On Monday night the fashion glitterati streamed into Spring Studios for a dinner to announce the winners of the annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Prize. After four months of multiple design challenges, a full-on runway show presided over by Kim and Kanye at the Chateau Marmont, and countless meetings with the likes of Anna Wintour and Diane von Furstenberg, the ten contestants were primed and ready for the results.
“Tonight is the night,” menswear designer Thaddeus O’Neil said (somewhat nervously) walking into the venue. He was greeted by Calvin Klein’s Francisco Costa who offered an encouraging pat on the back. Once inside there was a frenetic energy while designers, celebs, editors, and the like mingled with excitement. Riccardo Tisci chatted with von Furstenberg while waiting for Amanda Seyfried to finish taking photos in one of his cream colored lace slip dresses; Demi Moore clung to Zac Posen’s side; and Lake Bell cut a smashing figure in a white Calvin Klein sheath. Meanwhile, shoe designer George Esquivel, a 2009 finalist remarked how impactful this program is. “Whether you win or lose, this contest will definitely change your life,” he said. “It changed mine!”
After a dinner of chicken pot pie (a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund tradition) and a surprise performance by Andra Day, it was revealed that for the first time the competition had a three-way tie. Womenswear designer Jonathan Simkhai, Gypsy Sport’s Rio Uribe, and Brother Vellies’ sustainable shoe designer, Aurora James, all took home the grand prize of $300,000 plus a year of mentorship.
Earlier this year, Uribe predicted his win to Yahoo Style. “No one is left out of the Gypsy Sport brand. It includes everyone,” he said. “It’s the people’s brand and I think that people can recognize that. I have nothing against whoever else wins, but if Gypsy Sport wins, I think it’s just going to be the beginning of more of a connection with the consumer than a lot of other brands out there.” Kudos!
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
Brad Pitt: Filming Movie with Angelina Was ‘Not the Wisest Way to Spend a Honeymoon’
Brad Pitt—who’s old enough to have been an AARP member for an entire year,and yet is still the foxiest dude alive—is on the cover of V Magazine’s Winter 2015/16 issue, channeling another iconic, cinematic hunk: Robert Redford.
Photographed by Inez and Vinoodh and styled by David Vandewal, the shoot sees Pitt (who’s already been compared to Redford his entire career) sporting shaggy hair, aviators, boot cut jeans, and what appear to be stick-on muttonchops. If we hadn’t just spent a full 15 minutes ogling over vintage photos of Robert Redford, we might think Pitt was actually him.
But V’s Pitt piece is more than just pretty pictures. The actor/producer also talks about By The Sea, the upcoming movie he filmed with wife Angelina Jolie—who also directed—on their honeymoon in Malta last summer.
Looking back, says Pitt, “It was probably not the wisest way to spend a honeymoon. But then again, fighting to make something together… what better metaphor for marriage?”
And on starring alongside Jolie for the first time since 2005?s Mrs. & Mrs. Smith, Pitt is elated. “We, by our own admission, were overdue,” he says. “If I’m going to work, I want to work with my wife.” Sweet.
He then goes on to sing his wife’s praises, in a way that only a man who shares a bed every night with Angelina Jolie can: “[It’s] surprising how much I enjoy the direction of my wife,” he continues. “She’s decisive, incredibly intuitive, knife-sharp, and might I say, sexy at her post. I trust her with my life.”
See more of Brad Pitt as Robert Redford (shirtless!) at V Magazine, and when the issue lands on newsstands November 12.
Photographed by Inez and Vinoodh and styled by David Vandewal, the shoot sees Pitt (who’s already been compared to Redford his entire career) sporting shaggy hair, aviators, boot cut jeans, and what appear to be stick-on muttonchops. If we hadn’t just spent a full 15 minutes ogling over vintage photos of Robert Redford, we might think Pitt was actually him.
But V’s Pitt piece is more than just pretty pictures. The actor/producer also talks about By The Sea, the upcoming movie he filmed with wife Angelina Jolie—who also directed—on their honeymoon in Malta last summer.
Looking back, says Pitt, “It was probably not the wisest way to spend a honeymoon. But then again, fighting to make something together… what better metaphor for marriage?”
And on starring alongside Jolie for the first time since 2005?s Mrs. & Mrs. Smith, Pitt is elated. “We, by our own admission, were overdue,” he says. “If I’m going to work, I want to work with my wife.” Sweet.
He then goes on to sing his wife’s praises, in a way that only a man who shares a bed every night with Angelina Jolie can: “[It’s] surprising how much I enjoy the direction of my wife,” he continues. “She’s decisive, incredibly intuitive, knife-sharp, and might I say, sexy at her post. I trust her with my life.”
