Susan Boyle

I'm sure you've recently heard about Susan Boyle. If you haven't you must have been living under a rock, or have no TV!

Susan Boyle is a 47 year old British spinster who just happens to be a wonderful singer. She surprised everyone with her voice on the Britain's Got Talent show. If you haven't heard her sing have a watch.


Susan Boyle Stuns Crowd with Epic Singing - Watch more Funny Videos

Although her type of singing is a bit lost on me, I do appreciate that she has a beautiful voice. What I'm having a hard time with is how much she is being judged for her appearance and how much her looks make a difference in the music world.

Many blogs, news articles and forums have been discussing Susan and her appearance - both on her performance on the show, and how she looks. Many have been positive, but of course there are those that are terribly negative and hurtful. Even Rosie O'Donnell, the plus sized comedian, that you either love or hate, weighed in on Susan. "Interviewed while showcasing her artwork at a Florida gallery on Sunday, O'Donnell told People the world should "enjoy (Boyle's performance) for what it was." "Here is this freaky miss, a fat, ugly girl, like Shrek comes to life, directing energy towards her soul," O'Donnell told the magazine. "This was so rare ... something authentic in a world that is usually manufactured. It was a perfect moment which will never happen again." What I'm sure was supposed to be a positive comment came across sounding like a back handed compliment to me. This from a woman who has not achieved stardom through her looks.

Why is it that we place so much stock in how someone looks? Why can't we accept that people are different? We all come in different shapes and sizes and have varying degrees of so called beauty. What really makes someone beautiful anyway? Is it really how pretty their face is or is it what type of person they are? I know plenty of "pretty people" who in fact have rather ugly personalities.

Is she being judged by her looks because she is a woman? Are women being held up to outrageous standards that men would never have to? Do you remember what Luciano Pavarotti looked like? Would a woman be able to look like this and have a successful singing/acting career? Somehow I doubt it.



African American singer Angie Stone, who has an absolutely beautiful voice, chose not to have a lot of publicity shots taken of her while her first CD was being released. Angie is gorgeous and a plus sized woman. She wanted her CD to be about music, not how she looked.

Remember back in the day when we listened to music for what it sounded like and what emotion it evoked? Sure, during our teeny bopper days we fell in love with David Cassidy and Donny Osmond because they were cute, but I don't believe we fell in love with The Rolling Stones because Mick Jagger was pretty!

I hope that Susan Boyle ends up with some sort of singing career as I do believe she has some talent. What I fear is that her looks will always shadow her voice and that would be a shame.