-camp">Notes on Camp</a>. It was one of the first attempts to try to pin down camp’s qualities and parameters. It’s clear why she chose to write some notes rather than a formal essay; because camp is a sensibility or a way of perceiving the world, it is quite difficult to treat systematically. In fact, Sontag would say that it often defies the very idea of systematisation.</p>
<p>For Sontag, camp is “the love of the exaggerated, the ‘off,’ of things-being-what-they-are-not”, and though it is not merely visual, it has often been expressed in the visual styles of décor, architecture, cinema and fashion. </p>
<p>Certain aspects of Art Nouveau, old Flash Gordon comics, women’s clothes of the 1920s like feather boas and fringed garments, celebrity dandies and “sissies” like Oscar Wilde and Paul Lynde, “overwrought” performances by classic Hollywood actresses such as Bette Davis and Judy Garland and so on. Key to camp is a sense of affectation, of style over substance. But equally important is the way one looks at those things, how one appreciates affectation.</p>
<h2>Missing the point</h2>
<p>Many of the gowns and costumes at this year’s Met Gala attempt to capture the essence of camp, and in trying to do so miss the point of camp entirely. There is nothing discernibly camp about Jared Leto carrying around a replica of his own head. Quirky and strange? Maybe. But nowhere near camp. </p>
<p>Another interesting example was Celine Dion, who wore a glittering tribute to Judy Garland and the Ziegfield Follies, designed by Oscar de la Renta. While inspired by camp figures, it is not the outfit here that is camp but rather the person wearing it. Dion is arguably a contemporary camp icon, and she would be camp regardless of what she wore. This is because her celebrity image owes more to her overly emotional songs and the way in which she performs them, her goofy persona, and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkIPaxBsWy4">heightened emotion of some of her public statements</a>. </p>
<p>People with a camp appreciation of Celine Dion enjoy her ironically, finding the style of her public personality thoroughly entertaining. Such appreciators would probably also love the fact that she apparently <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/celine-dion-thought-met-gala-theme-literally-about-camping.html">initially thought</a> the theme for this year’s gala was “camping.” In nature. Bless her.</p>
<p>Other guests such as Billy Porter approached the camp sensibility much more accurately by incorporating outrageous pomp and performance to their attendances. </p>
<p>Porter came dressed like some kind of Egyptian goddess, carried in on a litter by six nubile, shirtless men. While this adds a certain spectacle, it was, like every other guest’s appearance, a designed, rehearsed happening.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273258/original/file-20190508-183100-1lr4ksg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273258/original/file-20190508-183100-1lr4ksg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273258/original/file-20190508-183100-1lr4ksg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273258/original/file-20190508-183100-1lr4ksg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273258/original/file-20190508-183100-1lr4ksg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273258/original/file-20190508-183100-1lr4ksg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273258/original/file-20190508-183100-1lr4ksg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273258/original/file-20190508-183100-1lr4ksg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Billy Porter’s arrival at the Met Gala was an ornate spectacle.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Andres Otero/Wenn.com/AAP</span></span>
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<p>For Sontag and many thinkers who came after her, there really are two ways of “doing” camp. One is the “naïve camp” and the other is “conscious camp.” Naïve camp is the Judy Garland kind of camp. Garland did not intend to be a gay icon, but she became one because her earnest, overwrought performances invited a large portion of queer people to view her as a camp figure.</p>
<p>Gay men in particular appreciated the affectations in her performances, in a similar way to how drag queens are appreciated in the queer community. They are not appreciated for how well they perform but for how much they perform, for how much extra they put into their lip-synched song and dance. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-dorothys-red-shoes-deserve-their-status-as-gay-icons-even-in-changing-times-110187">Why Dorothy's red shoes deserve their status as gay icons, even in changing times</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>‘Conscious camp’</h2>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273280/original/file-20190508-183112-sxj9gi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273280/original/file-20190508-183112-sxj9gi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273280/original/file-20190508-183112-sxj9gi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=806&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273280/original/file-20190508-183112-sxj9gi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=806&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273280/original/file-20190508-183112-sxj9gi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=806&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273280/original/file-20190508-183112-sxj9gi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1012&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273280/original/file-20190508-183112-sxj9gi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1012&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273280/original/file-20190508-183112-sxj9gi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1012&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Amber Valletta’s costume was simple yet effective.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Justin Lane/EPA/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“Conscious camp” is what was on display at the Met Gala this year. Take Lady Gaga’s “Russian doll” of dresses, each layer referencing old Hollywood glamour to an over the top degree. An oversized version of Marilyn Monroe’s dress in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is removed and beneath it is a sleeker black, femme fatale number, followed by another reveal of a more realistically proportioned pink dress. Gaga is well-versed in queer and pop cultural aesthetics, and there was a fun narrative here, but its barrage of old Hollywood references don’t necessarily make it camp. </p>
<p>Contrast this with Amber Valletta’s rather simple, but effective costume: she looks like she is wearing a giant, green loofa, and in most of the photos looks to be taking herself way too seriously. That’s the sort of camp Sontag might enjoy.</p>
<p>The best kind of camp is the kind that doesn’t know it is camp. Which is just another way of saying you can’t really design and wear your way into the camp sensibility.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/116742/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Sini does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many of the gowns and costumes at this year’s Met Gala attempted to capture the essence of camp, and in trying to do so missed the point of camp entirely.Matthew Sini, Lecturer in Screen Media, University of the Sunshine CoastLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1054372019-02-17T09:27:03Z2019-02-17T09:27:03ZWhat the Village’s People’s leather-clad singer can teach heterosexual men<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258699/original/file-20190213-90479-ewbbfa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Village People's Glenn Hughes (second from left) epitomised the leatherman look.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mario Casciano</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>“Leathermen” are gay men who wear leather clothes that draw inspiration from masculine institutions like the military, the police, and motorcycle gangs. They also take great pride in their muscular bodies, dressing in leather to cultivate an image of “hypermasculinity” – a term that’s usually used to describe how some heterosexual men look and behave to prove that they are “manly”.</p>
