The issue of the word âdivaâ is one that is familiar to many of us recently, with social media platforms such as TikTok using the term, usually positively, to refer to women going viral. Even a quick google of the term reveals a wave of confusion, with people asking all over question and answer platforms if the word is a compliment or an insult. While contemporarily, the word is being used in a much more satirical and light-hearted manner by young people, many of us can still picture the word in big, red capital letters, splattered across tabloids and constantly in the media being used to describe the likes of Mariah Carey or Madonna.
Often, when we think of the word diva, images of sleazy and provocative tabloids are evoked, in which famous women are plastered across front covers and described as difficult and outrageous in a bid to humiliate these women and undermine their influence. This is an instance of the term being appropriated and contoured to fit the mould of misogyny and the subjugation of women. In reality, the word has a much more empowering definition and history.
The truth is that âdivaâ translates to âgoddessâ in Latin, and it is no surprise that in our patriarchal-language a word that denotes powerful women has been perverted to refer to women in an insulting way. The word itself first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1883, and was simply defined as a âdistinguished female singerâ , as the word became a suitable description for women in opera with exceptional talent. By the eighteenth century, a diva was a woman with âa perfect fusion of music, words and imageâ (Kate Bailey, Redefining the diva · V&A) after Italian musician and actress Isabella Andreini (1562-1604) helped to redefine diva with her overwhelming talent and authenticity. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the diva infiltrated the acting world, with stars like Ellen Terry and Eleanora Duse playing important roles in establishing greater artistic freedoms for women through the form of drama and the stage.
It is imperative to note that many of the original divas were crucial in the fights for gender and racial equality. Josephine Baker was the first woman of colour to star in a studio motion picture in 1927, and she was a vital voice in the battle for racial equality, and even became a spy for the French Resistance.
However, the 1930s came and the Golden Age of Hollywood saw the word diva become redefined in a cynical way. Divas were originally women who had unique access to independence and freedom as a result of their fame and talent, but they became controlled and subjugated as independent filmmakers were replaced by big studio companies who were dedicated to profit. These Hollywood studios labelled diva women, like Bette Davis, as difficult and high maintenance in order to undermine their influence. The previously congratulatory word thus became used to undermine women who wanted more autonomy and freedom in a structured studio system that sought to control them for the sake of making studios more money. Hence, the diva title became problematic, as it was used by powerful companies run by men to describe their actresses who were not willing to be controlled.
Then, at the end of the twentieth century and the birth of the twenty-first, the tabloid industry boomed, and diva was one of their favourite words. Tabloids reinforced the negative cliches of the diva by targeting women popular in the arts and attacking them with accusations of arrogance and fussiness.
Yet, there have always been defenders of the diva. Divas and their fans have begun reclaiming the term, notably people involved in the drag scene and wider queer culture who find comfort in the powerful sense of self that the divas they admire embody. The concept of the diva also became much more fluid in the late twentieth century, with queer icons like Freddie Mercury and Elton John demonstrating how men can embrace femininity and pay homage to fabulous women.
In recent years, we have seen influential women reclaim the âdivaâ title as a means of empowerment rather than degradation. BeyoncĂ©’s 2008 song release of âDivaâ is a standout example, in which the lyric âdiva is a female version of a hustlerâ seeks to redefine the supposed derogatory term by comparing it to a âhustlerâ, a word typically reserved for powerful and wealthy men. More locally, the iconic Gemma Collins of reality TV fame confidently refers to herself as a âdivaâ, and even had her own show âDiva Foreverâ. These women, like many others, are restoring the term to its original definition, and embodying the idea of a powerful, successful and talented woman.
Ultimately, throughout history, the word diva has referred to impassioned and confident women, which we would like to assume is a positive and empowering label; however, misogyny in history has perverted this word as a means of maintaining womenâs submission. It is reassuring to now see the term re-appropriated as a feminist term of power as opposed to an insult. Divas are and have always been courageous figures who push boundaries, express individuality, and promote social evolution.