See more of Brad Pitt as Robert Redford (shirtless!) at V Magazine, and when the issue lands on newsstands November 12.
Fast Fashion: 9 Things You Need to Know Today, 11/3/15 Edition
Khloe Kardashian, Yahoo Style’s current cover star, has a new book, Strong Looks Better Naked. “Before the show, I always felt really good in my own skin,” she recalls. “But people called me ‘the fat one,’ so I would almost beat them to the punch: In interviews I was like ‘I know I’m the funny fat one.’” She also told Joe Zee that while her sister Kim’s been pressuring her to freeze her eggs, she’s not that old — yet!
HBD, Kendall Jenner! The model turned 20 on Tuesday and she celebrated with a party at West Hollywood hotspot The Nice Guy. She wore a sexy jumpsuit, Gigi Hadid wore trousers and cleavage-baring top, and other guests included Kanye, Justin Bieber, her momager, and sisters.
Best gift ever! Kendall will walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show with BFF Gigi Hadid.
Jourdan Dunn calls the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show “BS” (also loves Rihanna — who doesn’t?!). “Feeling soo much better about not doing BS… sorry I mean VS now that Rihanna isn’t doing it also.”
The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund prize was a three-way tie between womenswear designer Jonathan Simkhai, Gypsy Sport’s Rio Uribe, and Brother Vellies’ sustainable shoe designer Aurora James.
Burberry tapped the biggest British stars for it Billy Elliot-themed holiday campaign. Naomi Campbell! Elton John! Romeo Beckham!
Insta-famous teenager Essena O'Neill is sick of social media and is revealing the dirty truths behind her fantasy world. She was paid thousands of dollars just to wear a dress and share a photo of it.
The Pinterest Shop, a new enhancement to Buyable Pins, will make mobile shopping even easier. Blame the site for draining savings account.
Who will win the war on leggings? 30 teen girls were suspended for wearing them.
HBD, Kendall Jenner! The model turned 20 on Tuesday and she celebrated with a party at West Hollywood hotspot The Nice Guy. She wore a sexy jumpsuit, Gigi Hadid wore trousers and cleavage-baring top, and other guests included Kanye, Justin Bieber, her momager, and sisters.
Best gift ever! Kendall will walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show with BFF Gigi Hadid.
Jourdan Dunn calls the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show “BS” (also loves Rihanna — who doesn’t?!). “Feeling soo much better about not doing BS… sorry I mean VS now that Rihanna isn’t doing it also.”
The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund prize was a three-way tie between womenswear designer Jonathan Simkhai, Gypsy Sport’s Rio Uribe, and Brother Vellies’ sustainable shoe designer Aurora James.
Burberry tapped the biggest British stars for it Billy Elliot-themed holiday campaign. Naomi Campbell! Elton John! Romeo Beckham!
Insta-famous teenager Essena O'Neill is sick of social media and is revealing the dirty truths behind her fantasy world. She was paid thousands of dollars just to wear a dress and share a photo of it.
The Pinterest Shop, a new enhancement to Buyable Pins, will make mobile shopping even easier. Blame the site for draining savings account.
Who will win the war on leggings? 30 teen girls were suspended for wearing them.
18 Glorious Years of Jennifer Lopez #Slaying
Not many people have been in the game as long as Jennifer Lopez. And there’s even fewer who have so consistently, thoroughly slayed (sartorially speaking, of course). But truly that is the only word to describe damn near 20 years of stunning looks, from her ongoing love of goddess gowns, to the green Versace dress that broke the internet, to beating Beyonce and Kim Kardashian to the naked dress trend by at least a year.
Ahead, we pay tribute to nearly two decades of Lopez’s lewks. Here’s to 20 more years — and considering the fact that this woman does not age, we’re counting on that.
Ahead, we pay tribute to nearly two decades of Lopez’s lewks. Here’s to 20 more years — and considering the fact that this woman does not age, we’re counting on that.
Lily Aldridge Will Wear a $2 Million July 4th-Themed Bra at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
Since 1996, Victoria’s Secret has made a bra and underwear set out of diamonds and stones and chosen their favorite model-of-the-moment to wear it on the runway at their annual fashion show. Its first incarnation was a paltry $1 million and Claudia Schiffer was given the honor to show off the diamond encrusted piece. In 2013, Candice Swanepoel wore a $10 million lingerie set and last year, the brand made not one, but two costumes with Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima getting to hold hands while covered in blue and red baubles. So maybe realizing they reached peak excessiveness, this year’s bra is just $2 million and only one Angel got plucked to show it off.
