Why black male artists were so feminine in the 80's ??

All the biggest black artists in the 80's were very feminine...

With very long hair and a lot of make up, and some very strange behaviour...

MICHAEL JACKSON

(Ho look I took a good picture to be fair)

PRINCE


TERNCE TRENT D'ARBY


MILLI VANILLI


I don't say it's bad, but just I just to know why ???

Chief, that was the 80's! Everybody did it, man! From Human League to Jermaine Stewart. The 80's was a period where sexuality really began to run rampant in the music industry and with the video age, people let it all hang out. Everyone was rocking the androgynous look and like bisexuality being so popular in the 90's with Dennis Rodman, the 80's was the decade to get in tune with the other side.

In the 80s,androgyny was "in".Many male artists (black and white) began wearing make-up,eyeliner,earrings and long hair.

You forgot to add these guys to the list:

Jermaine Stewart
Rick James (at one point,he was sporting a Donna Summer-type wig,lol)

i've heard it said that androgynous looks/behavior were a staple in pop culture to challenge social mores. i think that it is lacking in the landscape these days.

DavidEye said:

Oh shit I forgot them...
Thank you guy...

It's just an 80s thing. White male artists did it too; see: Human League

it wasn't just black artists....their were alot of Hair/Metal bands that also had a feminine look...

cause they were all:

i love random google searches.. i typed in "so gay" and look what was on the first page:

sosgemini said:

-----
Girls liked soft looking men back in the 80's. This was before the Thug/Gangster nosense you see today.

sosgemini said:

gooch said:

Oh my god, and the more successful a Michael Jackson or a Prince was, the more others tried to copy them. The funniest one was Alexander O'Neal who must have been over six foot tall and built like a linebacker, rolling his eyes like Susanna Hoffs and wearing lip gloss.

Brrrrr....

The Metal Guys were the absolute kings of this though. Every metal lead singer and his band looked like they have spent all their money on hair spray and eyeliner. Half of Motley Crue looked like prettier women than the Mary Jane Girls.

It was just an image thing back then. You guys noticed how when rap music got more popular and more gansta...the R&B artist started to look more masciuline.

I mean, we have all seen the pictures of Dr Dre. when he was with the World Class Wrecking Crew.

Ah...the good ole days.....where men were women and women were whores (as far as looks go).

goat2004 said:

pic please...

goat2004 said:

And The Deele


[Edited 4/22/05 11:54am]

sosgemini said:

dangnabit ...can't find 'em...but he had eyeliner, lipgloss...'tis true...

sosgemini said:

I'll post a pic of Dre in the sequined jumpsuit when I get home.

Charlie Murphy put it best in the Prince episode of "Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories" on Chappelle's Show. To paraphrase, the dudes that looked most like girls in the 80's were getting all the women.

sosgemini said:

goat2004 said:

That shit was hilarious!!!!!


The worst picture was on the back of the LP. Either Dre or DJ Yella was wearing the pair of lace gloves.

hardly a black or white thing.


but here's why.....

U know the feminist movement might have something to do with this topic. Feminists didn't want women to be thought of as equal to men, but wanted to be like 'em.

Women dressed like men and vice versa. Oddly, another contradiction is found now. Despite the thug look sported by kids, women are complainging that men are too corny and now use too much make up etc.....

Remember the gladys knight video "licence to kill". She looked like a dyke.
[Edited 4/22/05 16:38pm]

CinisterCee said:

As Cee said, it wasn't just Black artists that had a feminine vibe goin' on...


...Human League


...Adam Ant


...David Bowie


...Missing Persons



...The Cure (Robert Smith)



...Kajagoogoo


...Duran Duran



...Pet Shop Boys



...Poison



...Spandau Ballet


tA

Tribal Disorder

namepeace said:

I think it was in '85 like when all that androgynous shit was goin' on and what was wild was that the guy that look the most like a bitch was gettin' all the women.


If you wearin' baggy shit now and you acking hard, if you from L.A., you mfs was wearin' some, some strange shit.


Prince had on like a, it was like a Zorro type outfit. Had the ruffles that come down in front. He had the big perm fluffed out and all that. His mustache looked like it was drawn on his face. And it looked like something that a figure skater would wear.


And Mikki Free was like the new cat in Shalamar that when he joined the group, I heard mad cats was like, "Yo man Shalamar got a new, new girl in there man, that bitch fine like a mf!


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

psykosoul said:

thats dre?

what a poser!!

isthisdadawn said:

it's ok if your really living and going through THUG type issues, but if your not, just be yourself.