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  1. Culture
8 May 2013

Women Behaving Badly: the allure of the Diva

Female celebrity meltdowns are depicted very differently from male ones – but is it such a bad thing to be a diva?

By Rhiannon

We’ve long argued that there is really no such thing as a ‘guilty pleasure’. After all, if you felt that guilty about it, then it wouldn’t be a pleasure – and if it’s a truly, wholly pleasurable activity, then presumably you don’t really give a toss about what anybody else thinks. And pure, unadulterated pleasure is how we both feel about international singing sensation and boundless warbler Mariah Carey. It is a love that will last until the end of time, transcending the occasional troughs that have marred an otherwise illustrious career. Yes, even Glitter.

Now that we’ve got that bombshell out of the way, we’d like to talk about divas. It is a label which, perhaps more than any other singer, has followed Mariah around like a slimy little paparazzo since the beginning of her career. As a term, its operatic origins have been relinquished in favour of its use as a moniker for any female singer who dares to forthrightly express an opinion on anything, ever. Granted, that opinion is more often than not related to the number of scented candles in one’s dressing room (or, in the case of one particular rumour, a strong preference for only one colour of Smartie, thus presumably necessitating the employment of one lucky lackey whose job it was to filter out all the other Smarties colours in a hundred tubes). Nevertheless, the way in which stories about diva behaviour compare with coverage of male meltdowns does raise some important questions.

Lists featuring the top ten celebrity tantrums are often female-dominated, despite the fact that paps have documented male paddies on behalf of everyone from Russell Crowe (not impressed when the BBC cut his televised poem) to Alec Baldwin (numerous toys-out-of-pram offences, most notably calling his daughter a ‘rude, thoughtless little pig’ on a leaked voicemail) to Hugh Grant (baked bean brouhaha – we’ll say no more). According to the media, male meltdowns are either comedy fodder, entirely justified on the basis of papparazzi harassment, or, in the case of Charlie Sheen, concerning spirals into mental illness. Where women are concerned, such distinctions are hardly made, and instead seem to fall under a group umbrella of ‘diva behaviour’ regardless of the underlying reasons. As recent coverage of Amanda Bynes and Lindsay Lohan demonstrates, somehow, ‘troubled’ has become a euphemism for ‘spoilt’. Meanwhile, alcoholism is a serious affliction in a man, but explained away as ‘a tad unladylike’ in his female counterpart.

But who is the ‘classic diva’, and why? In a world where examples of the media ridiculing ‘women on the verge’ abound, it’s important that we distinguish bad behaviour from actual cause for concern, not only because failing to do so perpetuates a lack of understanding about mental illness, but also because tales of bad celebrity behavior are hilariously, cringingly entertaining (of which Reese Witherspoon’s drunken don’t-you-know-who-I-am footage is a prime example.) Yes, very bad behaviour should be condemned, especially if you’re Trudie Styler and your reaction to your pregnant chef’s inability to make you soup is reportedly, ‘Who the fuck does she think she is?’, in a bizarre reflection of the aforementioned Witherspoon incident. Proper Diva Behaviour, however, can probably be exemplified by Beyonce’s recent attempt to remove some ugly pictures of herself ‘from the internet’. We’ve all been there, B, and therein lies the nub of diva-ishness. The diva demand should be completely and utterly divorced from reality, but also, at some level, relatable in its audacity. Hence our sympathy with Mariah, who once reportedly insisted that she be lowered onto the GMTV sofa by members of her entourage. Fair play. After all, who would sit there of their own free will?

The other important facet of the diva is, of course, her apparent willingness to pit herself against other divas. Mariah’s name has been sullied all over Twitter by that challenger to the throne, Nicki Minaj, but ultimately we all know that Carey has spent so much time being pitted against other divas already (see video) that we don’t fancy Minaj’s chances in the latest Mail-sponsored CELEBRITY CATFIGHT. Perhaps, like the girl Rhiannon’s boyfriend overheard on the phone in a bar last week, things will go ‘literally apeshit’, which I think you’ll agree is something we’d all like to see.

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It should go without saying that the ‘diva philosophy’ plays directly into the narrative which asserts that in order to be successful, as a woman, one needs also to be a mega-bitch who hates other women. Space is limited at the top, the logic goes, and nobody wants too many kittens in showbiz; they’ll have to get their claws out. So women ‘throw tantrums’ (because it’s childlike); men ‘fume’ silently, or ‘become enraged’ with enough provocation, safe in the knowledge that there’s room for them when they’re done. Divas have probably gained an inflated sense of self from PMT-induced fervour; shirty men have ‘complicated stories’, and most likely ‘psycho ex-wives’ who drove them to it. In other words, male frustration is seen as personal and explicable in a myriad of ways, whereas female frustration should be seen as a veiled attempt to trample on her sisters, a cry for the continued attention of Daddy Media to the detriment of others.

Back when the diva *was* a temperamental opera singer who had to be pandered to because of her extraordinary talents, things were a little different. Her ilk were seen as fairly discerning, if dramatic, with little tolerance for incompetence in her peers; nowadays, her demands are seen as all the more impudent because of an altered definition. The ‘celebrity diva’ of the 21st century is a fairly replaceable pop-star, often of apparently questionable talent, with a trailer full of make-up artists and an eagle eye on the photographs of herself presently circulating in cyberspace. She is ridiculous because she is both high-maintenance and dispensable. The thrill of hearing about Naomi Campbell’s latest altercation with airline staff lies in the knowledge that she’s treading a much more dangerous line, not as the prima donna in an isolated theatre but on a global stage full of worthy competitors. At any moment, her star may fall, or indeed be knocked down by the girl behind her in a continuation of the diva circle of life (see Carey and Minaj.) The audience to modern-day ‘diva behaviour’ isn’t just rolling its eyes; it’s baying for her blood.

Clearly, it’s unfair that the two-dimensional diva role lies at the female door, telling its same old celebrity magazine story about pigeonholing ’emotional women’. Still, many would argue that if the role is foisted upon you, why not play it? With all these myriad expectations, it’s no wonder that Rihanna’s taken to reclining on a white six-foot sofa surrounded by animal furs before she does another chorus of ‘Rude Boy’ at her latest venue. After all, it’s clear that the myth of The Diva and its ardent subscribers aren’t going to die out any day soon – and there will always be a few performers who just can’t resist feeding the trolls.

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