I have been a fan of Tori Amos since Pele came out. I've loved watching this amazing (musically I think she is actually a genius) grow and evolve as an artist. I pretty much love all of her albums with the exception of American Doll Posse and think she is vastly underrated.

However.... the music is one thing, the artist is another.

What the hell has happened to Tori Amos the woman?

I used to be able to connect to her as a female artist. Not so anymore.

The woman who, for years, was out-spoken about feminism, against women having to be sexualised and made into glamourised Puppets is now pulling up her skirt for the crowd (her recent Sunset gig), talking in interviews about how great it is that her husband "still wants to shag me" and asking a reporter if he would like to "do me. If I stop being a MILF (mother I'd like to f**k), bury me."

She has also become seemingly preoccupied by Gucci, Prada and other fashion icons as she is rarely talking about anything else in her interviews. Not to mention the fact that she has had drastic botox, an eye-lift and a face lift over the last couple of years. She doesn't leave the house without wearing one of her wigs. Now don't get me wrong. I know people want to look good. Some people think surgery is the answer.... but she looked better before...

What has happened? Where is the woman who spoke non-stop about womans rights, about her charities, who loved to go on stage in a t-shirt and jeans, who loves to say "fuck having to be a glamour puss, I'm me and I'm real."

Where is that woman?

She was once dignified, articulate and beautiful. I don't recognise that anymore.

What do you all think?

She looked so beautiful naturally.. and don't get me wrong- I'm not talking about her age because I thought Tori looked her best in her early 40s..... but with the surgery.... it's just not her best look...

[Edited 7/17/10 11:24am]

Fiona01 said:

I have been a fan of Tori Amos since Pele came out. I've loved watching this amazing (musically I think she is actually a genius) grow and evolve as an artist. I pretty much love all of her albums with the exception of American Doll Posse and think she is vastly underrated.

However.... the music is one thing, the artist is another.

What the hell has happened to Tori Amos the woman?

I used to be able to connect to her as a female artist. Not so anymore.

The woman who, for years, was out-spoken about feminism, against women having to be sexualised and made into glamourised Puppets is now pulling up her skirt for the crowd (her recent Sunset gig), talking in interviews about how great it is that her husband "still wants to shag me" and asking a reporter if he would like to "do me. If I stop being a MILF (mother I'd like to f**k), bury me."

She has also become seemingly preoccupied by Gucci, Prada and other fashion icons as she is rarely talking about anything else in her interviews. Not to mention the fact that she has had drastic botox, an eye-lift and a face lift over the last couple of years. She doesn't leave the house without wearing one of her wigs. Now don't get me wrong. I know people want to look good. Some people think surgery is the answer.... but she looked better before...

What has happened? Where is the woman who spoke non-stop about womans rights, about her charities, who loved to go on stage in a t-shirt and jeans, who loves to say "fuck having to be a glamour puss, I'm me and I'm real."

Where is that woman?

She was once dignified, articulate and beautiful. I don't recognise that anymore.

What do you all think?

Wow I am not aware of this transformation... I was a fan back in the '90s, I stopped paying attention at some point after the 'Choirgirl' album. I do remember from her few interviews that I have seen that she's pretty bizzare and outspoken. So I would take whatever she says now as outspoken but honest. Every woman wants to feel like a MILF, they just don't say it. She said it more power to her...

Well, I love her music but. . . . .

love her. i think though there are a few songs here and there on her latest albums that i like; something does seem to be missing. i don't know.

that pic.. a little scary. i've always thought she was a gorgeous woman. very natural.

maybe it's too much botox

MattyJam said:

Well, I love her music but. . . . .

Oh wow.

Joking aside, the music is still just as good. Songs like Lady In Blue and Strong Black Vine are killer material, on a par with any of her best work from the 90s.

Isn't that really what it's all about???

MattyJam said:

I used to feel this way about Janet too for awhile when I heard her get more and more sexual and graphic and look at her poses which were so unecessary and wondered what happened too, but now I've learned to accept it and know it's a part of her, and that I have a nasty side too Maybe it's a midlife crisis thing they go through as their hormones are changing? Or maybe they still believe in feminism but use third wave feminism to their advantage with their actions.

I would guess that it's a bit of a drag being an ultraserious feminist 24/7. Maybe she was miserable and decided to lighten up a bit? That doesn't mean that she can't still have the same opinions she had before but maybe she wanted to have a little fun and crack a smile? This may be a bit off topic but one thing that always turned me off of a lot of female artists (particularly in the mid-late '90s) was the fact that they all seemed so serious. There is a need for serious music but there's also a need for some levity too.

rialb said:

I would guess that it's a bit of a drag being an ultraserious feminist 24/7. Maybe she was miserable and decided to lighten up a bit? That doesn't mean that she can't still have the same opinions she had before but maybe she wanted to have a little fun and crack a smile? This may be a bit off topic but one thing that always turned me off of a lot of female artists (particularly in the mid-late '90s) was the fact that they all seemed so serious. There is a need for serious music but there's also a need for some levity too.

it was about feeling repressed and just wanting to empower and liberate oneself at last....cause after all, if a woman tries to be like that, she's labelled a whore but if a man does, it's charming. Not saying I agree with it, cause I'm the serious type too that doesn't sleep around though I have a dirty mind at the same time

I love Tori and I think this is a silly thread. It buys into an outdated idea of feminism. Who says you can't be for equal rights and still care about fashion, looking good and enjoying sex with a guy?