<p>Leathermen are attached to a thriving subset of gay and lesbian subcultures all over the world. The “leathermen look” is often referenced in popular culture: think Glenn Hughes from the 70s disco group, the Village People; Robert Mapplethorpe’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/gallery/2017/oct/28/robert-mapplethorpe-the-male-gaze-in-pictures">photographs</a>; Lady Gaga’s video for “Bad Romance” and Madonna, who is the most ubiquitous referencer of the “leathermen look”, from videos to world tours.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qrO4YZeyl0I?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Leathermen in Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Leathermen are tacitly accepted by the gay and lesbian “movement” because, after all, they are gay. However, mainstream gay and lesbian communities tend to be more sceptical about leathermen’s sexual practices. These are rooted in Bondage, Discipline, Sadomasochism and Masochism (BDSM); this kind of sex is generally viewed as abnormal by society at large, bar the “gentle whip” and “naughty spank” popularised by the <em>Fifty Shades of Grey</em> series.</p>
<p>In a recent piece of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10130950.2018.1498238?journalCode=ragn20">research</a> I show how leathermen in South Africa finally became visible with the advent of Facebook in 2009. Prior to the advent of Facebook they were hidden from society at large but thrived as an underground subculture. Academic John K Noyes <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26304332?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">argued</a> that historically in South Africa, the most active BDSM community was the white gay male community. </p>
<p>They were allied to the gay and lesbian movement (they were participants in Pride marches from the outset). But it became complicated. That leathermen enjoy “men only” spaces and the most visible leathermen communities are white men does not sit well with South Africa’s non-racial rainbow gay and lesbian movement. </p>
<h2>Marlon Brando</h2>
<p>Internationally, the leathermen “look” can be traced to post-World War Two motorcycle clubs in the US. Returning servicemen, who were homosexual, resented homosexuality being <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17135117">associated with femininity</a>. They started dressing like members of motorcycle gangs. Over time other leather objects from the military and police were incorporated to achieve the “leatherman look”. These include biker’s jackets, breeches, chaps, pants, knee-high biker boots, harnesses, cuffs (biceps and wrists), belts adorned with motorbike insignia, Sam Browne belts, shirts, ties, gloves and Muir caps (also known as the Master’s hat). </p>
<p>A young Marlon Brando dressed in biker leather in the 1953 American film, <em>The Wild One</em>, <a href="https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/art/photography/2014/05/14/photos-pioneers-leather-and-biker-scene-la">epitomised</a> the look best.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258702/original/file-20190213-181612-1lqm6tv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258702/original/file-20190213-181612-1lqm6tv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=772&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258702/original/file-20190213-181612-1lqm6tv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=772&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258702/original/file-20190213-181612-1lqm6tv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=772&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258702/original/file-20190213-181612-1lqm6tv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258702/original/file-20190213-181612-1lqm6tv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258702/original/file-20190213-181612-1lqm6tv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Actor Marlon Brando, shown in this undated handout picture in a scene from his 1953 film ‘The Wild One’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These leathermen did not want to be associated with other gay men and managed to pass as “real” men at a time when homosexuality was outlawed. Homosexuality was only “legalised” in 2003, and in a post-war America homophobia was particularly virulent. </p>
<p>The HIV crises of the late 1980s and 1990s decimated many leathermen communities in the US, most specifically in San Francisco.</p>
<p>One way for the community to show unity was by holding a pageant where the presentation of leather was foregrounded. This has become an institution in leathermen subcultures worldwide, South Africa included; it is the cultural highlight of the year for these communities.</p>
<h2>Rainbow pageant</h2>
<p>However, back in 2015 South African leathermen’s annual leather pageant was seen as being too white and too male. A breakaway pageant group was set up to reflect the diversity of the country’s gay and lesbian movement. The breakaway group held its own rainbow pageant, where the winners were a white leatherman and a black leatherwoman respectively.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259247/original/file-20190215-56229-1xwxqaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259247/original/file-20190215-56229-1xwxqaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259247/original/file-20190215-56229-1xwxqaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259247/original/file-20190215-56229-1xwxqaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259247/original/file-20190215-56229-1xwxqaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1006&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259247/original/file-20190215-56229-1xwxqaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1006&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259247/original/file-20190215-56229-1xwxqaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1006&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The leathermen pageant on Facebook.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supplied</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The winners were lauded in popular gay and lesbian websites as Africa’s first “true” leatherfolk. However, “rainbow leather” lasted but a moment and has never been heard of again. </p>
<p>The reason for this I argue is that the strong contestation over the image of “gay leather”, as reflected in the pageant posters on Facebook, is about “the public” consumption of these images and what they say – not about leathermen, but about the gay and lesbian community by association. The gay and lesbian movement did not want to be associated with the “underbelly” of the leathermen scene, the sex, the drugs, the cruising and the promiscuity. </p>
<p>The purist leathermen, however, thrive on members’ only social media cites. They’re once again hidden from view and disowned by the gay and lesbian movement.</p>
