Ke$ha covers the February issue of Seventeen magazine, and she’s clearly gotten a makeunder (like she did at the recent AMAs) for the this glossy magazine. While it’s no surprise that Seventeen would want to tone Ke$ha’s look a bit for their audience, I do find it a strange choice on the part of the stylist to have her holding a kitten. It seems weird, right? And kind of Kardashian. Not that I have anything against cats existing in this world. I grew up with cats, and they’re a source of comfort and companionship to many millions of people.
I’m finding myself to be slightly at odds with Ke$ha lately (even though I still listen to her music during nearly every run because her songs are mindless fun that keeps my mind off the physical ouchies) ever since she claimed that she was “forced” to use the “Die Young” lyrics after her song was pulled from the radio in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy. She did further clarify her remarks to MTV: “‘Forced’ is not the right word. I did have some concerns about the phrase ‘Die Young’ in the chorus when we were writing the lyrics … because so many of my fans are young.” I guess her explanation makes more sense, but the song itself is also called “Die Young,” so I guess I feel odd about her discomfort coupled with the implication that she’s merely a label mouthpiece when this was the lead single from her new album. Obviously, the song itself isn’t about death — it’s about embracing life — and it feels weird for a singer like Ke$ha, who has always owned her lyrics and attitude, to come out and pretty much say that her career is out of her control.
In this Seventeen interview, Ke$ha makes some unsurprising statements on her sexuality, bullying, and her “sh-t list.” Here are some excerpts:
She’s bisexual: “I don’t love just men. I love people. It’s not about a gender. It’s just about the spirit that exudes from that other person you’re with.”
On bullying: “I’m all about standing up to gay/lesbian/transgender bullying, but it’s also about my little brother. He’s 13 and he gets made fun of because he has a stutter. I just have zero tolerance for people making fun of others.”
Forget the haters: “I remember every person who told me I couldn’t do something or that I was ugly or too fat. I have a ‘S**t List’ [of] people from my past who have been soulless and judgmental. Even after I got through my awkward phase, got my braces off, and figured out how to dress my body, people in the music business were like, ‘You’re never going to make it.’ I see them now and I’m like, ‘Ha!’ That’s one of the reasons I named my record Warrior. You can be a victim and let that eat your soul, or you can say, ‘You’re going on my list and I’m going to prove you wrong!”
[From Seventeen]
I love what Ke$ha says here about bullying because she hasn’t turned herself into a victim for the purposes of making herself look good in an interview. These days, bullying is a very relative term that has been turned into almost a standard talking point for actors and singers alike. If someone claims to have been bullied, it makes them seem more like us, and I think using it as a talking point diminishes the reality of bullying when it does legitimately take place. But that’s a conversation for another time.
However, Ke$ha’s “sh-t list” is rather hilarious. I should make one of those for myself — honestly, it sounds like fun. And I’m not terribly surprised to learn that she’s bisexual either. In fact, I always assumed that she swang both ways.
Photos courtesy of Seventeen
Oh please, pretending to be bi is so over.
That’s the first thing I thought, too. ALL female singers/actresses (Fergie, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, Megan Fox- the list is endless) claim to be bisexual these days, supposedly because guys think it’s hot.
Seriously! What is this, the 90s?
How do you know she is pretending?
When people think a celebrity is hiding their sexuality they complain, but when someone is open about it they are lying.
okaaaay
I feel you Andy. We all love to speculate about the sexual orientation of a celeb but when they straight out tell us that they are bi or gay we blast them for it.
Sorry celebrities you will never win with us.
If she were to, say, start being seen on dates with a woman, and then, when asked, say something like she did, then I would buy it. But this reeks of the whole, my friend and I drank too many wine coolers and made out while our boyfriends took pictures, tee hee! I’m so shocking!
A person can only know their sexuality themselves.. It is unfair to say someone is pretending when you do not know what goes inside their head. However, anyone who pretends to be bi just to be cool or whatever is a bitch/bastard.
But the problem is with the popular celebs (who claim to be bi) that they are never seen with a woman. For example Evan Rachel Wood, she mentions it almost in every interview and yet I have never seen her with a woman, only guys. She parades around her men, but hides her women apparantly?
Same with Megan Fox, she had this weird story about being in love with a stripper. Everyone who sees her knows her hubby controls her with an iron fist and they have been together forever. So when did this happen? When she was not even allowed to be in clubs because of her age? Story doesn’t check out, sorry.
The only bisexual women I have seen with a woman are Jolie, Barrymore and Anne Heche (and many more I can’t remember right now :P). Of course there are private celebs who never even acknowledge their relationships, gay or straight, but the funny thing is that the only women who do ‘come out’ and mention it in the media 24/7 are the ones that are usually attentionho-ish, to say the least. The ones that do have relationships out in the open with both sexes don’t talk about it much.
I almost feel like the ones who are talking about it all the time feel the need to prove themselves; ‘Hi, don’t forget I am bi’. My first thought; Are you doing this for yourself or for the media?