I remember in college when I went to a women's feminist group and they told me I couldn't be a feminist if I shaved my legs, wore makeup and dressed creatively. It turned me off of feminism. But now I realize I can still be a feminist and be myself and still love fashion. You don't have to wear a t shirt and jeans and no makeup to be a true feminist. I think Tori should keep on being herself and not worry about what either extremists of the right or the left think about her.

Glindathegood said:

I love Tori and I think this is a silly thread. It buys into an outdated idea of feminism. Who says you can't be for equal rights and still care about fashion, looking good and enjoying sex with a guy?

I remember in college when I went to a women's feminist group and they told me I couldn't be a feminist if I shaved my legs, wore makeup and dressed creatively. It turned me off of feminism. But now I realize I can still be a feminist and be myself and still love fashion. You don't have to wear a t shirt and jeans and no makeup to be a true feminist. I think Tori should keep on being herself and not worry about what either extremists of the right or the left think about her.

in the words of michelle tanner, you got it dude!!! radical feminists suck!

Glindathegood said:

I love Tori and I think this is a silly thread. It buys into an outdated idea of feminism. Who says you can't be for equal rights and still care about fashion, looking good and enjoying sex with a guy?

I remember in college when I went to a women's feminist group and they told me I couldn't be a feminist if I shaved my legs, wore makeup and dressed creatively. It turned me off of feminism. But now I realize I can still be a feminist and be myself and still love fashion. You don't have to wear a t shirt and jeans and no makeup to be a true feminist. I think Tori should keep on being herself and not worry about what either extremists of the right or the left think about her.

Whilst I agree that you can be a feminist whilst wanting to look good and enjoy fashion (most women want that), my main reason for bringing this whole thing with Tori up is because she used to have issues herself with women who portrayed themselves like that... Women who used their sexuality, who used their looks. She hated that. In interviews of old, she would talk about wanting to be an artist that never relied on being a woman to be where she was.... it was a breath of fresh air....she spoke about wanting to be taken seriously in a world where women had to look a certain way - and now she is wearing sequined cat-suits, a different wig every day, talking in interviews about loving having young male fans because it still shows she is... sexy or whatever, and also her recent great comment where she asked the guy interviewing her if he wanted to do her.

At the end of the day, Tori is a human and she has to do what she wants. Feminist or not, altering your face in that way (she looked so much better before!) and suddenly feeling it important to promote her favourite fashion houses in interviews alongside her recent comment that she wants to be "dead and buried when she stops becoming a MILF" says to me she cares more about the looks and glamour of it all too much. I remember a time when she'd say she'd rather be dead and buried if she had to sotp making MUSIC.

^ in that case, the "older" Tori is dead and buried, welcome MILF Tori!!!

Very true that the old Tori seems to be dead. The music is as good, so I will always buy her CDs ...but with her new image and take on things in general, it makes me wonder how much of the old Tori was real... I mean, seriously... Think back to the Tori of Pele, wearing earth-mother clothes and suckling a piglet... she wanted to be original back then, and she wanted to use her body and clothes to make a statement... now she looks more in place with the Pussy Cat Dolls or Desperate Housewives.

I accept she has changed but I can't say I wecome the new glamerous MILF Tori.

[Edited 7/18/10 2:03am]

rialb said:

I would guess that it's a bit of a drag being an ultraserious feminist 24/7. Maybe she was miserable and decided to lighten up a bit? That doesn't mean that she can't still have the same opinions she had before but maybe she wanted to have a little fun and crack a smile? This may be a bit off topic but one thing that always turned me off of a lot of female artists (particularly in the mid-late '90s) was the fact that they all seemed so serious. There is a need for serious music but there's also a need for some levity too.

Cracking a smile right now looks like it may be a little problematic with all that filler and Botox.

Glindathegood said:

I love Tori and I think this is a silly thread. It buys into an outdated idea of feminism. Who says you can't be for equal rights and still care about fashion, looking good and enjoying sex with a guy?

I remember in college when I went to a women's feminist group and they told me I couldn't be a feminist if I shaved my legs, wore makeup and dressed creatively. It turned me off of feminism. But now I realize I can still be a feminist and be myself and still love fashion. You don't have to wear a t shirt and jeans and no makeup to be a true feminist. I think Tori should keep on being herself and not worry about what either extremists of the right or the left think about her.

Yeah, you pretty much said what I was trying to say. I think feminism is fine but it can be taken too far. It's ok to be serious about important issues but you also have to loosen up a bit and have a little fun. I suspect that at least a few of those feminists you are referring to had unfullfilled personal lives due in part to their strict feminism.