<p>It’s true that leathermen in South Africa are mostly white, male and hypermasculine. But internationally, the leathermen community is the same – despite its membership being open to all gay men. And just because leathermen of colour are not visible doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Leatherwomen worldwide have also set up their own pageants and chapters, often <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/from-drag-queens-to-leathermen-9780195390186?cc=us&lang=en&">in alliance</a> with leathermen. </p>
<p>So why are leathermen in South Africa sidelined and even rejected? In my research I argue that this group is a source of shame to the assimilationist and lifestyle orientated gay and lesbian movement in South Africa, where <a href="https://www.ajol.info/index.php/splp/article/view/125208">marriage</a> is viewed as the pinnacle of citizenship. The leather, the weird sex, the men only spaces, the bulging muscles and crotches are just too much for the larger queer community.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WyhdvRWEWRw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Madonna often referenced the ‘leatherman look’ in her videos.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Archaic culture</h2>
<p>The leathermen subculture is not understood in mainstream communities (perhaps only as part of deviant BDSM). It’s also misunderstood in gay and lesbian communities. That’s because it is seen as an example of an archaic culture that no longer has a place in mainstream gay and lesbian communities in post-apartheid South Africa. </p>
<p>This is a pity. There is much to be learnt about masculinity and gender from leathermen.</p>
<p>As a subculture, leathermen achieve their “manliness” in opposition to heterosexual hypermasculinity. They conduct their sex in safe and consenting environments, develop muscular bodies to attract other men and wear leather clothes that draw inspiration from the most masculine of heterosexual cultures – all without enacting the violence often associated with such cultures. </p>
<p>Leathermen actually expose the myth of hypermasculinity by refusing the violence and aggression which is normally attached to it. Instead, they produce their own cultural meanings of masculinity and gender.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/105437/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>TL McCormick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Leathermen expose the myth of hypermasculinity by refusing the violence and aggression which is normally attached to it.TL McCormick, Lecturer of Applied Linguistics, University of JohannesburgLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1011652018-08-10T09:59:50Z2018-08-10T09:59:50ZLady Gaga’s Twitter blunder and why speculating about suicide after a celebrity death is problematic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231120/original/file-20180808-160647-1oqtk01.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Lady Gaga has apologised for a tweet about 'Zombie Boy' Rick Genest’s death.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Lady Gaga’s apology “<a href="https://twitter.com/ladygaga/status/1025888870905376768">if I spoke too soon</a>” about the tragic passing of Rick Genest – a Canadian artist, actor, and fashion model, also known as Zombie Boy – highlights how difficult it can be to talk about sudden and unexpected deaths. </p>
<p>The superstar who has 76m Twitter followers, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/zombie-boy-death-lady-gaga-rick-genest-suicide-twitter-a8479076.html">retracted tweets</a> that referred to Genest’s death as suicide and <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/lady-gaga-sorry-for-suicide-post-after-death-of-born-this-way-co-star-zombie-boy-11462974">apologised</a> after Genest’s manager reported that his family believe the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/03/obituaries/rick-genest-tattooed-model-known-as-zombie-boy-dies-at-32.html">death was an accident</a>. She went on to write: “I in no way meant to draw an unjust conclusion.”</p>
<p>It was initially <a href="http://www.iheartradio.ca/news/canadian-model-featured-in-lady-gaga-video-dies-at-32-1.4820326">widely reported</a> that Genest had ended his own life. But in a statement, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dulcedomanagement/">his management said that</a> “contrary to reports” there is still no official cause of death.</p>
<p>Some of the confusion around sudden deaths can happen because a formal declaration of the cause of death can involve an excruciating wait. It may take months for police, coroners, physicians and pathologists to gather information about circumstances leading up to the death and to perform vital blood tests that help <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283544828_Substance_misuse_in_life_and_death_in_a_2-year_cohort_of_suicides">determine the cause</a>. But despite this reality, our experience working with bereaved families has shown that fictional crime programmes, such as CSI, can give people unrealistic expectations about how quickly the cause of death can be determined. </p>
<h2>Speaking too soon</h2>
<p>The sometimes lengthy coroner’s process means that family and friends often try to create <a href="https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000299">their own narrative around what has happened</a>. In the case of Genest, this appears to have initially resulted in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/aug/06/lady-gaga-apologises-after-reporting-rick-zombie-boy-genest-death-as-suicide">two different interpretations</a> of his death. This shows how the very challenging and shocking nature of a death can leave those affected confused about how to talk about it.</p>
<p>Yet, this distinction in the cause of death can have a profound impact on the grief process and carries implications about the approach to providing support. Any sudden, unexpected death is tragic and traumatic, but there is an additional layer of stigma and taboo with a suicide. And where a suicide is confirmed, <a href="http://supportaftersuicide.org.uk/">specific help and support</a> for people affected is important. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1025888870905376768"}"></div></p>
<p>Lady Gaga’s deleted tweets were clearly well intentioned. They demonstrated her close bond with Genest and were further evidence of her desire to reduce <a href="https://bornthisway.foundation/">the stigma associated with mental health and suicide</a>. But, of course, the tweet itself led to follow up reports by <a href="https://www.680news.com/video/2018/08/03/montreal-model-known-as-zombie-boy-dies-at-32/">other media</a>, which further speculated on the cause of death. </p>
<h2>Reducing suicide contagion</h2>
<p>One reason why it’s important to address the publicity generated by Lady Gaga’s tweets is the phenomenon of suicide contagion. Contagion is when exposure to suicide influences others to take their lives. </p>
<p>Evidence shows that high profile deaths by suicide result in an increase in suicide rates in the general public. In the four months after the death of the actor and comedian Robin Williams, there was a <a href="http://time.com/5137194/robin-williams-suicide-rate/">10% rise in suicide deaths</a> in the US.</p>
<p>There are established evidence based methods to reduce risk and promote healing after a suicide death, referred to as postvention. Postvention is considered a <a href="http://www.sprc.org/news/postvention-prevention">key element of suicide prevention</a> that helps to minimise the impact of suicide contagion. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.who.int/mental_health/suicide-prevention/resource_booklet_2017/en/">Media guidelines</a> exist to help <a href="https://www.samaritans.org/media-centre/media-guidelines-reporting-suicide">manage this risk</a>. Although we do not know exactly why contagion occurs, there is clear evidence that these <a href="https://theconversation.com/robin-williams-headlines-make-my-work-as-a-suicide-researcher-seem-futile-30495">guidelines were not always followed</a> in the case of Robin Williams, for example. </p>
