AMY Reflection
Amy, the documentary biopic of British singer Amy Winehouse is not only a tragic story about addiction, depression and love but it also sheds light on fame and how the media portrayed the starlet. I vividly remember a moment growing up in which I was sitting in the front seat of my mom's Honda Pilot listening to the song Rehab on the radio. I bobbed my head to the soulful voice and sang along until my mom clicked off the station, "this song is so stupid and such a bad influence, you shouldn't be listening to music about drugs and alcohol" she said. To my mother's credit, this happened about 10 years ago, meaning I was around 9 years old-- she couldn't have been thrilled to hear her young daughter sing about going to rehab. However, in retrospect I think this moment is interesting after seeing the movie Amy. It's so clear to me now how Amy was not trying to promote her lifestyle and her decisions, that she was writing and singing from a place of hurt. Amy was not bragging, just trying to find some solace in her music.
This is interesting to me because this is not how I remembered Amy Winehouse before I saw the film because of how the media portrayed her. As I remember from my childhood, Amy was more of a tabloid story than an immensely talented musician who needed help. It seemed that everything I heard or saw about Amy Winehouse was about her drug addiction, alcoholism, or messy hair and makeup. An extremely interesting part of the movie was the revelation that Amy did not want to be subjected to the media scrutiny she received. However, one almost can't blame the media for latching onto such an iconic starlet with such a brilliant voice and individual style. While Amy's life was short and tragic she is still remembered today for her amazing true talent and her amazing retro style.
An Amy Anecdote--
During the screening I was instantly reminded of a video I watched about two weeks ago by one of my favorite makeup artists on Youtube, Lisa Edlrige. Coincidentally, Lisa invited Amy Winehouse's makeup artist Valli O'Reilly on to her channel to create the signature winged eyeliner and red lip Amy rocked during the height of her career. I love the video because it feels like Amy's style and carefree spirit has really transcended time.
Check it out below:
