For Real or For Show?

I watched another video today, this time, from “Britain’s Got Talent.” The part I watched was the one with Susan Boyle on it. I had heard of her name before, so I was quite not that excited when I saw her performance.      Recently, I blogged about a performance by Choi Sung Bong auditioning for “Korea’s Got Talent,” and honestly, I thought, “Is this the trend on talent shows now?” I mean, it is totally the same—physically unappealing, you-would-not-expect-to-be-talented kind of performers. At first, you will think, “What is he/she doing there?” or “Another clown!,” but then an amazing voice will surprise you. Recently, this has been the fad for talent shows. I do not know if these people are planted there for audience appeal or to create a buzz for the show, but I swear, it kind of gets tiring sometimes. I know that Choi Sung Bong was genuine, but still, it is hard to think otherwise because Sung Bong and Susan even appeared in the same show franchise.

            Well, although I am skeptical, I will admit that they DO touch people’s hearts and get a lot of sympathy. I mean, they do get a lot of votes from the people! On the other hand, they also bring out the ugly side of humanity. In Susan Boyle’s case, while watching the video, the cameras really captured how the audience reacted when Boyle came out. You would feel them thinking badly about Susan—some people even cringed when she said she wanted to be the next Ellen Paige, an English singer and musical actress. However, when she started singing, everyone started clapping and gasping. This really shows how people think, and that how thy judge a person based on what they see. In Korea, specially, social status is very important. People do not usually mingle with people who have lower status. In everything, whether in getting a job, making friends, or even when just having fun, people are always judged based on how they look.

            I think that Susan can inspire some women out there. However, in this day and age, it is really hard to look up to Susan Boyle as an inspiration. I mean, in the first place, the reason why people misjudged her was because of how she looked. I am not saying it is her fault that she looked like that, but isn’t it a given to go to a salon first to have yourself made up before going to an audition? Isn’t it our responsibility to look our best when aiming for something? A trip to the salon does not cost that much anyway, and it does wonders for a woman’s look. When I was watching the video, I thought that she really opted to look like that for showmanship or to get that surprise factor in her performance. Well, I do not really know her, so I can’t say. My point is that Susan Boyle should be an inspiration for people who want to be singers: she has an incredible voice, but for modern women, I think they’ll think the same way as I did. It is a given that people judge others based on the way they look, so it is our responsibility to look as presentable as possible when going in front of a lot of people. In that aspect, Susan failed.