<p>Cases such as Genest’s highlight the complicated nature of communication following sudden unexpected deaths, and of protecting the public from suicide contagion – via all forms of media attention. But the positive news is that responsible media coverage that follows the guidelines and encourages positive coping is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20807970">likely to have protective effects</a>. </p>
<p>Even those who are well meaning in posting about suspected suicides can cause distress to the family, as well as increase wider media speculation. Further discussion about the best way to support and maintain effective media guidelines will help manage this difficult phase immediately after a death – in particular, after a high-profile death with wide community and societal impact.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>In the UK, <a href="https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you/contact-us?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj7S40uLL3AIV7bftCh2DMw35EAAYASAAEgLI-_D_BwE">Samaritans</a> can be contacted on 116 123 or by email – jo@samaritans.org. Other similar international helplines can be found <a href="https://www.befrienders.org/">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101165/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Galway receives funding from The Medical Research Council to carry out research about how best to support people bereaved by suicide</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sharon Mallon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The story highlights complex barriers to support after a sudden death or suicide.Karen Galway, Lecturer in Mental Health, Queen's University BelfastSharon Mallon, Lecturer in Mental Health, The Open UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/793792017-06-14T09:20:34Z2017-06-14T09:20:34ZAnthill 14: Music on the mind<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173615/original/file-20170613-25855-1nt9qx7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">via shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>We’ve got music on our minds in this episode of <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/podcasts/the-anthill">The Anthill podcast</a>. We talked to psychologists, cultural historians, classical pianists and neuroscientists to find out more about what music does to our brains, and how it moves us.</p>
<p>If you’ve ever had a song stuck in your head, playing on a loop, that you just can’t shift, you might find our first interview useful. We spoke to music psychologist Kelly Jakubowski at Durham University who <a href="https://theconversation.com/earworms-why-some-songs-get-stuck-in-our-heads-more-than-others-68182">researches the phenomena known as earworms</a>. She explained what the most common songs are that we get stuck in our heads, why – and some tips on how to shift them. Apologies if we provoke any unwanted earworms.</p>
<p>We then sent science editor Miriam Frankel off to look into how music works in the brain – and how it can help people whose brains have been damaged. There’s still a lot of research to be done on the topic, but she spoke to three scientists to find out what is known. Lauren Stewart and her colleague Maria Herrojo Ruiz at Goldsmiths University, share the findings of some of their studies into the impact music has on our brains and how it is helping them to understand conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and stroke. And Jörg Fachner, who studies music, health and the brain at Anglia Ruskin University, gives some moving accounts of how music has been used to wake people from comas, but also how it can haunt people in the form of hallucinations.</p>
<p>After hearing about what music can do to the brain, we wanted to find out how it makes us feel. Arts and culture editor Jonathan Este spoke to cultural theorist Ian Biddle to learn more about those pieces of music specifically designed to make us feel a part of something bigger: national anthems. He also asked Elaine Chew, a digital media expert and classical pianist at Queen Mary University of London, what it is about the music of national anthems that rouses emotion. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173750/original/file-20170614-21372-mw3dg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173750/original/file-20170614-21372-mw3dg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173750/original/file-20170614-21372-mw3dg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173750/original/file-20170614-21372-mw3dg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173750/original/file-20170614-21372-mw3dg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173750/original/file-20170614-21372-mw3dg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173750/original/file-20170614-21372-mw3dg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What is it about national anthems that moves people?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">via shutterstock.com</span></span>
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<p><em>The Anthill theme music is by <a href="https://www.melodyloops.com/search/How+to+Steal+a+Million+Dollars/">Alex Grey for Melody Loops</a>. The piano music is taken from a <a href="https://www.freesound.org/people/IESP/sounds/340062/">recording by The IntraEnvrionmental Sound Project</a> of Lethbridge Sounds. The national anthems God Save the Queen, La Marseillaise, Wilhelmus and the South African National Anthem are from Wikimedia Commons. A big thanks to City University London’s Department of Journalism for letting us use their studios.</em></p>
<p><em>Click here to listen to <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/podcasts/the-anthill">more episodes of The Anthill</a>, on themes including <a href="https://theconversation.com/anthill-10-the-future-73404">The Future</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/anthill-7-on-belief-69448">Beliefs</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/anthill-9-when-scientists-experiment-on-themselves-71852">Self-experimentation</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/79379/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
A podcast on what music does to our brains, and why it moves us.Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate EditorWill de Freitas, Environment + Energy Editor, UK editionAnnabel Bligh, Business & Economy Editor and Podcast Producer, The Conversation UKGemma Ware, Head of AudioMiriam Frankel, Senior Science EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/681822016-11-03T16:02:48Z2016-11-03T16:02:48ZEarworms: why some songs get stuck in our heads more than others<p>Having a song stuck in one’s head, known as an earworm, is an experience that <a href="http://pom.sagepub.com/content/40/2/236">over 90% of us have on a regular basis</a>. In the last 10 years or so, researchers have begun to investigate this phenomenon, exploring such topics as how the earworm experience varies depending on <a href="http://www.doc.gold.ac.uk/%7Emas03dm/papers/MP2014_INMI_OCD_Mullensiefen.pdf">one’s personality traits</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-just-cant-get-you-out-of-my-head-how-to-eradicate-earworms-58094">how to get rid of an unwanted earworm</a>. This research has revealed a variety of important results, but one question remains that has still not been entirely answered: how do songs get into our heads in the first place?</p>
