John Hawkins loves Altered Images. Michael Ball loves Altered Images. John Peel loved Altered Images. He was on Top of the Pops saying that they would be the band of the 80s. Well they weren’t. I’m not even sure that there was a band of the eighties. The Jam had a sequence of Top 5 hits (including four number ones and a number two) but really got them because their fans piled in and got the singles early on. Culture Club were massive but imploded spectacularly when they did the Awful War Song, trying to copy Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Duran Duran were big for longer and could have been massive, except they went on sabbatical (forming the Power Station and Arcadia), but they have no defining mega hit like Karma Chameleon. Spandau Ballet had True, The Human League had Don’t You Want Me, but there was no really long lasting chart domination from any one group.
Altered Images had three albums, two of which got a silver disc – this hardly qualifies them as superstars. They came out of a post punk ethos and actually had some very dark songs, like Dead Pop Stars (later renamed Disco Pop Stars so as not to be so scary). Michael loves Clare Grogan, I mean really fancies her to this day (his wife knows, so if he starts having too many jobs in Haringey she will know why).
Now I am not saying Clare Grogan is unattractive, but it does highlight something about expectations of female appearance in popular music. In the early eighties credibility came from looking like a music star – Chrissie Hynde, Toyah or the Belle Stars. These were not women had to be impeccably gorgeous, make up perfect and dressed in skimpy clothing. In the later eighties the manufactured pop stars placed more emphasis on looks – though that applied to male and female stars.
(Clare Grogan)
Then you get Baby One More Time by Britney Spears. The Mickey Mouse club alumni dressed like a schoolgirl and launched a thousand fantasies. Christina Aguilera took it a step further, actually stating that her aim was to look like a prostitute. Combine this with the lad and ladette culture of the 90s and suddenly it is empowering for female stars to look perfect and dress in incredibly revealing clothes. Another manufactured star, Miley Cyrus, took it to even higher levels with videos in the nude (Wrecking Ball). Whilst it may be empowering it is more worrying that it is money making and who is making it.
Britney Spears is still under conservatorship and cannot even buy chewing gum without permission. This poor person, who earns £507,000 a night in Vegas is still being used to make money, despite having worked since the age of eleven full time (and before that part time, she was born in 1981). Her breakdown years ago shows that she needs rest, love and support yet she is forced to go out on stage to earn money for other people. On TikTok people tell her to wear a particular colour if she needs help – she always wears it. I suppose she could be playing with her fans, but it has launched a movement.
You must always ask who is making the money – empowered women or music businessmen.
There are plenty of music stars with issues. Kim Kardashian-West pleaded for understanding of her husband after his “Presidential Run”. No one places them under conservatorship. What about Pete Doherty? A certain degree of eccentricity is admired in male stars that is not accepted in female stars.
The women (despite being a tiny minority) had less pressure in the 80s. I am sure it is nice to be idolised (though stalkers are a danger) but at the cost of your sanity?
#FreeBritney
Change of Heart
Five Miles Out 