On a recent trip to Borders, I purchased two distinctly different magazines which featured cover articles on two of my absolute favorite female perfomers on Planet Earth.
1. Oscar-Winning Actress Tilda Swinton in Out Magazine, a GLBT publication.
2. Experimental Singer/Performance Artist Diamanda Galas in Terrorizer, a UK-based music magazine predominately devoted to the darker side of heavy metal (or black metal, I guess) music.
A funny happening at the checkout: I approached the seemingly nice salesperson with my impending purchases and was greeted with a “Boy, she’s scary-looking.” I was surprised when I realized that she was actually looking at the cover photo of Tilda Swinton when she made that statement.
Even though I was slightly aghast at the salesperson’s comment, I giggled nonetheless at the ridiculousness of her statement. Huh? WTF? I smirked to myself. In her meek eyes, Tilda was scarier than Diamanda.
Spooky…
I should’ve asked her “What gives?”
I should’ve also asked the same question to the prissy, entertainment/tabloid television show hosts that dissed Tilda for her “fashion sense” on the Academy Awards red carpet back in February. The fact that Tilda won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in Michael Clayton was overshadowed by the condescending insults slung in her direction by the aforementioned celebrity wanna-be posers who really couldn’t design their way out of a Gucci shopping bag. Tilda was accused of looking too manly and androgynous, was called an albino, and was mocked for not having eyebrows and the lack of makeup.
Diamanda Galas, on the other hand, exudes an outward intensity in physical appearance and stature. But, just when you think you have become acclimated to her presence, her multi-octave vocal range ferociously sends you flying into a brick wall. She’s faced controversial and emotionally-charged themes head-on without flinching. She’s extreme in every sense of the word, whether it’s her approach to the subject matter of her art or her outspoken, “tell it like it is” demeanor during interviews. I revere Diamanda tremendously but if I were to ever to meet her in person, I’d feel extremely intimidated.
I guess it is just a matter of perception as to who or what is deemed scary in most people’s eyes. I ponder why people seem to be so scared of those individuals who don’t clearly fit either concrete “male” or “female” gender roles. So what if Tilda wears men’s suits on magazine cover photos. So what if Tilda didn’t wear makeup on the day that the Out cover photo was shot. What’s the big deal anyway?