<p>There are a variety of reasons why a song might appear as an earworm that have little to do with the music itself. For instance, <a href="http://pom.sagepub.com/content/40/3/259">survey research</a> has indicated that earworms are commonly attributed to the recent or repeated hearing of a song. Some participants in this study also reported earworms triggered by memory associations, such as a word or image that reminded them of the lyrics to a song – I’ve had this experience several times on hearing the word “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvBfHwUxHIk">umbrella</a>”.</p>
<p>Additionally, we know that mood can have an impact, with some people reporting that they always get the same earworm when they are stressed, or people experiencing a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26122757">fast-tempo earworm</a> when they are in a very alert mood. And of course <a href="http://pom.sagepub.com/content/43/3/375">familiarity</a> with a song is a key contributor. Songs that you don’t know very well are less likely to pop up as earworms, possibly because earworm tunes need to be learnt to a high level in order for the brain to be able to replay them spontaneously without deliberate effort.</p>
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<h2>What about the music?</h2>
<p>Despite this variety of extra-musical factors, the common anecdotal belief that certain features of the music itself could make a song more “catchy” or prone to getting stuck in one’s head had not yet been addressed in detail by researchers. But <a href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/aca-aca0000090.pdf">research that I have recently published</a> with my colleagues Daniel Müllensiefen, Sebastian Funnel, and Lauren Stewart represents the first large-scale study to specifically investigate the musical features that might increase the “earworminess” of a piece of music.</p>
<p>In this study, we surveyed 3,000 people and asked them what songs they most frequently experienced as earworms. From this, we were able to develop a list of the “top-named earworm” tunes from the years 2010-2013 (when the survey was conducted). This particular study focused exclusively on pop music, although we hope in future to extend this work to include other genres. The list is as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I">Bad Romance</a> by Lady Gaga</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c18441Eh_WE">Can’t Get You Out Of My Head</a> by Kylie Minogue</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcjzHMhBtf0">Don’t Stop Believing</a> by Journey</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY">Somebody That I Used To Know</a> by Gotye</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEPTlhBmwRg">Moves Like Jagger</a> by Maroon 5</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F57P9C4SAW4">California Gurls</a> by Katy Perry</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQ">Bohemian Rhapsody</a> by Queen</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niqrrmev4mA">Alejandro</a> by Lady Gaga</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bESGLojNYSo">Poker Face</a> by Lady Gaga</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY">Single Ladies</a> by Beyoncé / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEDA3JcQqw">Rolling in the Deep</a> by Adele (tied for 10th place)</p></li>
</ol>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Most offending earworm.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Once we had this list of top earworms, we took the top 100 earworm tunes and created a comparable set of 100 tunes that had never been named as earworms by our survey participants. We made sure our non-earworm tunes were by similar artists and had achieved similar popularity, as measured by the UK music charts, since we know that recent hearing and familiarity with a song can have an influence on whether it becomes an earworm. So, for instance, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I">Bad Romance</a> by Lady Gaga was matched to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Abk1jAONjw">Just Dance</a> – another popular Lady Gaga song that was not named as an earworm in the survey by anyone.</p>
<p>We then compared the earworm versus non-earworm songs in terms of over 80 features, including things like their pitch range, interval content, and rhythmic variability.</p>
<h2>Earworm qualities</h2>
<p>We found three melodic features to be key in predicting whether a song had been named as an earworm:</p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>Tempo</strong>: Earworm tunes tended to be faster in tempo (speed) than non-earworms. The idea that our brain likes to throw upbeat tunes at us more often than slow tunes could be due to the <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09298215.2015.1084331?journalCode=nnmr20">relationship between movement and earworms</a> – many people get earworms when engaging in periodic movement like walking, running, or brushing their teeth.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Generic melodic shapes</strong>: Earworm tunes tended to have more generic overall melodic contours (shapes) than non-earworm songs. One example of a very common melodic contour is a rising pattern followed by a falling one, as seen in the first section of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and many other nursery rhymes, as well as the chorus to Bad Romance. Having a generic melodic shape might help our brain to be able to recall a song more easily and rehearse it in the mind.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Unusual interval patterns</strong>: Earworm tunes also tended to have some unique intervals, such as a larger number of leaps or an occasional bigger leap than is expected in “the average pop song”. The idea that earworm tunes need to be generally easy to remember in terms of melodic shape but also contain some unique patterns of intervals could be due to the brain searching for a sort of “Goldilocks” level of complexity in a melody – a melody that is not too simple but not too complex to remember either.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>So why should we care about what makes some songs stick in our heads more than others? </p>
<p>Research on earworms can help to inform us about how and why our brains spend up to 40% of our days thinking thoughts that are unrelated to our present task at hand. Ongoing research is investigating whether earworms might serve any functional purpose in our lives, such as helping us to memorise newly learnt music or regulating our moods throughout the day. </p>
<p>Research into the causes and “cures” for earworms may also have clinical applications in helping people experiencing conditions known as “<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887618514000851">musical obsessions</a>” or “<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1989.tb05877.x/full">musical hallucinations</a>” to prevent or alleviate particularly problematic instances of imagined tunes.</p>
<p>And perhaps in the future, these factors could be of use to aspiring songwriters looking to create the perfect earworm song.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/68182/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kelly Jakubowski has received funding from the Leverhulme Trust for this research. </span></em></p>Results of the first large-scale study to specifically investigate the musical features that might increase the ‘earworminess’ of a song.Kelly Jakubowski, Music Psychologist, Durham UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/575962016-04-14T03:25:28Z2016-04-14T03:25:28ZHow universities can begin to tackle rape culture on their campuses<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/118306/original/image-20160412-15861-z30vko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">University campuses are a hotbed of rape culture.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters </span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/29/entertainment/lady-gaga-performance-oscars-feat/">Lady Gaga’s performance</a> of <em>Til it happens to you</em> at the 2016 Academy Awards drew worldwide attention to sexual violence, and specifically the recent increase in sexual assault on American university campuses.</p>
