Is Tulisa on her way to becoming a gay icon?
We’ve seen a lot of Tulisa in the headlines recently. After her bizarre drug trial that wasted more taxpayers’ money than White Dee, she was later found guilty of assault. Following the verdict, Tulisa stepped outside to address the press – her lips arriving five minutes before her. With one botched lip job and a lengthy year of struggles, she almost seemed to become a gay icon overnight.
I’m aware at this point there’ll be a gaggle of gays ready to send me angry tweets about my inability to define a gay icon, but stick with me on this. I admit: she’s no Judy Garland. But her swollen lips became an instant hit. Every third tweet in my timeline seemed to be a repost of the now iconic photo, and the number of gay peers of mine who made it their cover photo on Facebook most probably ran into triple figures.
OK, so perhaps she’s not quite reached full Liza status yet, but her struggles have definitely resulted in increased interest from gay men. The notion of “personal struggles” is something that most gay icons seem to go through before being handed the title. Judy Garland, the original gay icon, balanced being the darling of Hollywood with a very public battle with alcohol and drugs. Fifty years later, we see Nigella Lawson being hailed an icon thanks in part to the sort of frosting that you wouldn’t see on The Great British Bake Off. Even Christina Aguilera’s unexpected weight gain and Janet Jackson’s misjudged publicity stunt in which she flopped one of her tits out at the Super Bowl elevated their status for a while.
But it’s not just the struggle; it’s the ability to succeed in the face of adversity. For every Mariah Carey Glitter bomb, there’s an Emancipation of Mimi comeback waiting in the wings. For every Britney Spears head-shaving episode, there’s a weirdly robotic but more stabilised Britney still willing to mime along to her old hits for cash. Gay men can identify with this notion of yearning for success and acceptance but experiencing hardship along the way.
As a result of this, a gay icon will not take any shit. Cher’s incredible yet somewhat incomprehensible rants on Twitter have become so popular that there are blogs dedicated to them. When Wendy Williams tried her passive-aggressive interviewing techniques on Whitney Houston, she was verbally torn a new arsehole. If you dare turn your back on Grace Jones in an interview, you’ll get a smack. And don’t even think about handing Madonna a bunch of hydrangeas…
We mustn’t forget the glitz and the glamour. We may like to think that gay icon status is awarded mainly on personal triumph and achievement, but there will always be that small part of us that secretly wants to be reincarnated as a pair of Joan Collins’ shoulder pads. The 80s homosexual with [proto-normcore leanings] was lucky enough to experience the wardrobe of Angela Lansbury in Murder She Wrote, while the 90s homosexual could channel his inner Patsy and Eddie on a daily basis. Kylie’s gold hotpants set the world alight in the noughties. And now? Well, Sinitta’s middle-of-the-day bikini holds the title for me thus far…
But, for me at least, the true essence of the gay icon is showmanship. While Gaga is often accused of being a “self-moulded” gay icon, there’s no denying her visual gimmicks and outlandish outfits fascinated the gay population for at least two years, even if some of us are a little bored of her now. In simpler times, Mariah, Whitney and Celine were the vocal powerhouses of the 90s, with enough melisma and range to keep us enthralled. Then there are the all-rounders such as Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand, who could amaze even a deaf, blind mute with their talent.
Tulisa’s struggles have pushed her to the forefront of gay men’s minds, and she must act quickly if she wants to keep us interested. My advice? Write a song about how your assault victim “had it coming”, don a pair of shoulder pads and perform it live following a three-day stint inside a giant egg. Only then will she have ticked every box necessary to become a fully-fledged gay icon.
Follow the amazing Martyn Hett on Twitter @MartynHett.
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