Toxic Barbie Girls and No More Mr. Nice Guys – Change and Stasis in the Lives of Popular Musicians

What succeeds in popular culture is governed largely by what society considers beautiful and sexy. Rare is the celebrity appearing on an entertainment or beauty magazine cover who isn’t shellacked in make-up, digitally airbrushed, and perfectly toned. While this emphasis on physical beauty applies largely to Hollywood stars, musicians haven’t escaped the emphasis on appearance.

Music videos, once made to showcase visual creativity inspired by music, have become increasingly risqué. Anyone remember the video for Aqua’s 1997 hit “Barbie Girl”? It was cute, entertaining, and appropriately kitsch. Now compare that to, say, Britney Spears’ recent video for “Toxic,” which just seems desperate to have its sexuality taken seriously. If Aqua’s Lene Nystrom Rasted had dressed up as a Barbie doll and lap danced Ken, child’s play would never have been the same again!

Of course, not every music video released in the last few years has been sexually explicit. A recent Evanescence video featured singer Amy Lee fully clothed in a wedding gown and on the ground screaming for most of the video - nothing sexual about that!

But examples of fully clothed singers are becoming increasingly rare, as more and more artists use marketing stunts to increase air play and sales. Overt sexuality is one of the easiest ways to make sure you remain in the public spotlight -- and hand in hand with sexuality comes the quest for youth. For many artists, success isn’t just about staying eternally beautiful, but also eternally young - almost as if sticking with what works and playing it safe is the only way to succeed.

Avril Lavigne in 2007 - Still the Teen Pop Punk Princess

Another artist trapped in the eternal youth stasis bubble is Alice Cooper. Alice’s glam-rock make-up was a quintessential ornament of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but in 2009, he’s still fond of the eye-lined “No More Mr.Nice Guy” image. His appearance is one of his signature traits and audiences still gather today to see THE Alice Cooper. But does he really enjoy living in the time warp that has him permanently encapsulated as his younger self?

At the other end of the spectrum is the ever-present Madonna and her pinwheel of styles, ranging from the ‘80s rocker, to the cone-shaped bra, to the current short-shorts look. In her collaboration with Justin Timberlake, “4 minutes,” Madonna’s 40-year-old body was so exposed that it made tabloid headlines, and, as Steve Dominey notes in his article this month, Madonna is apparently sluttier than ever! (I guess making out with Britney Spears wasn’t enough.)

Some musicians have not only changed their styles, but their entire identities. David Bowie transformed into Ziggy Stardust and the Beatles became Sgt. Pepper and his Lonely Heart’s Club Band. During a recent appearance on The View, Paul McCartney explained how the Beatles felt freed to stray from their typical sound by hiding behind the fictitious band. He used this concept again on his album Electronic Arguments as performed by The Fireman - “The Fireman” being Paul McCartney and a lot of electronic music.

Alice Cooper rocking Ottawa in October 2008 (Photo by Beth Johns)

Whether it’s remaining the same for years just to stick with what works, or hiding behind character makeup to diverge from the norm - it all just seems a little sad. Somewhere along the way, the music gets lost. The concept of image has all but replaced actual musical content. A large portion of today’s mainstream stars may indeed merit attention for their beauty, but not their music.

Would Alecia Beth Moore ever have become the star she is today if she hadn’t dyed her hair and released her work under the pseudonym Pink? Would the Pussycat Dolls be famous at all if they weren’t dancing around poles, half naked? (Lead singer Nicole Scherzinger was previously featured in a less seductive band, Eden’s Crush, that was not nearly as popular as the Dolls, so the answer would seem to be, “No!”.)

Have pop culture and musical fame been altered forever? Quite possibly. For evidence, one only needs to watch an episode of American Idol, where Simon Cowell has no qualms about criticizing contestants for being overweight. (Last time I checked, the quality of someone’s singing abilities were not determined by their body mass.)

Regardless of the impact image and appearance can have on musicians, for the most part, fans still stick around for the music. We may sometimes watch with confused looks on our faces when a favourite artist appears a little out of their orbit, but we love them just the same, because we have come to understand the toll of their exposed lifestyles, and we forgive them for their mistakes. After all, that’s the beauty of showbiz.

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