Made of 6,500 precious gems by the jeweler Mouawad, the Fireworks Fantasy Bra will be seen on Lily Aldridge. According to Vogue, it took 685 hours of labor to make the demi-shaped bra, which is covered in 14 different kinds of rare rocks including blue topaz, garnet, and yellow sapphire. All of the colorful hardware is set in 18-karat gold and arranged in spark-like bursts to give off a July 4th-feel. The matching underwear is covered in 126 diamonds and 400 more individual pieces of bling.
This is the first time Aldridge, a longtime Angel and member of Taylor Swift’s Girl Squad, will get to cover herself in such riches. The show, which films on November 10 and will air on on CBS on December 8, will also feature Selena Gomez, Rihanna, and the Weekend as guest performers.
Made of 6,500 precious gems by the jeweler Mouawad, the Fireworks Fantasy Bra will be seen on Lily Aldridge. According to Vogue, it took 685 hours of labor to make the demi-shaped bra, which is covered in 14 different kinds of rare rocks including blue topaz, garnet, and yellow sapphire. All of the colorful hardware is set in 18-karat gold and arranged in spark-like bursts to give off a July 4th-feel. The matching underwear is covered in 126 diamonds and 400 more individual pieces of bling.
This is the first time Aldridge, a longtime Angel and member of Taylor Swift’s Girl Squad, will get to cover herself in such riches. The show, which films on November 10 and will air on on CBS on December 8, will also feature Selena Gomez, Rihanna, and the Weekend as guest performers.
10 Things to Know About Hollywood’s Next Big Thing: Odeya Rush
There’s no mistaking Odeya Rush’s beauty, what with her big blue eyes, milky skin, and bee-stung lips. A young Mila Kunis comes to mind. But let us examine her appeal a bit further, like the Israel-born Los Angeles native’s affinity for statement-making red carpet looks and the fact that she’s already directed her first short film. To say Rush is talented beyond her 18 years would be an understatement.
Before Rush became the It-girl-in-the-making she is today, breaking onto the scene in 2012’s The Odd Life of Timothy Green and again in 2014’s The Giver—a role that would earn her a Teen Choice Award, a number of ones-to-watch list titles, as well as a Coach campaign—she was an aspiring actress putting on plays and creating films on iMovie for her younger siblings in Haifa, Israel. It wasn’t until her family relocated to New Jersey when she was 9 that her dream would become a reality.
This month, Rush is back on the big screen, starring alongside Jack Black as a fictionalized R.L. Stine in Goosebumps, a film based on the popular young-adult horror books. Rush plays Hannah, Stine’s daughter, who, when monsters and ghosts from her father’s books are unexpectedly released, must team up with friends to capture them and put them back in their place. “The script is kind of like a combination of an adventure and a comedy and a scary movie altogether,” she tells us. With that in mind, Rush served as the perfect muse to take on fall’s Victorian trend, a look that is at once innocent and hauntingly beautiful.
She’s not a girly girl.
“I have six brothers, so I grew up with a big family. I’m not athletic, that’s for sure, but I can just deal with things, like I’m tough emotionally. Nothing anyone says [bothers me], because I got bullied every day from my brothers, and I bullied them back. And nothing really grosses me out—I’ve seen it all. I’m boyish in that way, but I’m not very coordinated.”
Her first job was on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
“I played David’s first girlfriend; she was the first person that makes fun of him. For the audition, they gave you a strip of paper that said what you had to do, and mine said pretend that you’re playing strip poker. My dad had just dropped me off, it was in New York and there was no parking, so he was around the block searching. I called him and said, ‘What does strip poker mean?’ He had to explain it to me, but it was okay because my character always won.”
Before Rush became the It-girl-in-the-making she is today, breaking onto the scene in 2012’s The Odd Life of Timothy Green and again in 2014’s The Giver—a role that would earn her a Teen Choice Award, a number of ones-to-watch list titles, as well as a Coach campaign—she was an aspiring actress putting on plays and creating films on iMovie for her younger siblings in Haifa, Israel. It wasn’t until her family relocated to New Jersey when she was 9 that her dream would become a reality.
This month, Rush is back on the big screen, starring alongside Jack Black as a fictionalized R.L. Stine in Goosebumps, a film based on the popular young-adult horror books. Rush plays Hannah, Stine’s daughter, who, when monsters and ghosts from her father’s books are unexpectedly released, must team up with friends to capture them and put them back in their place. “The script is kind of like a combination of an adventure and a comedy and a scary movie altogether,” she tells us. With that in mind, Rush served as the perfect muse to take on fall’s Victorian trend, a look that is at once innocent and hauntingly beautiful.
