Mariah Carey 17 279 Ns - article by Whimsical Wire Articles

She’s holding three Grammies—three! more than most of us will ever actually see in person, just to look at, for God’s sake—and the caption emphasizes what she’s wearing, as compared to a fellow celebrity wearing the same dress (heaven forbid). She’s at a location that reaches sub-zero temperatures and is known the world over for its skiing facilities, and the text next to the photos focuses on the boots she is wearing…in four different instances (in four different pairs of boots).

She is Mariah Carey, and she appears undaunted in all of the photos. In fact, she appears happy, friendly, and accessible as a person…regardless of how the shots will turn out to be poking fun at her weight, her sweater riding up to show skin, her breasts, or her skin tones. Mariah Carey is savvy, and well aware that these photos and their accompanying text are used to sell photos, boots, diet pills (later in the issue), and issues of the magazines in which she is featured. Mariah Carey is a seasoned performer of over fifteen years, is a producer, has been on the number one singles charts twenty-four times, and has won over 175 awards for her contributions to the music world.

And Mariah Carey is loved the world over, for her music, her voice, her performances, her charitable participation. Most importantly, she has been a positive influence on young women who love her music in particular and her persona in general: a drama major idolizes Carey. The drama major, a student at a small community college in Northern California, has a history of cutting (of self-abuse using razors, knives, and other blades and sharp objects) and of bulimia. As the drama student delves deeper into the professional life and personal image of Mariah Carey, she learns to accept her own God-given curves. As she listens to the positive and esteeming messages of the skilled singer, she comes to love herself enough to stop cutting, save in rare relapses.

So while Mariah may not know of specific instances wherein she has changed someone’s life—or saved it, she may be smiling in every “candid” photo of her, knowing the photos are to provide conversational material for boot-fixated freaks. She may be smiling because she knows it is only when the photographs stop appearing that one needs to be concerned. Or she may be smiling because she knows that one transcends the necessity of publicity, no matter how small-minded or seemingly insignificant.

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