L’influence des icônes de la musique sur l’expression personnelle
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Music stars' impact on self expression
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Music can be very influential. It is a form of communication that can be hard to understand, but is still very present. Researchers have, in fact, found a lot of similarities between music and speach. Knowing this, it is easy to link humans' constant quest for social contact and the emotional communication that is music. As representatives of their own music, musicians then find themselves having a huge impact on their audience. This highly manifests itself in said audience's self expression.
Here are gathered exemples of this influence through different times and places, as well as stories of people just like us who have found themselves personally affected by this influence.
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androgyny
Androgyny is a style that we’ve been seeing more and more in our society. However, it wasn't always like this. During the 70’s, this style was very unusual and faced lots of backlash. It all changed when David Bowie rised to fame. His androgyne appearance and his choice of clothes was subject to many controversies, but, regardless of everything, he never changed anything and kept expressing himself however he liked. It has inspired numerous artists who still keep on naming Bowie as the muse to their androgynous pieces. His music was highly praised by the biggest acts of the moment, giving him an even bigger platform to influence and spread his ways of life. This is the heritage that he has left us.
short hair in asian women
Asia is made up of multiple countries that can oftentimes be quite conservative. For a long time, it was considered strange to see women with shorter hair than the socially accepted norm. With the rise of Kpop star Amber, known for her short hair and androgynous look, the Kpop star has observed a lot of changes. We can see more and more young women with short hair, especially at Amber concert, where a lot of fans mention having been inspired by Amber to get a drastic hair cut.
male makeup
Even though it is not yet popular and talked about everywhere, male makeup has definitely had a rise in popularity in the last couple of years. The sales in this industry has also augmented a lot in the past years. In particular, the korean male beauty industry has seen a huge growth. In Korea, we find the largest proportion of men who use beauty and skin products in the world. The experts think that there it might be thanks to the local stars, who are known for commonly wearing makeup, and have, at the same time, destroyed the existing taboo and timidity surrounding the subject.
disco’s impact on men
For men, disco music was liberating. During the post-war period, the male ideal was seen as very aggressive, dominant and lacking in emotions. The rise of disco music and its liberating lyrics as well as the lifestyle that accompanied it made a huge change in what was seen as socially acceptable for men. All of a sudden, it was seen as attractive to know how to dance and wear new materials such as leather, satin and bright colors that were once shameful.
disco’s impact on women
For women, disco was also a liberating movement. The rise of disco started at the same time as the beginnings of feminism. The dancefloor was a place where women who were usually tied down by society a place where they could break free for a moment and finally take control in a place where all was allowed. Important black women such as Grace Jones, Gloria Gaynor and Donna Summer’s lyrics about life’s difficulties led women on their journey to liberty.
Personal stories
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"Artists that have inspired me are named Lil Peep and Frank Ocean (pictured above). Because of them, I'm now able to express myself and my emotions no matter how depressing it is. I feel more carefree about what i wear and feel confident that my music taste is what defines me. Lil Peep makes me feel rage, but also reckless and dreamy - i feel the need to express that in the makeup and clothes i choose. Frank Ocean's discography, enigma and persona influenced me to experiment with my fashion while also keeping a cool head. He is unapologetically himself, and I also see him as a bisexual/queer icon. I desperately achieve to meet his level, and I plan on tattooing his lyrics. Overall, these two artists have taken part in how i identify myself in many aspects."
Ji, 16, USA
"I started liking Izone (Kpop group) in early 2019. Before that, I never had the courage to color my hair or anything like that. But then, when I became a fan, the way I dress started to taking inspiration from them and i even colored my hair to match a member's (pictured above). From reserved, I became more liberated. If I hadn't become a fan of Izone, I would probably still be more wary and self-conscious of public opinion."
Crys, 18, Taiwan
"I grew up with internalized homophobia since I live in Morroco and it's a muslim - so mostly homophobic - country. But slowly after getting into kpop I got comfortable with the idea of love being free from gender definition. It just settled slowly in me that maybe this wasnt so wrong after all. Then I found out that, hey, I'm attracted to this idol in a way more than just admiration between straight girls, you know? It was very similar to the way i looked at my boy crushes. Then slowly again it was pretty obvious that I wasnt that straight. I was mostly influenced by Kpop group Shinee (member pictured above) in my journey through my sexuality with the support they show towards the lgbtq community. It just pushed me more to embrace myself and my sexuality."