<p>It resonated elsewhere in the world, too. Stellenbosch University in South Africa has set up <a href="http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=3740">a task team</a> to “investigate issues around gender violence” on its campus. About 50km away, students at the University of Cape Town organised <a href="http://varsitynewspaper.co.za/news/4394-confronting-sexual-violence-and-rape-culture-uct">a campaign</a> to draw attention to sexual violence and rape culture on their campus. A <a href="http://activateonline.co.za/chapter-2-12-the-campaign-against-rape-culture/">similar campaign</a> has also been launched at Rhodes University, in the country’s Eastern Cape province. </p>
<p>These incidents are further evidence that “rape culture” is a reality in South Africa. The term was <a href="http://www.wavaw.ca/what-is-rape-culture/">coined</a> in the 1970s and refers to the pervasive ideology that supports or excuses sexual assault. In this culture, it is primarily women who experience “a continuum of threatened violence” that ranges from sexist remarks to unwanted sexual touching – and to rape itself.</p>
<p>University campuses are prime locations for rape culture. In the 1980s Mary Koss, an expert on gender-based violence, did a <a href="http://www.soci270.carvajal.ca/documents/KossTheScopeofRape.pdf">seminal study</a> at 32 university campuses in the US. She found that university campuses are the perfect site for “sexual aggression and victimisation” of women because they are closed institutions, much like the military and prisons. People live, study, work and play in the same environment. A university campus is a closed environment with particular norms and practices to which its community is constantly exposed. Within such settings it is very hard to counter whatever is considered normal and acceptable.</p>
<p>South Africa faces a particularly pernicious problem given the country’s high levels of violence against women. Universities can take a decisive step by addressing the widespread prevalence of rape culture on their campuses, drawing from the experience of others, particularly in the US. </p>
<h2>The broader South African context</h2>
<p>South Africa has high rates of rape, though these are <a href="https://theconversation.com/rewriting-the-script-around-south-africas-rape-statistics-40541">incredibly underreported</a>. The headlines are sickeningly common: the atrocious treatment of a <a href="http://ewn.co.za/2016/03/08/WC-health-MEC-to-convene-urgent-meeting-at-Paarl-hospital">four-year-old rape victim</a>, or the <a href="http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2016/02/04/mourning-widow-forced-to-listen-as-daughter-is-gang-raped">gang rape of a 16-year-old</a> while her mother is forced to listen. Every day there’s a report about sexual violence somewhere in the country.</p>
<p>But rape culture is about far more than rape. Rape culture is created and enabled by patriarchy, which empowers men at the expense of women. It supports a hegemonic, idealised version of masculinity that does not easily allow for alternative expressions of being a man. This is why not only women and girls are victims of rape culture – men and boys are sometimes, too. </p>
<p>Discussing rape culture involves talking about the societal attitudes regarding sexuality and gender that normalises sexual abuse. Society normalises sexually violent acts in various ways. Through jokes, song lyrics, advertising billboards and bestselling novels, among others, a culture is created where sexual violence becomes permissible.</p>
<p>Not all sexist societies manifest high levels of violence against women. But research has showed that rape in South Africa is “deeply <a href="http://mg.co.za/article/2009-07-09-in-south-africa-rape-is-linked-to-manhood">embedded in ideas of manhood</a>”. Researchers and gender activists have also argued that the violent repression of apartheid has played a role in cementing rape culture.</p>
<p>Rape culture in South Africa manifests in the highest levels of government: President Jacob Zuma accusing <a href="http://www.news24.com/elections/news/women-too-sensitive-to-compliments-zuma-20160305">women of complaining about harassment</a> too quickly, or stating that <a href="http://mg.co.za/article/2012-08-21-zuma-women-must-have-children">single women are a problem</a> in society. It’s also revealed in the way elected male leaders respond to their female counterparts. When the female then-leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance and premier of the Western Cape province installed an all-male provincial cabinet, they were called her <a href="http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2014-02-03-zille-ramphele-mazibuko-ntuli-the-trouble-with-being-female-in-politics/#.VwuY8Pl95D9">“boyfriends and concubines”</a>. Another woman opposition politician was dismissed as a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/jun/14/top-10-sexist-moments-politics">“tea girl”</a>, and her dress and hairstyle were criticised in the country’s parliament.</p>
<p>South African universities <a href="http://www.mrc.ac.za/crime/aspj/2013/Weface.pdf">exist</a> within this context. This arguably makes it even more likely for rape culture to pervade their campuses. All of this is not to suggest, though, that universities can do nothing about it.</p>
<h2>Universities can do a great deal</h2>
<p>At other universities, especially in the US, various interventions have been launched to address rape culture. Some launch semester-long <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J015v28n02_04">rape education courses</a> with the aim of developing rape consciousness among students. Some focus on <a href="https://etd.ohiolink.edu/!etd.send_file?accession=akron1406555995&disposition=inline">mobilising bystanders</a> to address rape culture. At some universities, <a href="http://www.facultyagainstrape.net/">faculty members</a> have become involved as researchers, teachers, advocates or policy reformers. </p>
<p>South Africa’s universities can draw from this existing hard work in addressing their own rape cultures. It will have to be contextualised, though, especially keeping in mind how violent South African society is. </p>
<p>Universities are also in the fortunate position of being educational centres. This means they are well placed to educate students in a myriad ways about identifying and tackling rape culture. An enclosed university environment also arguably makes for an easier setting in which to challenge the broader issue of rape culture – compared to, say, South Africa at large. But addressing rape culture will require long-term prioritising and commitment from university management. This is something that has been lacking on many, if not most, campuses. </p>
