Divas on Screen

It was important to both Lauren and I that we use this editorial space to express exactly why we want to highlight and celebrate our beloved onscreen Divas. The divine occurrence doesn’t end with these women but continues on now, and in us. So here is something of a text toward expressing what a diva is and our mutual fascination with this eternal figure

Lauren to Margot:

Who is on your diva Mount Rushmore?

Barbra is number one—I have been in love with her since seeing her Herb Ritts portraits as a child. And Funny Girl just sealed the deal. She is the most elegant, beautiful, and talented woman I’ve ever known. I could write a book. But, more importantly, Barbra, will you marry me?

My second monumental Diva is Whitney Houston. As a late 90s-early aughts child, she soundtracked so much of my life. But my fondest memory of her is watching The Bodyguard at my great Aunt Margaret’s house (from whom I inherited the name Margot). Who else has ever been so unabashedly herself? Vivacious and troubled in equal measure. The chaos of the Diva on full display and in the most graceful way imaginable. She is a titan in my memory.

My mother’s favorite film is The Wizard of Oz and my love of Judy Garland is completely caught up in my perception of The Mother. A woman, like Whitney, caught so often in the throes of industry, that in her infinite light still found a way to transcend. I don’t want to overstate things: her Divahood was hard-fought and often foisted upon her. But what a joy she is to watch, to hear, to imagine. My go-to salve when life is beating my ass is her duet with Barbra, a medley of “Get Happy / Happy Days are Here Again” taped for The Judy Garland Show. Divas aren’t lit by the stage, they become it completely. (Which is so wildly unfair a fate for these women.)

My last diva, and far from the least of these, is Mother Monster herself, Lady Gaga. A woman who has expressed the full spectrum of performance, who is decidedly queer, and one who advocates staunchly for trans rights, she has been my second love behind Barbra since The Fame. For years in college, I had a shot of her performing that very modest and wild Coachella set as my phone background. (My then girlfriend, now first ex-wife, was always jealous—“Why is there a woman in her bra and panties on your phone?”!) I am religiously a Little Monster, and that phone background was a catalyst that eventually revealed my true self. I don’t think I’d be here, like this, without Stefani Germanotta, that most benevolent Diva.

How would you define the word Diva?

“…is the female version of a hustler” really gets to the heart of the matter! A diva strives despite the odds of background, class, money, talent. I find divas to be obsessive and studied in their taste, girls who naturally grab attention. They are always, fascinatingly lit well, in public or on the street. Can find a camera in any room. But aren’t solipsistic! Just sometimes a little vain—it’s just too easy to catch your own shine on occasion.

The Diva is adamantly a working class girl, a gem surfaced and shaped by the journey. I always think of them as the counterpoint to the It-Girl. The It-Girl is, honestly, a boring totem, often defined by wealth or proximity to it and/or the monoculture’s blessing.

The Diva not only seizes opportunity, she creates it—no stage is too small, because it’s not the stage they love. These ladies (and a handful of men, if you ask me!) love the performance, which they express direct from the heart. Like divine figures, they walk among us without need of inherited mantles. When you strip down the machinations of glamour and of fabrication, the Diva remains—because she always has been. They live with an open-hearted enchantment which they pull others into, and scorn never deters them. If a Diva finds her shine, and she will, she ensures others shine around her. What is more collective, more giving, more beguiling, than a woman who climbed to the top of the world!

What is a misconception about the word Diva you wish to debunk?

Conversations about The Diva are often suffocated by the ways in which culture talks about women. These conversations are inextricable, with the Diva facing an onslaught due to greater attention. These misconceptions are mostly based in misogyny because the general populace laces narratives of divas with claims of them being too fussy, controlling, mean, etc. Honestly, people don’t love watching women in control. It’s too matriarchal for many, so they couch their concerns in assumed flawed personalities.

Name a diva, and the conversation will always lead to how bad their behavior might be or has been, ignoring their contributions for salacious background. Take a modern diva for example like Lena Dunham. She does everything in her power to lift those around her. She is egalitarian and loving, yet her cultural narrative has been so controlled by hateful men, jealous women, and spited pedestrians that she spent years dealing with the physical, mental, and emotional after effects.

If there is anything to debunk about the Diva, it’s that you (YOU, READER) are not better than them. Don’t steal a shine that will gladly usher you to a paradise.