Eun, 16, Morocco
“An artist, or at least two artists that have impacted me would be Yuta and Ten (members of Kpop group NCT). Yuta and Ten are known for expressing themselves as whatever they wish to and it's inspired me to also step outside the box and not give a damn. They inspired me to get more piercings (pictured above), they've inspired me to be more like myself than be something I’m not. The self impression impact, in short, is confidence in my appearance in terms of clothes or piercings."
Qonout, 17, USA
“I’ve never been into piercings but for some reason, probably since the age of 15, i only found eyebrow piercings attractive. I was really young and I was sure that when I was old enough I wanted to get it done. But I grew older and realized i couldnt gather the courage to get my eyebrow pierced, rather than being scared of the pain I was scared it wasnt gonna suit my face. Also piercings in my country (specifically the eyebrow ones) are really stigmatized. People that have this piercing are thought to be uneducated, scary or even delinquents. So I got rid of the idea and kept living my life. Last year on October one of the members of my favorite Kpop group Monsta X got an eyebrow piercing and I realized he looked really cool! He looked so hot and you know, perhaps “intimidating“ but it made an amazing contrast with his kind and cute personality. I realized I wanted something like that, something that made me look different but it could contrast with my real personality. Seeing him with the piercing gave me the courage and motivation I needed. Now I have one and I adore it (pictured above). I'm always thankful that he got it done first because that way I got inspired."
Francisca, 20, Chile
“Twenty one pilots was a big inspiration in terms of helping out with my mental health and I ended up buying a ukulele years ago to learn a few of their songs and it turned into one of my favorite ways of self expression ever. It's very cheesy and dorky but eventually I wanna get their logo tattooed somewhere on myself! For a more physical example, people like Kim Petras and Doja Cat (pictured above) were really big influences on me liking clothes and hair colors that aren’t really traditional but more like a costume because they’re more fun to me."
Maya, 18, USA
“Honestly I’ve always preferred shorter type of hair, but I just really really liked how longer hair looked on Hyungwon (Kpop singer pictured above) so I decided to try it myself. It’s still not as long as his was, but I honestly really like how it looks right now and it makes me feel better about myself."
Elias, 18, USA
“Honestly before I started listening to BTS (kpop group, member pictured above), my fashion was just what everyone else wore and what iI would wear to fit in and look like the people around me. Once I started listening to their music and seeing their personalities, it inspired me to break away from the crowd and wear things that I wanted to wear even if it didn’t fit in to what others were wearing. For exemple, instead of wearing a sweatshirt leggings everyday, I’m actually trying with my outfits by wearing different printed pants and dresses and shoes I would have never thought about wearing before."
Sawyer, 17, USA
“Two artists that have helped me regarding my self expression have to be Beomgyu and Taehyung (of Kpop groups TXT and BTS, latter pictured above)! In fact, maybe getting into Kpop as a whole has helped me find a way to express myself but Taehyung and Beomgyu have probably made the most impact. I've definitely found my style in terms of clothes and they've inspired me to start wearing more accessories and get more piercings! I'm even interested in getting tattoos so once I am of age I will definitely get one. They're very fashionable idols and have helped me get out of my comfort zone especially in a place like England where a lot of people dress the same. They've also helped me become more comfortable in my sexuality so I'm more confident in expressing that too!"
Ann, 16, England
“The styling in Stray Kids' "Miroh" music video (pictured above) actually impacted the way I dress and my style has been strongly influenced by the outfits in that music video! I definitely wouldn't have tried those types of outfits if I hadn't seen Stray Kids wear them simply because I just was never really interested in changing my style, but when I saw how nice their outfits were, it definitely widened the range of things I'm comfortable wearing."