She’s not a girly girl.
“I have six brothers, so I grew up with a big family. I’m not athletic, that’s for sure, but I can just deal with things, like I’m tough emotionally. Nothing anyone says [bothers me], because I got bullied every day from my brothers, and I bullied them back. And nothing really grosses me out—I’ve seen it all. I’m boyish in that way, but I’m not very coordinated.”
Her first job was on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
“I played David’s first girlfriend; she was the first person that makes fun of him. For the audition, they gave you a strip of paper that said what you had to do, and mine said pretend that you’re playing strip poker. My dad had just dropped me off, it was in New York and there was no parking, so he was around the block searching. I called him and said, ‘What does strip poker mean?’ He had to explain it to me, but it was okay because my character always won.”
Hats, Halters & Sheer Dominated the Hollywood Film Awards Red Carpet
Awards season hasn’t officially kicked off — the biggest movies of the year, those Oscar-bait films, have yet to be released — but if the Hollywood Film Awards on Sunday were any indication of what’s to come in the next few months, the red carpet’s going to be fashionable, fun, and filled with hats.
Both Johnny Depp and Robert De Niro wore toppers, the Dior model in a navy blue fedora and rocking tons of man jewelry, while The Intern star chose an army green pageboy cap. As for the women, even though Jenna Dewan-Tatum was in a yellow and black dress, she looked nothing like a bumblebee (and her husband looked hunky in a blue suit, as per usual). Selena Gomez, on hand to present Amy Schumer with an award, channeled Gwyneth Paltrow at the Oscars in 1999 wearing a blush pink slip dress and her honoree opted for a black and white halter mini dress. Carey Mulligan chose a similar silhouette, but her Erdem number consisted of multiple laters of ruffles. Jane Fonda was also on trend in ruffle pants from Balmain paired with a tuxedo with sheer panelling. Among other notable attendees, all notably stylish as well, were Reese Witherspoon, Amber Heard, Alicia Vikander, Jordana Brewster, Dakota Johnson, and Michelle Rodriguez.
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Both Johnny Depp and Robert De Niro wore toppers, the Dior model in a navy blue fedora and rocking tons of man jewelry, while The Intern star chose an army green pageboy cap. As for the women, even though Jenna Dewan-Tatum was in a yellow and black dress, she looked nothing like a bumblebee (and her husband looked hunky in a blue suit, as per usual). Selena Gomez, on hand to present Amy Schumer with an award, channeled Gwyneth Paltrow at the Oscars in 1999 wearing a blush pink slip dress and her honoree opted for a black and white halter mini dress. Carey Mulligan chose a similar silhouette, but her Erdem number consisted of multiple laters of ruffles. Jane Fonda was also on trend in ruffle pants from Balmain paired with a tuxedo with sheer panelling. Among other notable attendees, all notably stylish as well, were Reese Witherspoon, Amber Heard, Alicia Vikander, Jordana Brewster, Dakota Johnson, and Michelle Rodriguez.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Karl Lagerfeld Says Kim K Taught Him Not-Skinny People Can Be Pretty, Too
Karl Lagerfeld hasn’t had the most savory things to say about women who don’t fit what he thinks is the ideal body type, but thanks to Kim Kardashian, the designer’s outlook is changing.
Lagerfeld is teaming up with Kim, appearing in her crazy-addictive game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. Kardashian is of course quite excited about the collaboration, announcing Karl’s arrival in the game on social media. According to Vogue UK, Lagerfeld also had some words about the partnership, praising Kardashian for changing the standard of beauty for himself and some of his industry cohorts. “Kim’s contribution to beauty and fashion – and what made her such an icon – is the fact that you don’t have to be super slim and very tall to be beautiful. Others tried, but she succeeded in giving other girls like herself confidence.”
This is quite a change in tune for Mr. Lagerfeld, who said in 2013, “Nobody wants to see curvy women on the runway” on a French talk show. Lagerfeld was slapped with a lawsuit by women’s group Belle, Ronde, Sexy et je m’assume (Beautiful, Rounded, Sexy and fine with it) for those comments. What a different two years can make! The World According to Karl, a book of his quotes includes this quip: “It’s the fat women sitting in front of televisions with their pack of crisps who say slim models are hideous.“ He also faced quite a bit of criticism for his thoughts on Adele in 2012, calling the singer “a little too fat.” Thank goodness, then, that Kim Kardashian is around to teach Lagerfeld to reach beyond such woefully narrow standards of beauty.
