Like all areas of the performing arts, the opera industry comes with an incredible amount of allure and a troubling amount of baggage. This is especially true as it relates to gender norms and defining womanhood in the industry.
Sopranos are gorgeous damsel’s in distress and mezzos are sultry, yet ballsy women with a cause right???………Depending on who you ask, many things come to mind when describing what it means to be female in opera.
Larger than life, highly expressive, beautiful and vocally captivating all describe the woman who’ve become pillars of success in this industry.
Still, there’s a dark, messy side of womanhood in opera that hasn’t been fully addressed.
Ya see, woman talk.
We’ve all heard or watched the horror stories unfold. We know about the dramatic inappropriate behavior and outlandish requests some women have made because they feel entitled as “diva’s”.
We know the tall tales and the sometimes compromising lengths women have gone to, just to be successful. We get tired of the occasional female colleague smiling in our face and talking behind our back.
We all secretly question if industry culture supports our female desire to “have it all.” And to some extent, experiencing these situations have become normalized.
So why do we allow this stuff to happen????
There are many things we could attribute to the troubling versions of femininity that exist within the industry.
Some of the problems lie in professional norms and even how women are depicted within the “standard” operatic cannon. Still, some of it boils down to the standard we as women consciously or unknowingly perpetuate.
How should we respond to the petty side of performance? How can we create a way forward and continue to define new realities for what it means to be a strong woman in classical music?
First, I think we should unpack why some aspects of the classic diva stereotype are problematic.
Dissecting the “Diva” Stereotype
Stereotype 1: Divas are catty, self-centered, untouchable and full of drama.
I’ve observed that this stereotype is rooted in a need for constant striving. Primarily women in performance striving for attention. Striving to be heard or deemed important. Striving to succeed. Striving to be enough. Instead of tirelessly striving to be something, just be.
If women could understand that we are enough, and that our gifts and talents are enough, we would spend less time jumping through hoops trying to convince other people of ourselves. The focus would instead be on the incredible music and real people who take the time to share it’s beauty.
Some women approach the opera industry from a perspective of scarcity. Typically you’ll find more women at auditions than men. It’s the nature of the beast. Even though it’s a competitive art form, there’s a way to maintain your dignity without stooping to low levels of character and backhanded behavior. It’s not worth it.
Please, I beg… in a world of Donald’s, be a Barack. Manipulative behavior and doing anything to get ahead is not only unwise, but reflects a lack of peace and stamina within a persons heart. Furthermore, I find that this industry sometimes excuses poor behavior because a person is talented. This is a very real problem. If opera is just about singing well, we’re selling ourselves short. I think it is also about creating a culture of artists that people actually want to invest in. Female artists must continue to keep decency in style.
Stereotype 2: Divas have to look and sound a certain way.
The root of this stereotype stems partly from opera’s performance history and many ridiculous norms of beauty.
Whoever said that singers all have to be a certain size, with a classic hairstyle and dress, was honestly creating a cheap, less-than-human fantasy world.
Women are diverse! Similarly, over sexualizing women in productions for the sake of selling tickets is just as pathetic. This tainted artistic space doesn’t reflect what it means to be female. We’re curves, edges and everything in between.
Every woman has their own style, essence and personhood. If I stopped singing because I’m petite, black, southern, have natural hair and am a soprano, my life would literally suck. Should these factors make me any less of an artist??….of course not.
Showcasing the amazing unique differences among women, provide opportunities to make storytelling more authentic and the opera industry LESS-STUFFY.
Stereotype 3: Divas don’t support each other.
The root of this stereotype is insecurity.
In this vast wide world I believe that there’s space for all women to shine in their own way. If more young singers cheered each other on and spent less time ripping each other to shreds, maybe it would transform a culture of reckless competition.
Multiple people can sing well at the same time. Wanting to win or be the best you can be is an inherently good thing. Good competition is heathy. It becomes problematic when the sprit behind succeeding is seeped in insecurity or jealousy.
Instead of focusing on being overly strong and untouchable, women should be extending a hand. It never hurts to be kind.
Stereotype 4: Eventually a diva must choose between career and family.
The term “diva” has not always been synonymous with “happily married” or “woman carrying a baby on her hip.”
Times are changing……(thank you Beyonce), but still I find that women have fear surrounding this issue.
Fear about how to time their relational happiness to ensure the maximum level of job success (as if having a family is a hindrance). The physical and emotional demands of travel and being a singer are not always kind.
I don’t have kids yet and it’s hard, even though I am at the beginning of my career. Still, I’ve never felt like women should have to choose or hide the fact that they have kids or a spouse for fear of not getting a job.
We should be telling women that family enriches and informs life as a performer. If the gold standard is solely defined by singing at La Scala or The Met, maybe we’ve missed the point.
Singing is also about enriching the lives of others and connecting with people through our art. As women, we’re masters at connecting and forming bonds with others.
Perhaps our relationships, friendships and families are the secret to success. When we understand and walk through relationships, our music has real meaning.
We must normalize a different more fulfilling standard. Women in opera don’t just sing, but are multifaced and multilayered. They’re kick-butt moms, sporty gals, nerds, food-lovers, fashionistas, of every race and religion and so much more.
As females adapt and evolve over time, industry norms should also support the changing dynamics of what it means to be both an artist and woman in the 21st century.
Likewise, women should also reorient their approach to the genre and define healthy norms that support integrity and originality. The issue is not in the term “diva” itself, but rather the meanings we willingly reinforce with time.
We have more control of the narrative than we think.
We can’t expect opera to evolve if we don’t create the space for women to be different. Similarly, women must choose to foster an empowering industry culture that negates a “Mean Girls” mentality.
No woman is perfect, and maybe that’s the point of it all.
We’re all on a journey trying to figure things out along the way. And while I think the “diva” is outdated, I believe that women redefining femininity in classical music are just getting started.
I’m Interested in Your Journey!!!
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