Seriously, we all reinvent ourselves throughout our lives. But she didn't mean it in that sense. She meant taking on a persona.
I speak to you as Buddy Beaverhausen, so I suppose I've "reinvented" myself by the above standard. As Buddy B, I can hide behind a snarky persona that's actually very cathartic.
Bette Midler reinvented herself as The Divine Miss M, but it was the genuine Bette who grew, evolved and, then, doffed her persona when it was no longer necessary.
The late David Bowie was Ziggy Stardust but he quickly found that persona no longer suited his needs as an artist.
I suppose we all mature and move on, as will the interviewed actress if she's lucky to have long enough of a career in Tinseltown -- itself a reinvention of L.A. to make it sound all the more glamorous.
Please share your thoughts on "reinventing" yourself and what that term means to you. Meanwhile, we all move on, changing as we go. Hopefully.
Thanks Buddy B, reinvention is a provocative theme. To me it seems inherently gay. Disenfranchised young people idealized an adult version of themselves, based on Hollywood templates or glamorous role models. The gym rat may have been a chubby child or deciding that your home town is tacky and moving to a big city etc. I wonder if it happens as much now that gay people are more mainstream and young people come out earlier?
ReplyDeleteVery thoughtful. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI think self reinvention is a necessary action in life, from time to time. As a dear friend explained to me not so long ago, "my list of priorities changes with time, and when the scales tip too far to one side, and life becomes unbalanced in any sense, that is when I seek reinvention, clearing out the unnecessary elements of life to make room for the things that I choose to bring in." It's a paraphrase, but the point is clear to me. I think there are aspects of all our lives that benefit from this reinvention, not necessarily as drastic as some of the celebrities, look at Madonna over the years....I myself have gone through the process of reinvention in different scales at various points in my life, and hope to continue to do so until I'm all done! Wonderful topic for discussion! Thanks Charles, eh, Buddy!
ReplyDeleteThanks, David!
ReplyDeleteI believe reinvention is the key to surviving in the business, or even in life. It doesn't have to be phony, just finding parts of yourself to bring out and emphasize at different times of your life. When my singing career wasn't going as planned, I focused on writing. Then I used my ability to meet all kinds of people into producing opportunities. Never stay the same.
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