FEATURE:
Drag Queens
IN THIS PHOTO: Cardi B/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
Diva: Feminism and Fierceness from Pop to Hip-Hop, and Redefining and Contextualizing Incredible and Empowering Women
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IF you search for the terms…
IN THIS PHOTO: Dua Lipa attending the Variety Power of Women Los Angeles, November 2023/PHOTO CREDIT: Kayla Oaddams/WireImage
‘music divas’, you might get results that use words like ‘tricky’ and ‘difficult’. I think that this is a term that is still mis-defined and used as a negative. There are a couple of definition of diva – the latter of which is more often applied to women in music. It either relates to a famous singer or, as many seem to use the word, “a self-important person who is temperamental and difficult to please (typically used of a woman)”. Even today, when queens of Pop, Hip-Hop and beyond are owning music and inspiring so many people, they are still called a diva! Used in a judgmental and sexist way. It is not just their influence and individuality that we hear in the music. Artists dressing in a way that is true to them. The music industry often has their own idea of how women should dress and be marketed. Strong women like Dua Lipa realise how important it is women are made to feel comfortable and express themselves how they wish. It seems to be, even in 2023, that is a woman speaks out or tries to call anyone or anything out, then they are seen as a diva. I am going to come to an important book that relates to the music industry and that word, ‘diva’. If some ask if a diva is synonymous with her fashion and particular look, it can also apply to the vocal and persona. I will come more to that. Running at the V&A at the moment is an exhibition that spotlights the diva. You can buy a ticket here. Below are some more details:
“The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London opened its DIVA exhibition to the public on 24 June 2023. DIVA celebrates the extraordinary power and creativity of iconic performers from the genres of opera, pop music, film and more.
The immersive exhibition features costumes from a galaxy of stars. This includes five key looks worn by Rihanna, and Whitney Houston’s 1994 Marc Bouwer floor-length black and gold dress worn to receive her three Grammys for The Bodyguard soundtrack, as well as Billie Eilish’s Stella McCartney Glastonbury outfit from 2019. There is also a lilac Versace deconstructed suit worn by Lil Nas X during a red-carpet appearance in 2021.
In addition, the exhibition shows objects drawn from the V&A collection and loans from across the world. These span the mediums of fashion, photography, design and costumes, as well as music and live performance.
Through its theatrical staging and scenography, a planetarium-style architectural takeover by BAFTA-winning video designer Tal Rosner, and a sonic headset experience by tonwelt, a leading full-service provider of interactive visitor guiding systems, DIVA honours the creativity, ambition, and tenacity of some of the most celebrated divas, from opera goddesses and silent movie stars to icons of the big screen and today’s global stars.
IN THIS PHOTO: Diva Constellations for Act Three of DIVA at the V&A London/IMAGE CREDIT: Tal Rosner
What do we mean by diva?
Curator Kate Bailey speaks about the process of curating the exhibition, exploring and redefining the role of the ‘Diva’, and also examining how the term has been subverted or embraced over time across opera, stage, popular music, and film.
‘Diva’ was a Latin term meaning ‘goddess’. It became part of everyday parlance in the 19th century, initially describing the very best opera singers of the period.
“The exhibition doesn’t provide a single definition of a ‘diva’,” she tells blooloop. “It celebrates how the term has a myriad of meanings. It considers how it has been redefined, subverted and reclaimed across time and genre. We trace the story of the diva from 19th-century opera to a celebration of the diva in music today. This exhibition celebrates how the diva finds their voice and fights for equality and freedoms using their platform and agency to make a difference in society.”
DIVA covers two levels beneath the V&A’s dome. It charts the inception and historical context as well as the evolution of the diva through posters, paintings, bespoke costumes and ephemera comprising around 250 glittering artefacts”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Beyoncé/PHOTO CREDIT: Mason Poole/Parkwood Entertainment/Getty Images (via Teen Vogue)
I do think that the use of the word diva has drastically shifted from that goddess and fierce woman to something nastier and more derogatory. In 2020, the Welsh National Opera wrote about how that word has been repurposed and appropriated by the media. Used to almost shame and undermine women. I do think that we need to shift that narrative and realise that, at times, a diva can be demanding and controversial. More importantly, it is about iconic fashion, incredible talent and this freedom of self-expression that should be embraced – and not subjected to misogyny and sexism:
“Today, in red-top tabloid terms, if a woman is referred to as a ‘diva’ it usually means she’s difficult, temperamental and demanding. Why and when has the word diva, or its associated term ‘prima donna’, become such derogatory and sexist descriptions of women? Both words can be sourced to the world of opera in 18th and 19th century Italy. In a period of huge inequality between men and women in society, at least on the stage of opera houses, the female voice and talent was revered and celebrated quite as much as the top tenors of the day.