Curvy women: here’s the validation you’ve been looking for! You might still not be “super slim” or tall but at least now, thanks to Kim Kardashian, you, too have the approval of an 82-year-old man you will likely never meet.
Lagerfeld is teaming up with Kim, appearing in her crazy-addictive game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. Kardashian is of course quite excited about the collaboration, announcing Karl’s arrival in the game on social media. According to Vogue UK, Lagerfeld also had some words about the partnership, praising Kardashian for changing the standard of beauty for himself and some of his industry cohorts. “Kim’s contribution to beauty and fashion – and what made her such an icon – is the fact that you don’t have to be super slim and very tall to be beautiful. Others tried, but she succeeded in giving other girls like herself confidence.”
This is quite a change in tune for Mr. Lagerfeld, who said in 2013, “Nobody wants to see curvy women on the runway” on a French talk show. Lagerfeld was slapped with a lawsuit by women’s group Belle, Ronde, Sexy et je m’assume (Beautiful, Rounded, Sexy and fine with it) for those comments. What a different two years can make! The World According to Karl, a book of his quotes includes this quip: “It’s the fat women sitting in front of televisions with their pack of crisps who say slim models are hideous.“ He also faced quite a bit of criticism for his thoughts on Adele in 2012, calling the singer “a little too fat.” Thank goodness, then, that Kim Kardashian is around to teach Lagerfeld to reach beyond such woefully narrow standards of beauty.
Curvy women: here’s the validation you’ve been looking for! You might still not be “super slim” or tall but at least now, thanks to Kim Kardashian, you, too have the approval of an 82-year-old man you will likely never meet.
Runway to Real Way: Celebs Can’t Wait to Wear Spring 2016
Sure the temperatures are beginning to dip, but for a certain swath of fashionable types, it doesn’t matter. They are impervious to weather in fresh-off-the-runway looks from the Spring/Summer 2016 collections. And no, these pieces aren’t available to the general public, that won’t happen for another five months when the clothes actually trickle into stores. Pulling straight from the runway is an act typically reserved for top tier celebs that have various glittery occasions to attend. “I wouldn’t say that celebrities are demanding the newest looks,” says stylist Erin Walsh by way of explanation. “I would say, in general, I want to share the best with the people that I have the opportunity to work with. What is best for them, what suits them, what they feel comfortable in, what most suits that particular occasion, and how they want it to be remembered.”
Walsh was among the first to get her hands on Marc Jacobs’s triumphant Spring 2016 collection. A mere three days after the designer’s show at the Ziegfeld Theater, her client, Kerry Washington, dazzled on the red carpet like a glamorous disco ball at the Emmy Awards in Jacobs’s silver sequin dress with thigh-high slit. “We tried it hours after it was shown,” the stylist tells Yahoo Style. “And it kind of went off like a bomb at the Emmys. At least that was the idea.”
In fact, Jacobs’s most recent collection has been sough out quite a bit this fall; is there a bigger testament to its greatness? In addition to Washington, both Lady Gaga and Sienna Miller have worn his ornate guipure confections for big red carpet events. Other designers who fall into that category are Proenza Schouler (worn twice by Cate Blanchett as well as Elizabeth Olsen) as well as Oscar de la Renta (favored by Carey Mulligan and Kristen Wiig).
Not that these pieces are easy to secure. The stylists not only have to dance around the buyers’ schedules but fellow members of their profession as well. “It is a business of wrangling, and most of it is logistics,” says Walsh. “That said I like to walk kindly and carry a considered stick. It does not have to be a competition, and those who consider as one are so are short sighted. If you are in it for the long haul, as I intend to be, generosity goes a lot farther than being a greedy gal who grabs all the latest looks.”
It’s not surprising that some stylists develop pointy elbows, knowing the impact that these wardrobe choices can have not only on their career, but also their client’s. “If someone is photographed in something direct off the runway, it is a coup, because that literally sells the idea of how desirable it is,” says Walsh. “Newness is always titillating.”
Walsh was among the first to get her hands on Marc Jacobs’s triumphant Spring 2016 collection. A mere three days after the designer’s show at the Ziegfeld Theater, her client, Kerry Washington, dazzled on the red carpet like a glamorous disco ball at the Emmy Awards in Jacobs’s silver sequin dress with thigh-high slit. “We tried it hours after it was shown,” the stylist tells Yahoo Style. “And it kind of went off like a bomb at the Emmys. At least that was the idea.”
In fact, Jacobs’s most recent collection has been sough out quite a bit this fall; is there a bigger testament to its greatness? In addition to Washington, both Lady Gaga and Sienna Miller have worn his ornate guipure confections for big red carpet events. Other designers who fall into that category are Proenza Schouler (worn twice by Cate Blanchett as well as Elizabeth Olsen) as well as Oscar de la Renta (favored by Carey Mulligan and Kristen Wiig).
