Becoming An Icon
Lets talk Icons! When you think of icons who do you think of? Personally, Cher comes to mind. I mean who is more iconic that the Goddess of Pop herself? From singing to acting and directing, Cher has done it all. I mean who hasn’t watched Moonstruck religiously… just me? Maybe. The scene where Cher’s character kicks a can down the street in the early morning hours of Brooklyn, New York, plays on repeat in my head rent free.
The Icon was once however just an average girl from the LA area who worked her way to stardom. If you think she did this by playing it safe and sticking to norm, you are sorely mistaken. Cher got her start in singing with her first husband Sonny Bono. Their eclectic style and newfound sound cast them into stardom overnight. While they were beloved in England where being different was celebrated (I mean, this was the time of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones), the US wasn’t so welcoming to them at first. Looking back at the style choices we can see how eccentric Sonny and Cher were with their bellbottoms and fur vests.
Many people in Hollywood, and I mean people in the showbiz industry, saw them as outcasts and couldn’t wrap their heads around these eclectic new comers. Never the less, Sonny and Cher didn’t let that stop them from creating art together in everything they did. From how they dressed and lived to the performances they put on. Eventually they were invited onto an episode of the first season of the Carol Burnett Show.
This opened doors for the decades of fashion styles we have seen Cher encompass. The fashion designer on the set was Bob Mackie who took one look at Cher and didn’t know what to do with her. This wasn’t an everyday Hollywood, blonde, Marilyn Monroe, this was a petite woman with long (and I mean long) dark hair and a unique look. Nevertheless, Mackie did design her outfit for the episode and fell in love with her unique looks.
When Sonny and Cher got their own show, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, Cher asked Bob Mackie to be her stylist. At first he was skeptical because he worked long hours on the Carol Burnett show but eventually gave in and agreed to be Cher’s fashion designer for their new set. He was able to go back and forth to Cher and Carol as the sets were so close (studio 31 and studio 33). As Cher’s fame grew, so did her outrageous style.
As Cher’s career went on and she grew as a performer outside of Sonny, her style sense and love for beads stayed prevalent. Even after the show she continued to work with Bob Mackie to design fabulous, show stopping outfits. One of her most iconic looks and probably one of the most iconic looks of all time was her dress to the 1974 Met Gala. She dressed very provocatively for the time and was both admired for it and shunned. In my opinion I don’t think anyone will be able to top this breathtaking look.
Throughout the decades, and I mean all the decades after 1960, Cher has continued to defy style norms and push boundaries. To become an icon, going with societal norms is not an option. Pushing boundaries is essential to become a trend setter and most certainly made Cher one of the most iconic women in the world. I could go on and on about Cher and her many looks but my point is that wearing what you love makes you a piece of art in yourself. Lets be real. We define who we want to be and while being different will cause some backlash, it is also the road to becoming iconic.