“It is no surprise that words that originally highlighted women of talent and success mutated into an unflattering and disparaging description with its roots in sexism. Even today, the media reflects everyday sexism in its descriptions of women in the public eye. Female politicians or entertainers are patronised and criticised for being bossy and difficult ‘divas’ rather than just ambitious and assertive like their male counterparts. So, let’s reclaim diva and prima donna for their true and operatic meanings: in praise of women of sheer talent, star presence, ability and success in their chosen field. Beyoncé is the perfect diva of popular music: strong, brilliant, and supremely successful. Just as Renée Fleming, Anna Netrebko, Joyce DiDonato, Cecilia Bartoli, Angela Gheorghiu, Mary Elizabeth Williams, Rebecca Evans and so many others, are our true divas of today. Brava prima donna!”.
Women judged on how they dress also relates to sexual shaming. That is another thing that is applied to the music diva. Being slut-shamed. If they are not virtuous and covered up then they are subjected to attack and misogyny. The most awful comments and judgements. I have been thinking about the music diva. An incredible new book, Diva: Feminism and Fierceness from Pop to Hip-Hop, is edited by Dr. Kirsty Fairclough, Dr. Benjamin Halligan, Dr. Shara Rambarran and Dr. Nicole Hodges Persley. You can grab a copy here. It is a book that is vital and very important. Something we should all think about. How that word is applied. What the modern diva is. Here are some details:
“The diva – a central figure in the landscape of contemporary popular culture: gossip-generating, scandal-courting, paparazzi-stalked. And yet the diva is at the epicentre of creative endeavours that resonate with contemporary feminist ideas, kick back against diminished social expectations, boldly call-out casual sexism and industry misogyny and, in terms of hip-hop, explores intersectional oppressions and unapologetically celebrates non-white cultural heritages. Diva beats and grooves echo across culture and politics in the West: from the borough to the White House, from arena concerts to nightclubs, from social media to social activism, from #MeToo to Black Lives Matter.
Diva: Feminism and Fierceness from Pop to Hip-Hop addresses the diva phenomenon and its origins: its identity politics and LGBTQ+ components; its creativity and interventions in areas of popular culture (music, and beyond); its saints and sinners and controversies old and new; and its oppositions to, and recuperations by, the establishment; and its shifts from third to fourth waves of feminism.
This co-edited collection brings together an international array of writers – from new voices to established names. The collection scopes the rise to power of the diva (looking to Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton, Grace Jones, and Aaliyah), then turns to contemporary diva figures and their work (with Beyoncé, Amuro Namie, Janelle Monáe, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, and Nicki Minaj), and concludes by considering the presence of the diva in wider cultures, in terms of gallery curation, theatre productions, and stand-up comedy”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Prof. Kirsty Fairclough is one of the editors of Diva: Feminism and Fierceness from Pop to Hip-Hop/PHOTO CREDIT: Greater Mancunians
The book is useful in a number of ways. There is still that un-nuanced association with the word. That idea that the diva is controlling and somehow horrible. It is sexist and misogynistic, as there are men throughout the industry who are as bad or worse and are not called a diva or called out at all. It is this word that was once celebratory and a high compliment. Though the centuries and decades, it has transformed and twisted into something one-dimensional and offensive. This woman who is maybe to be avoided. In fact, the word takes on new meaning. It isa broader term that something wholly negative. As Diva: Feminism and Fierceness from Pop to Hip-Hop outlines, Hip-Hop queens today are so influential and empowering. Often seen as diva-like and difficult, they are these cultural figures impacting music, politics, society and art. There are some more villainous examples of divas but, when you look at the legends and the new wave emerging, they are at the “epicentre of creative endeavours that resonate with contemporary feminist ideas”. Go and buy the book and find out more. For me, I have always balked at the idea of a diva and how people perceive it. That dismissive and insulting word that is applied to women who are bold, confident and commanding. Not fitting into ideals or conforming to sexist ideas, there is box (and an exhibition at the V&A) that looks at the way women are kicking back at those who demean and limit them. Fighting against those special expectation. Letting their voices influence fellow women and so many corners of their industry. e really need the diva. Someone who causes trouble and says what needs to be said. Rather than see the diva as an off-putting and negative figure, these strong and inspiring women should be…
CELEBRATED and respected.