Not that these pieces are easy to secure. The stylists not only have to dance around the buyers’ schedules but fellow members of their profession as well. “It is a business of wrangling, and most of it is logistics,” says Walsh. “That said I like to walk kindly and carry a considered stick. It does not have to be a competition, and those who consider as one are so are short sighted. If you are in it for the long haul, as I intend to be, generosity goes a lot farther than being a greedy gal who grabs all the latest looks.”
It’s not surprising that some stylists develop pointy elbows, knowing the impact that these wardrobe choices can have not only on their career, but also their client’s. “If someone is photographed in something direct off the runway, it is a coup, because that literally sells the idea of how desirable it is,” says Walsh. “Newness is always titillating.”
Katy Perry and the Fear of a Female Planet
Katy Perry has recently announced plans to campaign for Hillary Clinton. Given that we’re in the midst of one of the most openly feminist eras of the past three decades, this news isn’t so hard to parse. After all, outspoken superstars like Beyonce and Rihanna and Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift dominate our stages and screens, offering their assorted flavors of pop empowerment and complicated personal narratives to the masses. In fact, if aliens were tuning in to Spotify right now, they’d probably get the impression that our world is ruled by unapologetic lady outlaws, aggressive, wriggling seductresses, and brash she-creatures emboldened by their zip-up pleather body armor.
Related: 25 Famous Women on Being in Charge
But when you pan from these reinvented, super-empowered lady superheroes to Katy Perry, the picture becomes far less threatening and explosive. Because Katy Perry never changes. Her brand is the very essence of reassuring, non-threatening stagnancy. She encapsulates that remaining, silent majority (It never goes away! Don’t fool yourselves!) that doesn’t like to be challenged at all, ever, for any reason — not by women, not by music, not by the weather, not by anything. Where Beyonce pushes us to accept feminism and strong, assertive women (with a faintly wicked twist), and Taylor Swift pushes us to embrace vulnerability and femininity (with some emotionally volatile undercurrents), Katy Perry pushes such avant-garde, high concepts as teenagers, horny; California girls, awesome; aliens, weird; and kissing girls, actually kinda nice.
In all likelihood, then, Katy Perry’s intention to campaign for Hillary Clinton suggests nothing more than the fact that Katy Perry would prefer to sound like someone who stands for something, even though she isn’t that person and never has been. It’s a nice try. But against a backdrop of female pop stars who push the boundaries of what a woman can do and say and get away with, Katy Perry remains a comforting, nonthreatening attachment object. She is a giant woobie in a time of great change. She is a blank slate, a soothing emotional day spa for those who prefer easy answers. She’s a void with swappable wigs, a tasty nothingburger.
If you think about it, even the most ludicrously manufactured pop stars have at least one or two hints of inner contradiction to them. That’s what makes them interesting. Madonna was virginal but aggressively dominant. Britney was a little girl on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Taylor Swift undercuts her Skipper-doll-in-day-wear-separates exterior with lyrics about rage and being crazy (not like a fox, either). We may not love any of those artists but we believe in their real and in their fake (just as important!). They battle themselves. They’re trying hard. They’re complex.
Katy Perry is as conflicted and complex as a pumpkin-spice rug-and-room deodorizer. She doesn’t have a look. She never changes. The Katy Perry of 2010 is the same as the Katy Perry of 2015. Her hair color is different here and there. That’s it. She wears tight, glittery, rainbow-colored dresses and black eyeliner. Always and forever a Super Star Barbie circa 1988.
Related: The Relatable Hillary Clinton: What Her Emails Really Reveal
Her music is pragmatic pop, no more, no less. It’s the sound of shopping for cool shoes at a giant mall. It’s the sound of eating French fries in the food court with your boyfriend, the one with the nice eyes who has nothing to say beyond the fact that he likes your butt. Katy Perry’s music is all about carefree lingering within the boundaries of the male gaze. “My heart stops when you look at me,” she sings. “I wanna see your peacock, cock, cock,” she tells the guys, and she’s not remotely conflicted about it. “You are the actor, I am the acted-upon,” she seems to say. “Go ahead and fill me with your poison already.”
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag — not because you’re polluting the oceans, but because you “want to start again,” presumably by being recycled? So does Katy Perry. But then she remembers that she’s a firework. Singular. Think for a minute about what it takes to be the kind of person who can sing the word firework like it’s an actual word, over and over and over again, without feeling the faintest hint of self-loathing.