Jayla, 17, USA
“So my clothing and general outward expression was heavily influenced by the first bands I really became a fan of because I learned that I didn’t have to confine myself to what I always saw. They helped me realize that I could just embrace what I wanted to do and actually go through with it rather than just wish I could do it, if that makes any remote sense."
Miranda, 14, USA
references
Page d’ouverture: David Bowie
SUKITA, Masayoshi. David Bowie. 1973. https://fortune.com/2018/02/26/david-bowie-is-museum-exhibit/ (24 février 2020)
Description de l’influence: Elvis Presley
EP memorabilia. Elvis Concert Photos. Las Vegas. 1970-77. http://elvisnow.com/wp/?product=elvis-in-concert-photos-1970-1977-not-for-sale (24 février 2020)
Exemple 1: David Bowie
MACMILLAN, Keith. The Man Who Sold The World. Royaume-Uni. 1971. https://www.davidbowie.com/the-man-who-sold-the-world (24 février 2020)
Exemple 2: Amber
SM Entertainment. Amber 4 Walls Teaser. Corée du Sud. 25 octobre 2015. https://functionlove.net/2015/10/24/comebackdl-151025-famber-the-4th-full-album-4-walls-teasers-1gif7p1v/ (24 février 2020)
Exemple 3: Troye Sivan
JEFFREY, Kelly. Troye Sivan - Bloom. Australie. 6 juin 2018. https://youtu.be/41PTANtZFW0
Exemple 4: Disco chez les hommes
Dallas Vintage Shop. 70s Men’s Disco Attire. Dallas, États-Unis. https://dallasvintageshop.com/70s-mens-disco-attire-1970s-theme-party-costume-ideas-dallas-vintage-clothing/ (24 février 2020)
Exemple 5: Disco chez les femmes
Vintage Everyday. Dancefloor Styles That Defined the 70’s Disco Fashion. https://www.vintag.es/2017/08/29-stunning-photos-of-dancefloor-styles.html?m=1 (24 février 2020)
Témoignage 1: Frank Ocean
SCHORR, Collier. GAY LETTER. États-Unis. 16 avril 2019. http://gayletter.com/frank-ocean/ (24 février 2020)
Témoignage 2: Nako
KIM Whimil, Heart*iz. Corée du Sud. 22 mars 2019. https://twitter.com/official_izone/status/1109110545188184064?s=21 (24 février 2020)
Témoignage 3: Kibum
KIM Kibum, Deleted Instagram Post, Corée du Sud, 2013. https://instagram.com/bumkeyk
Témoignage 4: Qonout
Photo partagée lors de messages individuels entre le témoin (représenté sur la photo) et moi-même.
Témoignage 5: Francisca
Photo partagée lors de messages individuels entre le témoin (représenté sur la photo) et moi-même.
Témoignage 6: Doja cat
Getty Images. Doja Cat and Lala Milan. Los Angeles. 23 juin 2019. https://m.zimbio.com/photos/Doja+Cat/BET+Awards+2019+InstaCarpet/TJj7hYnlOxu (24 février 2020)
Témoignage 7: Hyungwon
Starship Entertainment. “FOLLOW”: FIND YOU. Corée du Sud. 18 octobre 2018. https://twitter.com/officialmonstax/status/1185180063450333186?s=21 (24 février 2020)
Témoignage 8: Jin
Dispatch. BTS. Corée du Sud. 26 août 2018. https://m.entertain.naver.com/entertain?id=1047154&imgId=24871623&host=https://m.entertain.naver.com&listUrl=https://m.entertain.naver.com/photo#main/24871623 (24 février 2020)
Témoignage 9: Taehyung
Dispatch. BTS DNA MV. Corée du Sud. 10 octobre 2017. https://m.entertain.naver.com/topic/1047154/1047154 (24 février 2020)
Témoignage 10: Hyunjin
JYP Entertainment. Miroh M/V. Corée du Sud. 24 mars 2019. https://youtu.be/Dab4EENTW5I (24 février 2020)
Témoignage 11: MCR
Getty Images. Gerard Way. New York, États-Unis. 17 janvier 2005. https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/my-chemical-romance-lead-singer-gerard-way-performs-on-news-photo/52004878 (24 février 2020)