What makes you feel the most like a Diva?

Celebration! And movement! Being a diva is a very kinetic calling, not necessarily in a physical sense, but in how well you flutter through the world. And in how you deal with pain and failure. When I’m at low points, I use that energy to allow my creativity to flourish. I’m most like a diva then. I mean, I am a Diva. There’s no denying that, and I don’t think anyone who knows me would say otherwise. I do my best to shine through it all and to allow that resilience to cultivate that in others.

Also, I feel most like a Diva in New York, a city I claim as my second home. I move differently there, or more like myself. And it’s where my favorite people are, my loved ones, the ones who have watched me grow into myself.

(Also, being trans in this fucked up world is oh-so-very DIVA.)

Can anyone be a Diva?

I want to say yes, but that’s really something to be proven by each anyone. I don’t think it’s exclusive, but some people are just built differently than others. You have to be in touch with life’s enchantedness, certainly. That has nothing to do with the wealth, attainment, status, etc that shapes someone, but how they respond to what’s given them and what surrounds them. (Which is why most divas are working class!)

All we can do is wait and see… watch closely now!

Margot to Lauren:

What to you is the spirit of a diva versus our common/surface vision of glamour?

The spirit of a diva outside of the perceived glamour is simple: a diva cares a lot. Glamour doesn’t come for free, it is a direct result of deeply applying yourself and sacrifice. It takes a lot of energetic and emotional investment. I believe that aspect can be overlooked and it’s easier just to see the glamour, or the persona and disregard the work ethic.

We’ve talked before about Diva representing a working class girl, can you expand on that? Why is that quality so central to being a Diva?

It’s more than just looking the part or being naturally gifted. There’s this blue collar quality that earns you the diva title. Look at Barbra Streisand, she started from very humble beginnings, growing up in the projects of Williamsburg. Madonna sleeping in a music studio. Judy Garland, a child star working to the bone, all around the clock. Without the hours invested in working your way up, and most importantly investing in training and education, and putting in the time, we wouldn’t care about what they put out. We care, because they care.

Who’s your Diva of choice? Have you found that you model yourself/your art/your life after one in particular?

I see it like a horoscope, there’s a gaggle of divas that make up my DIVA DNA. I’d say I am an Elizabeth Taylor sun (we actually share the same birthday) , a Madonna rising, and Courtney Love moon. I love Elizabeth’s balance of being a hardcore philanthropist and love for glamour. Her tenacity and quick wit. I love Madonna’s fearlessness and triple threat energy. And Courtney to me has this rebellion and fuck you attitude that is important to channel, it is self love and protection at the end of the day. Also every era of these women deeply inspires my sense of fashion and personal style. When I need an extra boost, sometimes I call out to Elizabeth Taylor, as a spirit guide, and ask for a bit of her je nais saie quois before taking a meeting. Sometimes I need Courtney Love’s spirit before a night out, to be more free and loose. And I often think of Madonna when work feels grueling or too much. I remind myself of how hard she had to work to get to where she is today and it motivates me.

Following that question, how do we express The Diva in the modern age? What are the most singular qualities of the modern form?

To me a modern day Diva is someone like Charli XCX. She is completely unstoppable, unafraid to take risks, flawlessly showcases her passions for music, fashion, film, even as much to name her latest album that. She has crystal clear vision and is brave to go after everything her heart desires in a single lifetime. I think a diva in the modern age is limitless, she is not just a performer, she is an artist, the talent can be expressed through multiple mediums. She isn’t performing or creating for the crowd or audience, it is a primal passion that cannot be contained. And it doesn’t hurt to have a sensational style.

NYC feels central to this series, not in an elite way, but as a formative site for the Diva… do you find that to be true and why?

Yes, absolutely. The energetic pulse here is so motivating. Every day walking down the street, the energy feels like it is carrying you closer to your dreams. The amount of things you can get done in a day can leave you feeling so dominant and in charge. Having access to some of the best museums, theatres, music venues, fashion being so important to this city. It is fucking crazy how inspiring and rich it is to live and build a career here. The people you get to brush shoulders with or look to for motivation. The well earned diva energy is so potent, and goes hand in hand with the hustle it requires to make your dreams a reality.

*Words by Lauren Fern and Margot Stacy.

Film in the series include:

Arthur
A Star is Born
The Pirate
Medea
The Way We Were
Mahogany
Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean