In April I saw Pink live at the Prudential Center in Newark.  I happen to love Pink- she is talented and brilliant and empowering. She wears her individuality proudly: she is who she is, and doesn’t care what you think.

But here’s the funny thing I noticed about the Pink concert: the amount of people there who looked like Pink.  I don’t mean facial resemblance: I mean people who have imitated her look.  Same haircut.  Tattoos.  Clothing style.  Everything.

This aesthetic is not solely devoted to Pink fans though.  I live close to a live music venue, The Gramercy.  As The Gramercy is standing room only, I often see the attendees lined up outside, waiting to get in so they can procure the best spot.  More often than not I can tell exactly what type of performer is playing without googling the name on the marquee by how the crowd is dressed.  The crowd often mimics the musicians.

So.  Are people fans of the music, or devotees of the musician?  Are these things mutually exclusive?

I am not going to dress like Gene Simmons circa KISS.  I am not going to cut my hair and dye it so I can resemble Pink.  But what makes people mimic the style of a performer?  Is it the Oscar Wilde statement about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery?  Or is it something else?  Do we feel more comfortable adopting a style if we see someone else wearing it?  Is there something deeper?

Music plays a very large part in many peoples lives.  Music helps define moods and feelings in ways other things can not. So I understand why it’s easy to idolize a singer or a band or a performer- they are relatable and make you feel, and often verbalize all the secrets that you keep buried deep inside.  You listen to their music and you don’t feel weird or lonely: you think, wow, this person is just like me.  And you revel in the thought that you are not alone, there are others who share the same thoughts and ideas and feelings.  I get that.  But is there a point where it goes from a healthy outlet for the mind to a dangerous obsession?  What is the point where idolizing a celebrity goes too far?  Are you dressing like Pink because you think “Wow, that’s a great look, and I know that would work for me” or “Well, Pink does it, so I guess it’s fine if I do it too.”

There’s nothing wrong with copying a style: there’s an entire industry devoted to that.  We all do it to a certain extent. But remember, you can  wear anything that you want- it’s window dressing.  But you have to be comfortable with the way you are on the inside.  Your clothes, your haircut- they don’t really make you confident.  How you feel about yourself does.  Don’t adapt a look just because you think it will make you awesome..  Do the things that will make you feel awesome.  And that may. or may not include dressing like a pop star.

 

 

 

50 thoughts on “I’ve Got The Feeling in Me”

  1. Interesting observations. I don’t think I’ve ever taken any personal grooming tips from musicians to an extreme, but confess that I have done it to some extent. Except more like male musicians and primarily when I was a teen. I never really thought much about the implications to my self-identity, but then, I’ve never been a deeply introspective person!

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    1. I was struck by the amount of people who had adopted her style. I think we all copy certain styles, but I think there’s a difference between trying things out, and using them daily. It’s the difference of, of that looks cool vs I’ll be cool if I wear that

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  2. Remember in the ’80’s when the girls would dress with their underwear on the outside ala Madonna? It’s the same. It’s gotta be a heady thing for the entertainer to look out over the thousands of fans and see them emulating their dress/hair/makeup/dance moves. I would venture to guess the psychos that stalk and (sometimes) harm entertainers are NOT the ones with the mesh fingerless gloves or the pink hair.
    I personally never did the Madonna look-a-like thing (I was too old then), but it never seemed anything other than harmless fun.

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  3. I don’t think I’ve ever tried to look like a musician(with the exception of the full makeup KISS look for a dad’s dance at my daughter’s recital). Even in the 80’s when I listened to the hair bands I had relatively short hair. Now I go to concerts in jeans and a t-shirt. The only thing I have in common with my favorite band is that we all go old and fat.

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  4. :/ Hmm you’ve got me thinking. Back in the day my brother was into ‘The Smiths’ and would annoy me playing their CD’s all day. But further still he looked the spitting image of Smith’s lead guitarist so he dressed like him, so which is it?

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  7. I love the gypsy look of Stevie Nicks with the handkerchief hemlines and have had several dresses and skirts like that, including my wedding dress. I don’t think I’d go as far as tattoos or serious changing of my looks though.

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  8. I remember the madonna days when everyone dressed like madonna. I never understood why someone wanted to dress like madonna. I always wondered what was missing in their lives that they wanted to look like someone other than themselves. I listened to Alice cooper when I was in high school but I would have never looked like him even though songs like Only Women Bleed and I Never Cry touched me deeply. I am way better off being me. Alice is already taken. I love pink too. I would take qualities from her like her kick ass attitude and the way she is totally herself. Maybe they dont realize that they are maybe looking for qualities that she has. Maybe dressing or looking like her brings them closer to those qualities.

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      1. I think that’s it…..and it’s not just musicians, it might be a teacher that has played an important part in someone’s life to an Instagrammer that you only “know” by their posts.

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  9. Why did people name their babies Charles and Diana? Why will people imitate what Meghan wears from now on, if they haven’t already?

    I have no answer. I imitate nobody.

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  11. Easier to logo than to solo. Safer to co-op than self signature. The day the music died is when the band became a brand. The sports team a totem. The song, a perfect pitch, and selling out a rebellious act. The down tempo of trompe l’oeil, and the real feel of keeping it real.

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  13. I don’t know if this counts but sometimes I have looked at people going to the concerts and wished I could join their group or clique. Case in point: Dubai (Amy Winehouse), a Texan man and his wife working in the medical field in Dubai…spoke to them, they were fun. Never want to change outfits with anyone except Melania but then again I would need to borrow some other things from her. LOL.

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  18. Great observation here. By the luck of the draw, I have Carole King “Tapestry” hair. When I let it grow longer, it looks just like her hair on the cover of that album. I’ve never intentionally duplicated the rest of her style, but I do like her music. If I stood in line waiting for one of her concerts, I’d look like I was a CK wannabe too!

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  19. Here’s a funny turnaround: When 3 Doors Down played in Ignacio, Colorado (population under 1000), the lead singer dressed just like all the rancher boys around there. I suspect he dresses like that at home, but doubt it’s his usual stage wardrobe!

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