<p>A cautionary note, though: while people are rightly shocked about rape at a university, institutions should be careful that their interventions are about addressing this rather than about restoring their own reputations. It has been sad to realise that there is not the same outcry when rape culture is seen in action in South Africa at large. Why are so many people only dismayed when these things happen at a prestigious university?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/57596/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elisabet le Roux does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>University campuses are prime locations for rape culture. What can be done about this reality?Elisabet le Roux, Researcher, Unit for Religion and Development Research, Faculty of Theology, Stellenbosch UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/555072016-03-02T02:23:01Z2016-03-02T02:23:01ZLady Gaga vs Lorde: why both tributes captured the essence of David Bowie<p>On January 10, 2016, I received a text message from a friend who is a devoted David Bowie fan: “There was an Internet death hoax about Bowie. I’m still shaking,” she exclaimed. Hesitantly, she decided, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>There’s no official news as yet, so I think it’s safe to assume that it is fake.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Her skepticism was warranted, given that Bowie had only two days prior released his 25th – and what would become his final – studio album, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jan/07/david-bowie-blackstar-review-a-spellbinding-break-with-his-past">Blackstar</a>. </p>
<p>But of course, the reports were not fake. The news spread like wild fire as headlines across the globe announced the death of an icon. Blackstar would be his parting gift to his fans and to the world of pop that he himself had helped to shape. </p>
<p>Not surprisingly, an <a href="https://theconversation.com/david-bowie-pop-star-who-fell-to-earth-to-teach-outsiders-they-can-be-heroes-52995">outpouring of grief ensued</a>. Bowie-themed nights and tributes began to flow, but the most talked-about homages were the recent performances by <a href="http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/02/lady-gaga-gives-the-academy-awards-a-performance-for-the-ages/">Lady Gaga at the Grammy Awards</a> and <a href="http://musicfeeds.com.au/news/lorde-performed-stirring-bowie-tribute-brits-original-backing-band/">Lorde at the BRIT Awards</a>. </p>
<p>These two performances were polar opposites. Gaga’s tribute showcased a medley of songs, the singer whizzing through many of Bowie’s classics – Suffragette City, Changes, Ziggy Stardust, Rebel Rebel, Fame, Let’s Dance to name a few – at lightning-bolt speed. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Lady Gaga paid tribute with a medley of Bowie’s hits.</span></figcaption>
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<p>The performance – complete with brass section, a dancing robotic electric piano, and references to Bowie’s famous alter egos, Aladdin Sane and Ziggy Stardust – contained all the glitz and glamour one would expect to find at a Grammy Awards performance.</p>
<p>Lorde’s tribute, on the other hand, was much more pared back. Devoid of stage props and Bowie-esque makeup, the singer - alongside Bowie’s band - delivered a haunting rendition of Life on Mars. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Lorde at the Brit awards.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Lorde and Lady Gaga have since been pitted against each other, as commentators, fans, and music critics compare the two performances. Many concluded that Lorde’s was the better, more fitting, and more appropriate tribute. The most frustrating aspect of this comparison, however, is the way in which <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/77293349/lordes-david-bowie-tribute-at-the-brit-awards-so-much-better-than-lady-gaga">Lady Gaga’s performance was derided</a>. </p>
<p>Gaga’s tribute was denounced for being “<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/lordes-tribute-to-david-bowie-brit-awards-2016-heartbreaking/">over-the-top</a>”, “too superficial”, “too theatrical” and “too strenuously pop”. Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones, tweeted a veiled criticism after Gaga’s performance:</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"699437406873743360"}"></div></p>
<p>Lorde’s performance was, by contrast, described as <a href="http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/5-ways-lordes-bowie-tribute-was-better-than-lady-gagas">“subtle”, “real” and “powerful”</a> and was thus celebrated for being more “<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/lordes-brits-tribute-to-david-bowie-so-much-better-than-lady-gaga-at-the-grammys-20160225-gn3e93.html">authentic</a>”. </p>
<p>This commentary spoke volumes about who is deemed worthy of paying tribute to an artist such as Bowie. At the core of the Lady Gaga-vs-Lorde debate is the ideology of authenticity, which is deeply embedded in rock-music discourse. </p>
<p>This ideology situates rock and pop music in opposition to each other: rock is supposedly real, authentic, sincere, and honest, while pop music is supposedly banal, artificial, contrived and vapid. By this understanding, rock is thus viewed as superior to pop.</p>
<p>How can Gaga, a supposedly inauthentic, vapid, and contrived pop star, possibly pay homage to such an authentic and real artist like Bowie? Lorde is deemed more worthy of such a tribute because, in spite of her pop identity, she embodies the ideology of authenticity.</p>
<p>Part of what made Bowie such a great contributor to both pop music and pop culture was his ability to be artificial as well as real, to be theatrical whilst being honest, to be contrived <em>and</em> authentic. </p>
<p>The Lady Gaga-vs-Lorde debate is therefore both unproductive and arbitrary. Both performances showcased a different side to Bowie’s artistry: Gaga’s tribute focused on his performative and theatrical side, highlighting in particular his fascination with technology, artifice, and fantasy worlds (Labyrinth immediately comes to mind). </p>
<p>By stripping these things back, Lorde’s tribute celebrated Bowie’s musicality, highlighting instead his songwriting ability through a predominantly musical performance of one of his greatest songs: Life on Mars. </p>
<p>Both of these tributes captured the essence of Bowie. When considered together, rather than being pitted against each other, they can be seen as capturing what quintessentially made him a truly enigmatic and unique artist.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/55507/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kat Nelligan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Lady Gaga and Lorde have both paid tribute to David Bowie in very different ways. Debating who did it better is rooted in an ideology of authenticity that pits rock against pop. In reality, Bowie embodied both.Kat Nelligan, PhD candidate, tutor and lecturer in Popular Music Studies , The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/337662014-11-05T15:56:06Z2014-11-05T15:56:06ZGarbo to Gaga: shades reveal the elusive soul of modern celebrity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63732/original/n5q53j73-1415187778.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The first line of defence. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marie Havens/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The fame of Lady Gaga is the stand-out phenomenon of 21st-century celebrity – the go-to example for any commentator. But in a recent interview for 60 Minutes she complained that being so famous wasn’t all peachy. Apparently, some people <a href="http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/158427/Best-Day-Of-My-Life-Lady-Gaga-And-Tony-Bennett-Celebrate-Release-Of-Cheek-To-Cheek">can’t see through her clothes</a> (ironic given the frequency of very sheer fabrics and flesh-baring garments in her kaleidoscopic wardrobe). But what I’m interested in here is how she clothes her face: all too often with sunglasses. </p>
<p>Another Lady G must be given some attention first, though. In 1957 Roland Barthes wrote <a href="http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wsGDVdYoRA4C">an essay about Greta Garbo</a>, a Hollywood star with a legendary cool and glamorous mystique. The essay was about Garbo’s face, which she habitually covered with sunglasses out of a desire to recede from public view. Barthes interpreted Garbo’s reticence as a strategy designed to protect her “essence”.</p>
<p>But this was an “essence” fabricated for cinema through layers of “snow-thick” make-up and a constructed invulnerable smoothness. Later, when the ageing skin beneath could no longer quite support these technologies of perfection, sunglasses were not enough – the leather of a handbag, used to shield her face from the paparazzi in the 1960s, was needed to mask the truths of the soul told by lines and wrinkles. But for long enough, sunglasses were enough to mask the fact that the Garbo the people were hoping to see, just wasn’t there.</p>
<p>Garbo wasn’t the only one protecting herself with sunglasses. Joan Crawford could be seen arriving on set, without make-up, in hers; and <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/maceyjforonda/awesome-vintage-photos-of-celebrities-eating">Marlene Dietrich was photographed backstage eating in shades</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63741/original/v26tqp58-1415190441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63741/original/v26tqp58-1415190441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63741/original/v26tqp58-1415190441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63741/original/v26tqp58-1415190441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63741/original/v26tqp58-1415190441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63741/original/v26tqp58-1415190441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63741/original/v26tqp58-1415190441.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Anna Wintour.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nata Sha/Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>As photography became progressively less polite, dark glasses came more and more into play as the first line of defence against the exploding flashbulbs and provocative antics of the 1950s paparazzi, who made a lucrative business of puncturing that veneer of perfection. But no matter how agitated, their eyes remained unreadable – cool. </p>
<p>Sunglasses are now an essential crutch for many celebrities. So much so that they have become a cliche of the aspiring celebrity – a person desperate to be desired by press and public dons them hopefully as a seductive tool. Moments of disgrace or diminished renown are navigated with head down, shades on, hiding puffy, haggard or sad eyes. </p>
<p>Because of this, sunglasses can be viewed as a handy indicator of the meaning of celebrity today. We’re invited to gaze into the eyes of our film and pop stars on giant cinema screens or to linger over them on phones and tablets, to long for them to meet our gaze – even though this is impossible. Sunglasses frustratingly remind us of this impossibility whilst underscoring the sacred otherworldliness, detachment, self-possession and smooth demeanour of the celebrity. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63738/original/mfzy5gm8-1415189927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63738/original/mfzy5gm8-1415189927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=896&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63738/original/mfzy5gm8-1415189927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=896&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63738/original/mfzy5gm8-1415189927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=896&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63738/original/mfzy5gm8-1415189927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1126&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63738/original/mfzy5gm8-1415189927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1126&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63738/original/mfzy5gm8-1415189927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1126&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The iconic shades.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">s_bukley/Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>“Something to hide behind” they may be, but they also add an almost guaranteed layer of celestial power and mystique. Some celebrities are nothing without their shades. Without them, Victoria Beckham’s early forays into the world of real high fashion could have looked awkward, nervous, “wannabe”. Without them, Bono would, by now, be almost unrecognisable as his eyes disappear with age (the same could have been said for Andy Warhol). Sunglasses make great visual copy at any size – and have become synonymous with many celebrity identities. Jack Nicholson, Jackie Onassis, Garbo herself; all claimed to be less recognisable with their sunglasses off.</p>
<p>Today, they also act as novelty masks, enabling celebrities to change their appearance and to hold the gaze of press and public. This is essential in contemporary celebrity culture where constant reconstruction of image is the name of the game. Lady Gaga continues to captivate her audience with an almost maniacal performance of spectacular and frantic mutation using myriad forms and styles of clothing and sunglasses. These are frequently kept on during interviews in a resolute statement of “knowingly” exaggerated celebrity status. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63740/original/jnr4twt9-1415190098.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63740/original/jnr4twt9-1415190098.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63740/original/jnr4twt9-1415190098.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63740/original/jnr4twt9-1415190098.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63740/original/jnr4twt9-1415190098.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63740/original/jnr4twt9-1415190098.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63740/original/jnr4twt9-1415190098.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Why not go one step further?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Everett Collection/Shutterstock</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Dark lenses are not the only hard surfaces she favours: prosthetic shoulder blades, metal, plastic, leather, PVC. Layer upon on layer of clothing, make-up, prosthetics, accessories are added and removed in a performance more like a display of armour than a striptease. Even her bare skin seems somehow bullet-proof. She takes it all off, but she won’t let us in. </p>
<p>The occasional softening of voice, admission of vulnerability or opening of the eyes promises a brief glimpse of what appears to be the real Gaga, but it’s always choreographed to be rapidly and seamlessly followed by a deadpan removal of access. Gaga’s performance repeatedly riffs on the idea that there is no “essential” self, nothing enduring, nothing stable, nothing to grab hold of, no chinks in the armour. If she wants people to see through her clothes, well, maybe she shouldn’t wear so many.</p>
<p>Gaga’s complaint suggests that there is something to see “though her clothes”. But what sunglasses mask in her case is not that tender, delicate “truth inside” but its absence – the monumental ego with black holes where the windows to the soul should be. This is not to say that Stefani Germanotta has no soul, but that its existence is entirely unnecessary to her appeal in the modern world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33766/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vanessa Brown does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The fame of Lady Gaga is the stand-out phenomenon of 21st-century celebrity – the go-to example for any commentator. But in a recent interview for 60 Minutes she complained that being so famous wasn’t…Vanessa Brown, Senior Lecturer in Design and Visual Culture, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.