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My German roommate Ronja was the first to tell me about Lana Del Rey. “Who the eff is this person?” I asked. “Oh, she’s a popular singer from America!” Had absolutely no clue.
Then the thing from SNL happens that had the whole internet in a giant uproar because she “couldn’t ‘perform’.” Then I start thinking “Wait, she’s on SNL and she doesn’t even have an album yet?” Then I read that her dad was a multi-millionaire. Then I find out that she changed her name. And then from looking at earlier pictures from her, I can see that she had plastic and/or cosmetic surgery done and that she looked much different from her normal days as “Lizzy Grant.”
I don’t know what’s more sad, the fact that the media (from my retrospective glance) totally rose her up only to tear her down, or the fact that she felt the need to inventan image or persona for herself with plastic and/or cosmetic surgery most likely to further her singing career. And, maybe what is saddest most of all that her plan totally worked. That is, until she had to actually ‘perform’.
I like entertainment. I like movies. I like music. But thinking about how people feel compelled to jump through hoops like changing one’s identity, going under the knife and practically ‘reinventing oneself’ in order to ‘make it’ just seems depressing.
