Tanya Gold: It wasn't singer Susan Boyle who was ugly on Britain's Got Talent ...

[Cronopio]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/16/britains-got-talent-susan-boyle

Why are we so shocked when "ugly" women can do things, rather than sitting at home weeping and wishing they were somebody else? Men are allowed to be ugly and talented. Alan Sugar looks like a burst bag of flour. Gordon Ramsay has a dried-up riverbed for a face. Justin Lee Collins looks like Cousin It from The Addams Family. Graham Norton is a baboon in mascara. I could go on. But a woman has to have the bright, empty beauty of a toy - or get off the screen. We don't want to look at you. Except on the news, where you can weep because some awful personal tragedy has befallen you.

Simon Cowell, now buffed to the sheen of an ornamental pebble, asked this strange creature, this alien, how old she was. "I'm nearly 47," she said. Simon rolled his eyes until they threatened to roll out of his head, down the aisle and out into street. "But that's only one side of me," Susan added, and wiggled her hips. The camera cut to the other male judge, Piers Morgan, who winced. Didn't Susan know she was not supposed to be sexual? The audience's reaction was equally disgusting. They giggled with embarrassment, and when Susan said she wanted to be a professional singer, the camera spun to a young girl, who seemed to be at least half mascara.

...

I know what you will say. You will say that Paul Potts, the fat opera singer with the equally squashed face who won Britain's Got Talent in 2007, had just as hard a time at his first audition. I looked it up on YouTube. He did not. "I wasn't expecting that," said Simon to Paul. "Neither was I," said Amanda. "You have an incredible voice," said Piers. And that was it. No laughter, or invitations to paranoia, or mocking wolf-whistles, or smirking, or derision. We see this all the time in popular culture. Do you ever stare at the TV and wonder where the next generation of Judi Denchs and Juliet Stevensons have gone? Have they fallen down a Rada wormhole? Yes. They're not there, because they aren't pretty enough to get airtime. This lust for homogeneity in female beauty means that when someone who doesn't resemble a diagram in a plastic surgeon's office steps up to the microphone, people fall about and treat us to despicable sub-John Gielgud gestures of amazement.

Susan will probably win Britain's Got Talent. She will be the little munter that could sing, served up for the British public every Saturday night. Look! It's "ugly"! It sings! And I know that we think that this will make us better people. But Susan Boyle will be the freakish exception that makes the rule. By raising this Susan up, we will forgive ourselves for grinding every other Susan into the dust. It will be a very partial and poisoned redemption. Because Britain's Got Malice. Sing, Susan, sing - to an ugly crowd that doesn't deserve you.

[Demeter]

1. It's Not Britain, It's Men

which is why marriage is on the rocks.

[jobycom]

5. Men buy Cosmopolitan and watch "Sex in the City?"

[jmondine]

9. I disagree...

Not that men can't be shallow. But some of the most judgmental, derisive comments I've heard on women's appearances have come from other women.
Also, while it may not be as intense for men, I speak from the personal experience of a man whose weight has fluctuated over the years, and I am treated completely differently when I am thin.
This isn't a male issue. It's a societal one.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Susan is cute

I like the way she looks because she reminds me of my favorite aunt.

It isn't Britain that demands plastic Barbie Doll types--it is the movers and shakers in show biz--international show biz.

[bemildred]

3. Yah. The focus on tits and ass is all media driven.

Because they are short of better ideas on how to draw your attention.

[whathehell]

15. A pretty face too?...It's all superficial...but not all pointedly sexual.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. I blame Aaron Spelling.

[jobycom]

4. That's not what I saw.

I've seen Cowell, at least, have that same reaction to very attractive women whom he was skeptical of. Katherine McPhee comes to mind--he accused her of living her mother's dream, and could barely contain his scorn and skepticism when she said her mother was her music teacher. When she began singing, his entire demeanor changed, and he praised her profusely.

It wasn't about looks, or about age, it was about the unlikelihood of an unemployed, unassuming unknown of nearly 50 having a voice like an accomplished Broadway star. Susan Boyle's personality and demeanor, while charming in an unassuming way, also inspired skepticism about her self-awareness.

Let's challenge Tanya Gold. If Susan had opened her mouth and sounded like a train wreck, she'd be on Youtube alongside the woman who sang "Ken Lee" and the other woman who song "Killing me softly." Would Tanya Gold then be talking about how cool and charming Susan Boyle was, how wicked the British audience was, or would she be laughing at the pretentious clown, too?

Yes, looks are overrated and there is a double standard and female entertainers are described as "Lovely and talented" a lot more often than "Talented," but I think Tanya Gold's essay says more about her biases than about the judges and audience that night. There were many factors in their skepticism, and her pure talent overcame that skepticism, but the only thing Gold paid attention to were her looks, and that to me says more about Gold than I think she realizes she's saying.

[Merlot]

22. I agree with you -thanks for writing this better than I could

when I saw the clip, I thought they were reacting to the idea of someone who was 47 and never having a musical career. What are the chances she'd be so good?

Also, those shows love to throw in ringers occasionally, it's expected that some peole will be laughed at or silly. Susan could have very easily been a bawdy singer with a lot of spunk and a little talent. It's the element of suprise that mkes these shows interesting.

[noiretextatique]

27. so it was her personality?

how exactly is she supposed to act in order for people not to be skeptical? what personality should be have for people not to wince and titter about her appearance? ms. gold's analysis was spot on.

[dweller]

6. my eyes don't listen

so i close them when i hear beautiful music.

try it sometime
dp

[Mnemosyne]

13. Sage advice, dweller. She is beautiful. n/t

[dweller]

14. It's going with what you've got

that makes you beautiful ... (paraphrasing Eleanor Roosevelt)

peace
dp

[Mnemosyne]

37. Most of the ugly people I've known had beautiful faces and were

shells inside.

Namaste.

[dddem]

38. my sentiment exactly

ugly comes from the inside out.

[Mnemosyne]

39. My one sister was a model and she

is one of the most hateful, vindictive witches I've ever known.

Beauty is skin deep, ugly runs to the core.:hi:

[Lint Head]

7. Susan is not the waif model that we see in Abercrombie and Fitch

ads. She doesn't need to be. She is real. A real person as opposed to a phony 'sex sells' boy toy fantasy.
We need more people like her represented in our lives. Girls strive to be sexy models and some end up dead from anorexia and bulimia.
When the PR folks get a hold of her they will dress her up but I hope she doesn't change who she is, a person that helps with charities even though she is out of work.
:dem:

[Lisa0825]

10. I think it has a lot more to do with how the show is produced....

They use they use the contrast between talented people and strange people who think they are talented to give the show some suspense. Most of the time, they tend to pick people who look strange and sound strange to represent the negative, and they pick pretty people who are talented to represent the positive. In this case, they fooled the judges and audience by picking someone who was not photogenically "ready for prime time" but immensely talented, and they used her to reach a climactic point in the show. On the other hand, while she was used in a way, she most likely knew this, having lived through years of dealing with human nature, and she KNEW she would blow them away. I reckon she watched this show regularly and was convinced she would blow them away, based on her years of experience with being in the choir. Sure, she was "unknown," but she knows herself. I think perhaps she is smart enough to to play them, as much as the producers thought they were playing her.

[IndianaGreen]

18. 2007 BGT winner Paul Potts was one of those strange people

and he blew them away by singing Puccini's Nessun Dorma from Turandot. Compare his YouTube Britain Got Talent performance with Pavarotti's 1999 performance and Potts holds his own despite having an untrained voice. Pavarotti's performance blows me away every time I watch it.

[guyton]

11. Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle) ...

... started out with a comedy routine where he'd tell stories and jokes in his high "Gomer Pyle" voice and then end his act with his great singing voice.

The contrast makes an impact!

[IndianaGreen]

12. Don't miss the audition of 2007 winner Paul Potts

at the link provided in OP:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxOytYLlhiQ

[Dr.Phool]

21. Pol Pot can sing?

Who'd a thunk it?

[undeterred]

16. Cowell is going to be 50 this year

so what business does he have rolling his eyes at a woman younger than he is?

[Stellabella]

29. And he looks like he's had lots and lots of cosmetic surgery.

No 50-year-old man is that wrinkle-free.

[Vroomfondel]

17. Bravo!

So well stated. K&R

[Matariki]

19. Just tonight... I was out with one of my male coworkers, recently single.

I have a girlfriend I was thinking would be very compatible with him - until, when I suggested it, the first thing out of his mouth was "is she hot?"

My reaction frankly is, "I don't know, are *you* hot?"

Really, he's not bad, but just a plain, slightly dumpy guy. One more dumpy, not particularly attractive guy who 'deserves' a hot 'girl'. Blech.

[spooky3]

30. wish I could think as quickly as you! Great reply.

[Mrs. Overall]

20. It's the same as male newscasters growing more distinguished and wise with grey hair, but

when a female anchor gets her first few wrinkles in her forties, she's done.

Women are objectified in all segments of society, everywhere.

[nichomachus]

23. Ugly? I thought she was charming.

She'd probably benefit from a new hairdo and some better fitting clothes, but I think she's just fine. And, she's sweet and sassy to boot. I much prefer her to some of these quasi-anorexic plastic people with mini-voices that need to be electronically enhanced to even sound like anything.

[Mopar151]

25. Indeed!

Amy Winehouse is no walk in the park, but can she sing? Oh man.. Really, I hope Susan can stay away from Cowell and his ilk, who are professional phillistines.
I would love to hear (and see) Susan a) perform with Ms. Winehouse's band, who are excellent b) record in James Taylor's new "barn" studio, backed up by his all-star friends (his new album "Covers" iirc, is wonderful) and c) do an a capella performance with Tony Bennet

[Canuckistanian]

24. It's never mentioned that Simon Cowell is TWO YEARS OLDER than Boyle

He was born October 7, 1959.

For him to roll his eyes like that is sheer hypocrisy.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

26. Eloquent and right on!

Sure, Paul Potts got a skeptical reaction, and I looked at some YouTubes to get a general idea of plain or dumpy male contestants and the reaction to them.

Seems to me, the unvarnished HOSTILITY to unattractive and/or older women is much more severe and unforgiving. I remember an American Idol I saw where there was a dance troupe of "older" women--in their late forties or so, looked like. They were a burlesque style group and they were damned good!! But Simon was very hostile..how dare they behave sexually! They're ugly and old and should take their rightful place, far away from where anyone might see them.

I've seen this attitude way too often (proud to say I even got a local film reviewer fired for regularly being an egregious example of it).

I hope that in 4 or 5 generations, women who have faced and dealt with the internalized judgementalism have taken enough positions in areas that shape media and culture so that male interest as the social norm changes.

[rateyes]

28. If Britney Spears didn't look like a Barbie doll, she would have NEVER made it

as a singer. That nasally voice drives me up a damned wall. Britney has little talent. Susan Boyle has real talent. Britney's voice is ugly, IMO. Susan's voice is beautiful, IMO.

I'd much rather pay to hear a Susan concert. I wouldn't go to Britney concert if it was free and being held in my back yard. I can't stand her voice, and it's a singer's VOICE that is important---not her breasts, nor her ass.

[spooky3]

31. I think we've all been "played" to some extent

I am sure that with all the screeners and assistants that show must have, that Cowell and the other panelists knew exactly how talented Boyle is. Their reactions were surely scripted, and they acted their villain parts very well so we could all boo and jeer at them and so the show would get lots of attention. This show and the others like it are constantly planning publicity stunts and at least some of them have been very successful.

[Cronopio]

32. Boyle sang two notes and got instant rapturous applause.

I have absolutely no doubt the entire thing is pre-scripted theatre. It worked with Paul Botts, so let's try putting a woman in the part.

Susan Boyle has a beautiful voice and seems to have a genuine personality, but the hype about her is light-years away from beautiful or genuine.

[spooky3]

36. well said

[dem mba]

33. in other news

the sky is blue and water is wet. Pretty people have better lives than ugly people. Thanks for informing me of this life lesson I figured out when I was in the 2nd grade. Has the author of this piece ever met another human being before?

[tomreedtoon]

34. And reality shows of all types reinforce this prejudice.

At their basis, reality shows set up criterion for judging people that are rarely questioned. Who is The Biggest Loser? Which unemployed person can please Donald Trump? Which would-be hero can please Stan Lee? And, on a deeper level, which reality show contestant do the producers wish to bomb and which do they wish to uphold for perceived entertainment value?

Nobody thinks about this. We go along with it. Why haven't we learned to question what we're being served? Isn't reality show television actually like those snot-filled Domino's Pizza sandwiches?

[Butch350]

35. She's just average looking - NOT UGLY at all

...just a little make over would do wonders - the make over worked for Andrea Mitchell ;)

[mwb970]

40. I agree about Andrea Mitchell, although

I saw a clip of Boyle on one of the morning shows and they had her all tarted up with makeup & conspicuous lipstick, etc. Alas, she looked a little silly.

I think maybe just staying with her natural look is the way to go.

[Skittles]

41. I thought when Susan wiggled her hips and made that remark

the audience cheered for her sass - I felt like she was already winning them over at that point