Judy Garland as Icon-Reading Response # 5

Having previously read the Dyer chapter on "Judy Garland and Gay Men" for a class on icons (examining icons from their start in religious iconography to celebrity icons to advertising icons), it was intriguing to revisit the article in this context. Because for me what has always stood out about Judy's career is the dichotomy between her image as icon and her image as star....As a star, most notably in the MGM years, Judy was the girl next door, as best illustrated by her roles in the Andy Hardy films with Mickey Rooney and in her immortal turn as Dorothy Gale. However, as an icon, Judy represents something entirely different, which Dyer's article elucidates. For modern audiences and for gay men, Judy is an icon of the dark side of Hollywood and the continual resiliency of the human spirit even in the face of being told that who/what you are and what you look like isn't good enough. Sure, Judy crumbled in the end with her untimely and tragic death, but no one ever had more comebacks than Judy Garland. Losing her contract after her antics on the set of "Summer Stock," "A Star is Born" was a triumphant return to the screen for Judy (as she had spent some time in rehab attempting to unsuccessfully kick her drug habit and repair her shattered self-image). Though this was Judy's first major comeback, she would repeat such successes with her concert career -- selling out at the Palace and Radio City. Thus, Judy came to represent both the dark side of Hollywood and the comeback -- the attempt to fight one's self-loathing and triumph over those who had set you up to fail.

If one examines the character of Esther Blodgett (or Vicki Lester), it is quite clear that she is just a darker iteration of the girl-next-door. Esther is what happens to the girl-next-door when she grows up to become the woman-next-door. Esther starts as an innocent, naive girl from the Midwest, pursuing her dreams of a successful singing career, and though she maintains her same inherently likable qualities, her life is plagued by the vagaries of Hollywood favor and "the man that got away."
Thus, it is as if Judy is merging the two sides of her career -- Judy the star and Judy the icon-- into one film. We already know Judy the star, but with this film "Judy the icon" is "born." In the first half of the film, we see the young Judy -- full of idealism, a vigorous talent, and young romance. This starts to fall apart when the studio signs her, and she is given a horrible make-over to fit what the studio deems to be beautiful. In the latter half, we see the Judy that most know her as today-- one on the constant verge of tears and collapse, torn apart by the system that built her (and we see Judy's own career reflected in Norman Maine -- in his addiction problems and how he is virtually thrown away and forgotten by Hollywood). Thus, Judy allows us to see both sides of herself in one role and thereby, illustrates just how drastically one's image can shift in the course of one's career. Many of the stars we have discussed up until this point can be read in multiple discourses, but their star images do not undergo an exceeding amount of change. Judy is a rare exception because she allowed us to truly see her vulnerability and the way she was crumbling on-screen...I think, though Dyer wonderfully probes her cultural significance, Judy is easily defined as an icon -- both for gay and straight-- as a woman who allowed us to see the vulnerability within herself and how this vulnerability unbearably manifested itself when overwrought by the Hollywood star system. Allowing us to see her weakness and how she constantly strove to overcome this weakness and self-loathing is inspiring for all, but particularly gay men (of an earlier time more over-whelmingly) because it suggests that yes, one can be weak and dislike oneself, but if you put it all out there on the stage and try to overcome that, you can become not just a star, but an icon.
Questions:
1)How would Judy fare in the modern Hollywood system? Would she crack more quickly under such constant media attention as TMZ and the tabloids? Or being more able to control her own image (and not dominated by one studio who owned her) would she be more comfortable in her own skin and thus able to work within the system more effectively?
2) As homosexuality is becoming more and more accepted within society, do you think Judy will become any less of a gay icon? If gay men no longer need the reassurance of someone who fought on through self-loathing because they are more acceptable to themselves and society, is she still as relevant to this discourse?
3)Liza Minnelli, Judy's daughter, shares many traits with her mother and is also somewhat of a gay icon. In what ways do you think her role as icon differ from that of Judy's? Additionally, both Liza and Judy had a bad habit of marrying gay men. How does this tie in to their iconicity?