Katy Perry is a winner, not a loser. She belongs. She is never out of step with anything. She is Uber-normal. She is never neurotic and never second-guesses herself. She takes everything at face value. Katy Perry would never disavow fame like Lorde or embrace fame like Swift or ask “Miley, what’s good?” like Nicki Minaj. Katy Perry is Mariah Carey without the amazing voice or the bubbly script written in a glitter pen. Katy Perry is Britney Spears without the dance moves and the natural bubbly appeal and the nervous breakdown. Katy Perry is Kate Bush without the everything.
This is how Katy Perry answers a question about the inspiration for her songs in 2014: “I saw all these people roller-skating to Deep House in Central Park, and I was with one of my best friends, Mia. And I just looked at her and I was like, ‘You know, I think EDM is out and Deep House is coming in, like I think I can feel that coming back even though it was really big in the '90s.’ And so I was like, 'I want to do a big voice diva kind of song’ and I took that to Stockholm and 'Walking On Air’ came out of it.”
In other words, to Katy Perry, inspiration and “predicting” the next trend (not really predicting but observing the next trend and then acting like you predicted it) are exactly the same thing. In Katy Perry’s own words, she’s not creating stuff that moves her or wells up from within her. She’s doing simple math. This is why her sound is the audio version of something you’d buy on a sale rack at Target. Target sale racks serve their function, but they’re not about to move you to tears or piss you off or change the world.
Related: 30 Famous Women on Overcoming Their Insecurities
But then, pissing people off and changing the world aren’t exactly the key talents of successful politicians, either. As fun as it is at this point in the presidential campaign to imagine that some unapologetic outlaw or aggressive, embolded creature could be the next president, we all know, based on the history of politics in this country, that letting your anger show or dwelling on your complicated personal narrative or lingering over-long on the messes and the ugliness we face as a planet do not land you in the Oval Office. So in truth, Katy Perry is exactly the kind of safe, nonthreatening, middle-of-the-road nothingburger that every candidate wants in their camp: one who sometimes feels like a plastic bag, but solves this problem not by regulating plastic-bag use or declaring war on global-warming apologists, but by focusing on something idealistic and imaginary and frankly, stupid: A FIREWORK.
We might want girls to rule the world, true to Beyonce’s prophecy, but most people still fear a female planet pretty deeply. Hillary Clinton knows that better than anyone. Remember the '70s? Remember how outspoken the women were back then? Remember how we thought everything would be changed forever? We were wrong.
So while we may hope for the best for Clinton, Katy Perry can only serve as a helpful reminder of what happens when all of the bluster and the pulpit-pounding die down. Because like every retrogressive, subtly anti-empowerment movement to gently but steadily erode the hard-charging swagger of mainstream feminism before her, Katy Perry represents the status quo. Marilyn Monroe, without the second-guessing and the darkness. Sandra Dee, without the alcoholism. Katy Perry reminds us that all of the progress we’ve made could still disappear into thin air at any moment. Her steady, uncomplicated candy-coated persona, her lady sound that never steps on any toes, offer a safe place to hide out until the storm passes and everything goes back to the way it was before.
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But when you pan from these reinvented, super-empowered lady superheroes to Katy Perry, the picture becomes far less threatening and explosive. Because Katy Perry never changes. Her brand is the very essence of reassuring, non-threatening stagnancy. She encapsulates that remaining, silent majority (It never goes away! Don’t fool yourselves!) that doesn’t like to be challenged at all, ever, for any reason — not by women, not by music, not by the weather, not by anything. Where Beyonce pushes us to accept feminism and strong, assertive women (with a faintly wicked twist), and Taylor Swift pushes us to embrace vulnerability and femininity (with some emotionally volatile undercurrents), Katy Perry pushes such avant-garde, high concepts as teenagers, horny; California girls, awesome; aliens, weird; and kissing girls, actually kinda nice.
In all likelihood, then, Katy Perry’s intention to campaign for Hillary Clinton suggests nothing more than the fact that Katy Perry would prefer to sound like someone who stands for something, even though she isn’t that person and never has been. It’s a nice try. But against a backdrop of female pop stars who push the boundaries of what a woman can do and say and get away with, Katy Perry remains a comforting, nonthreatening attachment object. She is a giant woobie in a time of great change. She is a blank slate, a soothing emotional day spa for those who prefer easy answers. She’s a void with swappable wigs, a tasty nothingburger.
