The Dazzling “It Girl” Curse
Clara Bow — a universal jewel, one of the first “It Girls.”
“You look like Clara Bow in this light, remarkable.”
Once regarded as an “It Girl,” some may find that to be the greatest compliment, a blessing even, when in reality it’s proven to be a curse. What defines an “It Girl” is just about as precarious as maintaining that title once society deems you worthy enough for it.
For Clara Bow, that meant being one of Hollywood’s very first sex symbols.
For Stevie Nicks, that meant being “The Queen of Rock and Roll.”
For Taylor Swift, that meant redefining what an “It Girl” really should be — a powerfully passionate woman meant to be celebrated for their art, rather than defined by their fragile shine and reprimanded for their personal life.
“Clara Bow,” track 16 on Swift’s most recent album, The Tortured Poets Department, intrinsically highlights society’s toxic nature of choosing a woman to admire like picking out the finest, shiniest piece of jewelry. Then, inevitably, moving onto the next, new thing. In Swift’s song, she specifically calls attention to the comparison some may draw between herself, Clara Bow, and Stevie Nicks — past and present “It Girls.”
Swift ever so delicately, yet loudly, tells society that female stars are not meant to be picked apart, compared, or expected to endlessly give while also being incessantly taken from. Swift’s main message behind the song, “Clara Bow,” is underscoring what was fed to her as a new musician, and what she's now ready to resist and spit back out.
What can we as a society learn from the pattern of damaging dialogue that surrounds powerhouse women? What can we learn from Clara Bow, Stevie Nicks, and Taylor Swift?
Clara Bow — “Picked Like a Rose”
“‘This town is fake, but you’re the real thing,’” Swift sings in “Clara Bow.”
How ironic and painfully true is that? Society will deem something as genuine, yet as soon as someone like Clara Bow or Taylor Swift makes a human mistake, or has human feelings about human experiences, they’re picked apart like flowers, and expected to bloom as beautifully as they did before, if not more.
Clara Bow, the daughter of a distant father, sick mother, and in turn, the product of a depressed, lonely childhood, went on to star in silent films and “talkies” through the 1920s. She was a sensation. Clara Bow is the vision of stardom, brought down by criticism and the expectation of being able to walk the line between being perfect and being human.
Bow’s career defined her 20s, a decade meant for love, self-discovery, and freedom. Bow was spotlighted and scrutinized for her indigestible, imperfect lifestyle — a lifestyle that most 20-year-olds would be expected to have. “To promote their young star, Paramount was only too happy to help sensationalize every love affair she had,” according to ClaraBow.net. Rather than focusing on Bow’s innate acting talent, she became a zoo animal for society to gawk at, pick apart, and make fun of.
Clara Bow
“All your life, did you know you’d be picked like a rose?”
Bow, a victim of a neglected childhood, took on the overly-attended-to title of “It Girl.” Unbeknownst to Bow, this meant not only being in the spotlight, but succumbing to scandal, relentless criticism, over-analysis, and being silenced. “Clara Bow with a voice is by no means unfit for movie stardom, but that tough, torch-song voice generates a very different creature from the one who seemed able to activate mythy magic just by the way she looked at people or things,” says Peter Hogue in a disgusting attempt to discount Bow’s versatility and minimize the importance of women’s voices.
Stevie Nicks — “The Hair and Lips”
During my lifetime, all I’ve known Stevie Nicks to be was a lover, fighter, legend, and rock star. Nicks defined what it meant to be a woman in rock — she was the first woman to be twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She was vital in the success of rock band Fleetwood Mac, and carried that success into her solo career.
“Despite Nicks’ massive contributions to rock ‘n’ roll, it wasn’t until recently that the genre recognized her kindly,” The Michigan Daily reported. Finding out Nicks was not always perfectly digestible enough to meet society’s standards was shocking, when it really shouldn’t have been.
Similar to Clara Bow’s struggles, fame was no easy feat for Nicks. Nicks struggled with addiction, loss, and love. Like most female celebrities and women in general, Nicks became defined by her battles and relationships. From being subject to outlandish rumors about being a witch, criticisms about her weight and struggles with addiction, to being a victim of society’s microscope when it came to her romantic and band relationships, Nicks’ talent, like Bow’s, was overshadowed by human struggles.
Stevie Nicks
“Crowd goes wild at her fingertips, half moonshine, a full eclipse”
I find this attitude toward women like Bow and Nicks eerily similar to the dialogue that surrounds Taylor Swift now.
Don’t get me wrong — Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks can both rock a red lip and bangs (Swift sings of this comparison in her song, “Clara Bow”). However, things get sticky when society starts to define a woman by who came before her, and who will come after.
So, what’s the message here? What can we learn from the past treatment towards society’s “It Girls,” and how can we be better?
How can we let women be icons, rather than wait idly by for their demise?
When will we stop comparing women of the past to the present, and women of the present to the future?
When will we stop being the war machines that attack and feed off of the flesh and blood of hard-working, female artists?
How can we allow our female celebrities — our role models and inspirations — to be imperfect humans, facilitate their growth, and help maintain their shine rather than be the ones responsible for its tarnish?
Taylor Swift — “The Future’s Bright, Dazzling”
Clara Bow and Stevie Nicks were trailblazers in their craft. Bow and Nicks defined what it means to be a powerhouse woman in show business, what it means to be a woman in a patriarchal, critical society, and what it means to support women like them — women like Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift
“The crown is stained but you’re the real queen”
Words cannot begin to describe the success, hard work, talent, kindness, strength, and singularity that defines Taylor Swift as an artist, woman, and human. Since her early teen years, Swift has dedicated herself to making powerful, relatable, extraordinary music for her fans. Despite dealing with many of the same struggles Clara Bow and Stevie Nicks faced — grotesque rumors, bullying, immense criticism, being over-analyzed, studied, and defined by relationships, friendships, and breakups rather than her natural talent — Swift, like Clara Bow and Stevie Nicks, has delicately crafted a legacy that will never be touched, no matter how hard some may try.
Swift’s song, “Clara Bow,” emphasizes the importance of allowing female artists, and women everywhere, to be themselves and not to be defined by mistakes and imperfections, but to celebrate being human.
To honor rarities and find relatability, rather than picking them apart.
To stop comparing a woman’s irreplaceable sparkle to the “next best thing,” or dimming one woman’s light in an attempt to get someone else’s to shine.
To reject the dialogue surrounding powerful, famous women. To reject the dehumanization of them.
To not complacently observe the damage brought on by society, watching us deem the shiniest and newest, or just the last one standing, worthy of the “It Girl” title, and still, “demanding more.”
“Breath of fresh air through smoke rings”
Taylor Swift has taken on the daunting challenge of attempting to dismantle society’s destructive dialogue and treatment surrounding “It Girls” and women universally. Through her art, specifically through songs like “Clara Bow,” Swift demands we change the “It Girl” curse by challenging us to recognize the past in order to change the future.
Swift encompasses what a true “It Girl” should be, and that it shouldn’t be hell on earth to be heavenly.
