Comments on: Heartwarming or Heartbreaking?

By: » Alleged Murderer Not Wearing Official Killer Uniform The Pursuit of Harpyness

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:01:18 +0000

[...] another real-life example of the halo effect (I also wrote about the phenomenon here), people are shocked, shocked I tell you, that 23 year old Boston University medical student Philip [...]

By: Spark

Spark — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:56:46 +0000

Ok, I’m super late to this, but I finally watched the video and I have to come down on the side of heart-warming. Susan Boyle walked out on that stage with good humor and confidence, and as nasty as the audience reaction was, I got the sense that SHE knew they were wrong, and that was awesome to watch. (I did cringe when the judges said, “Everyone was laughing at you.” Mean and unnecessary.)

A great performance can transcend conventional ideas about attractiveness, and while we see it more often with men (i.e. Mick Jagger), I think it holds true for women as well. Life is so much more interesting when people with different faces and body types and complexions are allowed to be confident and charismatic and sexy. @aftercancer and Anji, I hope you keep singing!

By: Morgan

Morgan — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:24:18 +0000

Thanks for posting this. I had some funny feelings about this whole thing and you’ve fleshed them out and articulated them well.

By: Anji

Anji — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:53:13 +0000

I am particularly pleased to see how well she did because well, she reminds me a lot of me. I'm fat and hairy and not conventionally attractive in the least. And without wanting to seem too arrogant, I have an excellent voice. It's taken me a long time to come to terms with it and be proud of it instead of putting myself down and saying "I'm not that good, really". I will likely never have the chance to do anything with it though, because I'm, well, fat and hairy and not conventionally attractive, and not willing to change that even the tiniest bit. Ms Boyle is absolutely one of the most talented vocalists I have ever heard. Have you heard the cover of "Cry Me A River" she did for the charity CD in 1999? It's here if you want to have a listen. All I could think was - this is amazing. Why has it taken this long for her to get noticed when she produced this sort of quality TEN years ago?!

By: sukie (in the graveyard)

sukie (in the graveyard) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:53:30 +0000

I saw the video yesterday? The day before? (they all run together right now…) But, I watched it because a friend posted it on Facebook and instructed me to watch. So, I did.

I know the crowd was amazed (that bitch with the rolling eyes, I hope your friends are making fun of you right now). They didn’t see it coming.

It breaks my heart that people can’t see how god damn adorable she is. How is she not cute? That SMILE! Oh, and her shoes, I want them. That little stomping thing she did when she got three OKs, or whatever they are, that needs to be bottled and sold. That sassy hip shake. Solid Gold. So, I have to ask again, how is she not cute?

People wonder how this woman can have that voice? I’m more concerned about how Tila Tequila became a celebrity.

Who is deciding the standard level of attraction (and sexy)? Cause, I apparently am not aware of it…

But seriously, her shoes, did anyone get a clear view of them?

By: Aftercancer

Aftercancer — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:48:02 +0000

I found Susan Boyle to be both heartwarming and heartbreaking. There is not a place in society where you are not prejudged because of SOMETHING. Whether you are too young or old, too thin or fat it is all around us (opera included). I posted on my blog about Susan Boyle because she showed courage. I am a singer as well and am over 40 and I refuse to watch these hideous shows because of the complete lack of respect shown to these contestants. I also feel like that has taken over in our society. There was a time not too long ago that anyone who was willing to stand up in public and sing was respected if only because most people are not comfortable doing it. Now thanks to the Simon Cowells of the world not only are you expected to be talented but the half the audience is supposed to want to sleep with you.

I don’t think this response will last but for a few days I’m glad a the tiny bit of enlightenment.

By: SarahMC

SarahMC — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:12:23 +0000

The woman’s not stupid, y’know? Everyone and their mother is rushing to get an interview or write about her. I’m sure she can read; she can certainly hear the rude things people are saying (with a smile) to her face.
It makes me sad to think she’s aware of the fact that her talent doesn’t make her newsworthy; her ordinary looks, “old” age, and all the sad things about her life + talent make her newsworthy.
She looked pretty adorable on the Today Show this morning though.

By: Christine

Christine — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:04:18 +0000

I came down a bit more on the “heartbreaking” side, too. They hated her because she came out confident, and how dare an old, ugly woman be confident? They couldn’t wait to mock her mercilessly.

But her voice actually was lovely, and there were cameras, so they had to admit it. To their credit, I think, they did acknowledge that they’d judged her. Amanda Holden even called it a “wake-up call.”

But if she hadn’t been talented, and had just been walking down the street, they wouldn’t have given her any respect at all. Because she wouldn’t deserve it, right? Ugly people with nothing spectacularly special about them don’t deserve to be treated with respect, apparently.

By: sarah.of.a.lesser.god

sarah.of.a.lesser.god — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:43:45 +0000

@amanada/notmandy: “Beetle-browed”? What the everlasting fuck?

By: amanda/notmandy

amanda/notmandy — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:32:18 +0000

Articles that start off like this on from the LA Times certainly don’t help:

“Less than a week ago, she was just another 47-year-old Scottish virgin.

Now, more than 13 million YouTube views later, Hollywood agents and talk-show bookers are jostling for a few minutes with Susan Boyle, a stocky, beetle-browed woman who would not ordinarily rate a second glance on the street.”

Yes, start the story off about her fuckability, because that is what matters most.