If you think about it, even the most ludicrously manufactured pop stars have at least one or two hints of inner contradiction to them. That’s what makes them interesting. Madonna was virginal but aggressively dominant. Britney was a little girl on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Taylor Swift undercuts her Skipper-doll-in-day-wear-separates exterior with lyrics about rage and being crazy (not like a fox, either). We may not love any of those artists but we believe in their real and in their fake (just as important!). They battle themselves. They’re trying hard. They’re complex.
Katy Perry is as conflicted and complex as a pumpkin-spice rug-and-room deodorizer. She doesn’t have a look. She never changes. The Katy Perry of 2010 is the same as the Katy Perry of 2015. Her hair color is different here and there. That’s it. She wears tight, glittery, rainbow-colored dresses and black eyeliner. Always and forever a Super Star Barbie circa 1988.
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Her music is pragmatic pop, no more, no less. It’s the sound of shopping for cool shoes at a giant mall. It’s the sound of eating French fries in the food court with your boyfriend, the one with the nice eyes who has nothing to say beyond the fact that he likes your butt. Katy Perry’s music is all about carefree lingering within the boundaries of the male gaze. “My heart stops when you look at me,” she sings. “I wanna see your peacock, cock, cock,” she tells the guys, and she’s not remotely conflicted about it. “You are the actor, I am the acted-upon,” she seems to say. “Go ahead and fill me with your poison already.”
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag — not because you’re polluting the oceans, but because you “want to start again,” presumably by being recycled? So does Katy Perry. But then she remembers that she’s a firework. Singular. Think for a minute about what it takes to be the kind of person who can sing the word firework like it’s an actual word, over and over and over again, without feeling the faintest hint of self-loathing.
Katy Perry is a winner, not a loser. She belongs. She is never out of step with anything. She is Uber-normal. She is never neurotic and never second-guesses herself. She takes everything at face value. Katy Perry would never disavow fame like Lorde or embrace fame like Swift or ask “Miley, what’s good?” like Nicki Minaj. Katy Perry is Mariah Carey without the amazing voice or the bubbly script written in a glitter pen. Katy Perry is Britney Spears without the dance moves and the natural bubbly appeal and the nervous breakdown. Katy Perry is Kate Bush without the everything.
This is how Katy Perry answers a question about the inspiration for her songs in 2014: “I saw all these people roller-skating to Deep House in Central Park, and I was with one of my best friends, Mia. And I just looked at her and I was like, ‘You know, I think EDM is out and Deep House is coming in, like I think I can feel that coming back even though it was really big in the '90s.’ And so I was like, 'I want to do a big voice diva kind of song’ and I took that to Stockholm and 'Walking On Air’ came out of it.”
In other words, to Katy Perry, inspiration and “predicting” the next trend (not really predicting but observing the next trend and then acting like you predicted it) are exactly the same thing. In Katy Perry’s own words, she’s not creating stuff that moves her or wells up from within her. She’s doing simple math. This is why her sound is the audio version of something you’d buy on a sale rack at Target. Target sale racks serve their function, but they’re not about to move you to tears or piss you off or change the world.
Related: 30 Famous Women on Overcoming Their Insecurities
But then, pissing people off and changing the world aren’t exactly the key talents of successful politicians, either. As fun as it is at this point in the presidential campaign to imagine that some unapologetic outlaw or aggressive, embolded creature could be the next president, we all know, based on the history of politics in this country, that letting your anger show or dwelling on your complicated personal narrative or lingering over-long on the messes and the ugliness we face as a planet do not land you in the Oval Office. So in truth, Katy Perry is exactly the kind of safe, nonthreatening, middle-of-the-road nothingburger that every candidate wants in their camp: one who sometimes feels like a plastic bag, but solves this problem not by regulating plastic-bag use or declaring war on global-warming apologists, but by focusing on something idealistic and imaginary and frankly, stupid: A FIREWORK.
We might want girls to rule the world, true to Beyonce’s prophecy, but most people still fear a female planet pretty deeply. Hillary Clinton knows that better than anyone. Remember the '70s? Remember how outspoken the women were back then? Remember how we thought everything would be changed forever? We were wrong.
So while we may hope for the best for Clinton, Katy Perry can only serve as a helpful reminder of what happens when all of the bluster and the pulpit-pounding die down. Because like every retrogressive, subtly anti-empowerment movement to gently but steadily erode the hard-charging swagger of mainstream feminism before her, Katy Perry represents the status quo. Marilyn Monroe, without the second-guessing and the darkness. Sandra Dee, without the alcoholism. Katy Perry reminds us that all of the progress we’ve made could still disappear into thin air at any moment. Her steady, uncomplicated candy-coated persona, her lady sound that never steps on any toes, offer a safe place to hide out until the storm passes and everything goes back to the way it was before.
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