by Lena Potts
“Celebrities! They’re just like us!” JK no they aren’t. But many of them spend a lot of time trying to convince us all of how similar they are to us regulars. A particular brand of celebrity, the Messy White Woman, takes a curious space in the celebrity landscape and reflects on what we desire from our icons.
The Messy White Woman is a curated image of disorder- accessible, non-threatening, and comforting. In this moment of Kesha’s comeback it’s interesting to track how and why these women are so successful in creating a popular image.
Our first Kesha, many years ago, was a Messy White Woman. When she came onto the scene with Tik Tok in 2010, her persona was built on being an absolute shitshow. The third line of the song is “before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack”. There was a dollar sign in her name. The video is just her looking blackout drunk and covered in glitter. And this is not Lady Gaga, controlled, gay icon glitter- this is the kind of glitter that is stuck to you because you’re drenched in cheap alcohol and sweat.
Jennifer Lawrence, too, built a brand on talking about and performing “mess”- she falls at award shows, she talks about how much food she eats, and brags about how awkward she…
