Sunday, January 15, 2006
TV Times
I've been thinking through Pete Burns' current media coverage and what separates the two of us by definition, because it seems to me the TV label is being applied as a handy way of labelling him some sort of freak rather than as a purely descriptive term, especially if you listen to what he says about himself.
PB describes the vast amounts of work he has had done on his body as a process that leaves him looking a way he feels happy with full time.
If I might compare that to permanently dyeing grey hair to hide the existence of grey hair at all times, my position would equate more to being happy with my own hair but enjoying the variety of wearing a wig in a different style or shade as an occasional alternative to my own.
In that regard I have more in common with Grayson Perry's sometime alternative identity as Clare, even if I wouldn't go so far as to claim an alternative name - it's just a different part of me, and significantly less that the whole of me, whereas for Pete Burns there seems to be nothing else.
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What marks PB out is the surgery. It seems that the face he was given is not the one that he wants, and that's nothing to with gender. A more accurate label that the press could use is something like body dysmorphia and the examples of women (the examples cited tend to be women) like Lolo Ferrari who have increasingly extreme cosmetic surgery.
And there are early marks of body modification there, with the large scale tattooing across his body. So, he may claim that the work has left him with an image he is happy with, but I wonder how much longer it will be before there's something else he feels is not quite right.
And there are early marks of body modification there, with the large scale tattooing across his body. So, he may claim that the work has left him with an image he is happy with, but I wonder how much longer it will be before there's something else he feels is not quite right.
Thanks, I'd be mortified to consider I had anything much in common with PB - that's probably my point, that the very broad brush of a lazily applied label can hardly cover different people accurately.
The attention thing I'll come back to.
From my own recent experience, I'm in no doubt how factually accurately (or otherwise) even real news stuff is covered, so for frivolous media frenzy stuff like this I have only low expectations.
Lolo Ferrari is a good example, but where she at least attempted to use her 'enhancement' to further her own notoriety and make some sort of career out of it, Burns seems only to want an excuse to act the stroppy diva.
People will only indulge that sort of thing for so long, and I'm sure you're right that there will be something else for PB to tinker with before long.
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The attention thing I'll come back to.
From my own recent experience, I'm in no doubt how factually accurately (or otherwise) even real news stuff is covered, so for frivolous media frenzy stuff like this I have only low expectations.
Lolo Ferrari is a good example, but where she at least attempted to use her 'enhancement' to further her own notoriety and make some sort of career out of it, Burns seems only to want an excuse to act the stroppy diva.
People will only indulge that sort of thing for so long, and I'm sure you're right that there will be something else for PB to tinker with before long.
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