Xibalba said:

rialb said:

I would guess that it's a bit of a drag being an ultraserious feminist 24/7. Maybe she was miserable and decided to lighten up a bit? That doesn't mean that she can't still have the same opinions she had before but maybe she wanted to have a little fun and crack a smile? This may be a bit off topic but one thing that always turned me off of a lot of female artists (particularly in the mid-late '90s) was the fact that they all seemed so serious. There is a need for serious music but there's also a need for some levity too.

Cracking a smile right now looks like it may be a little problematic with all that filler and Botox.

Oh, that's just mean.

Fiona01 said:

Very true that the old Tori seems to be dead. The music is as good...

it really isn't, the fire was lost years ago. don't like the way she sings now either, those endless contorted vowels... ewww

she's still a fierce live performer but most of her recorded work in the last decade is as dull as dull can be.

ADP came closest to her earlier work but oddly you didn't like that one!!!

scatwoman said:

Fiona01 said:

Very true that the old Tori seems to be dead. The music is as good...

it really isn't, the fire was lost years ago. don't like the way she sings now either, those endless contorted vowels... ewww

she's still a fierce live performer but most of her recorded work in the last decade is as dull as dull can be.

ADP came closest to her earlier work but oddly you didn't like that one!!!

Tori Amos and Bjork were my favourite female artists to emerge in the '90s. I have lost track of both ladies' releases unfortunately

Little Earthquakes and Under The Pink remain two of my favourite albums of all-times (especially the latter). That said I think when she started using more instruments she lost something for me, although I understand the reasons she did it. Besides those two CDS I also have the Choirgirl cd and, although a good CD, it just doesn't compare with the other two.... I don't know how her music sounds nowadays maybe I should just stream her latest

[Edited 7/18/10 4:52am]

her last album "Abnormally Attracted to Sin" was the best thing she's done in ages. But yeah, I really don't understand the look she's going for. The problem isn't that she's going for a more glam look or something, the problem is that between the work she's had done, and the completely unnatural looking wigs she wears, it's just kinda bizarre.

But whatever. The music is what matters to me, and she still delivers.

NoVideo said:

her last album "Abnormally Attracted to Sin" was the best thing she's done in ages. But yeah, I really don't understand the look she's going for. The problem isn't that she's going for a more glam look or something, the problem is that between the work she's had done, and the completely unnatural looking wigs she wears, it's just kinda bizarre.

But whatever. The music is what matters to me, and she still delivers.

My thoughts exactly......But, damn Tori Botox is a bitch. Tori was naturally beautiful and kind of sexy to me. Now she looks more like Wayne Newton and Kenny Rogers.

People definitely change their tune when they become older. I always thought she was that later wave of feminism anyway, but her youth and looks were just assumed, presented and taken for granted.

I think that Tori has always liked fashion and the visual side of things so I don't see that radical change. I could see the point if we were talking about someone like Melissa Etheridge who was into the natural look and then suddenly all of a sudden became glamorous.

Look at her hair for example. The color isn't natural! From the very beginning of her career, she dyed her hair for the visual effect. And from what I remember even when she first started she wore fashionable things, not just simple t shirts and jeans.

Glindathegood said:

I think that Tori has always liked fashion and the visual side of things so I don't see that radical change. I could see the point if we were talking about someone like Melissa Etheridge who was into the natural look and then suddenly all of a sudden became glamorous.

Look at her hair for example. The color isn't natural! From the very beginning of her career, she dyed her hair for the visual effect. And from what I remember even when she first started she wore fashionable things, not just simple t shirts and jeans.

We should also remember that 90s fashion was very anti-fashion in itself, especially as a trend for musicians.

You should expect people to grow and change.

Cinnie said:

Glindathegood said:

I think that Tori has always liked fashion and the visual side of things so I don't see that radical change. I could see the point if we were talking about someone like Melissa Etheridge who was into the natural look and then suddenly all of a sudden became glamorous.

Look at her hair for example. The color isn't natural! From the very beginning of her career, she dyed her hair for the visual effect. And from what I remember even when she first started she wore fashionable things, not just simple t shirts and jeans.

We should also remember that 90s fashion was very anti-fashion in itself, especially as a trend for musicians.

You should expect people to grow and change.

Yeah, thats how I see it too.

Its not that the old Tori wasn't real, its the fact that people in general loosen up and stop feeling the need to prove themselves when they get older. Its the good ol' "Fuck it" syndrome.

I'm not pro-PS but its not my body, its hers, and if that makes her happy, by all means,

Harlepolis said:

Cinnie said:

We should also remember that 90s fashion was very anti-fashion in itself, especially as a trend for musicians.

You should expect people to grow and change.

Yeah, thats how I see it too.

Its not that the old Tori wasn't real, its the fact that people in general loosen up and stop feeling the need to prove themselves when they get older. Its the good ol' "Fuck it" syndrome.

I'm not pro-PS but its not my body, its hers, and if that makes her happy, by all means,

Precisely.