I am bisexual myself, and since ‘everyone’ appears to be bi in Hollywood I almost feel ashamed to admit that, because people now generally don’t take you serious anymore, because ‘everyone’ appears to be bi all of a sudden.
The last photo should have been the cover.
She resembles Cicciolina/Ilona Staller.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilona_Staller
Perfect. Gosh i miss Ciccolona’s antics…
I love it – the Sh!t L!ist can be taped up right next to the H!t L!st. I best have a care I don’t mix them up when adding names.
(and by H!t I mean sex, not harm)
I have a sh*t list as well. When Mr Kiki gets on my nerves I threaten to put him on it.
J.eyre I think you’re on to something. A celebrity S_it or Hit List.
I’m going to have my s_it list as well as my Hit list. Awesome! I would love to hit Hiddles, I’ll hit it out of the park. But Tom Crusie is on my s_it list b/c years ago I was a big fan but not anymore. He cray cray.
Mr. Rochester dances between the two constantly.
But can’t you see drinking wine and watching the Avengers or some such nonsense when, overcome by lust, you run to the lists and start scribbling. The next morning you amble out, head pounding, read the lists and wonder aloud “why am I so pissed off at Jeremy Renner’s arms?”
Sounds like someone is speaking from experience. LOL
Oh, for crying out loud. Another woman coming out as bi.
*sarcastically clutching my pearls*
What will actually signify something for LGBTQ rights is when men start pulling this old stunt.
I wish more men would come out as bi! I’d have a lot more men to swoon over.
I think it’s because the generally idea is ; girl on girl is hot, man on man not. Sad, but the truth.
Claiming to sleep with women/be in love with them gives you the image of a sexkitten in HW, while claiming that you are a man who likes men sometimes gets the ‘eeew’sound (not by me, but still a lot of people feel this way).Thus, claiming to be bi isn’t good for a man’s image, while it is good for a woman (if you want to be portrayed a certain way -.- attentionho-sorta way.
I believe there are just as many bi men as women, yet for some reason in HW the percentages are like 90%/10% in favor of women. So, pretty sure some of those girls are lying.
Girls make out in movies constantly, but I never see guys make out with eachother for fun.
during holiday travels ‘die young’ was in heavy rotation on the radio, throughout every eastern seaboard state, so wtf?
her comment @ being forced by her label against her better judgement turned her into a ‘victim’ for the purpose of making herself look better. it certainly wasn’t her fault the song came out and something horrible happened but it was very lame to put the blame on someone else when there didn’t need to be any explanation at all. it was unfortunate timing, leave it at that.
it isn’t about gender with her but attention. aren’t most celebrities that way?
she should stick to comments like the ones regarding bullying. actually positive and don’t make her seem as dumb.
I spent the holidays in Texas and heard the song on the radio constantly. Maybe dropping it from rotation means playing it 995 times a day instead of 1,000 times a day? SMH.
I spent the holidays in Texas and heard the song on the radio constantly. Maybe dropping it from rotation means playing it 95 times a day instead of 100 times a day? SMH.
omg, it’s like 1999 all over again!! yeah, and then she’ll get married with a guy like every single girl who has said it before.
Maybe she prefers men. Just because someone is bi doesn’t mean they like both sexes equally.
Why the hate? I’m married to a man, have kids, but still enjoy the occasional romp with a woman. And my husband is okay with this. Why CAN’T women love both sexes?
Minnie I think women are beautiful and definetely have my girl crushes.
Thank you! And i do NOT go around calling myself “bi”, i’m just me. Labels don’t mean a thing!
Duh cause you’re just a poser trying to turn on your own husband. Gross. How try-hard.
JK I really don’t know what is up with the celebitches and their skepticism of bisexuality. WTF?
If he doesn’t care and doesn’t consider it cheating, go for it. Screwing around outside the marriage with a man or woman is still just that, screwing someone else other than your spouse. Open marriages work for some. It would never work for me.
So where do they get stock kittens to pose with? Whose kitten is that? Where does it go after the photo shoot?
RE: everyone pretending to be bi to suit their own purposes. You know, some people actually ARE bisexual, so it’s possible not all of them are lying to turn on dudes. I’m under the impression that more people are bisexual than who choose to “come out,” but to a lesser degree.
It’s a spectrum, people, it’s not black and white. Just because you know a gal who said she was bi and then married a dude does not make her definitively straight. I just can’t believe that’s where everyone went. Clearly not everyone defines it the same–but technically it refers to sexuality and not necessarily love.
Wait, Sweet Dee, I’m lost. There are people out there that do things not explicitly for straight male approval? And they’re not even other dudes? How do they make decisions if they don’t use the Straight Male Insight Barometer?
I know! It’s hard to believe, right? Personally I wear a corset every day, get my bolt-ons redone every 2 years, make out with every female I can, never eat, and put on makeup every day before my boyfriend wakes up and sees me.
But some people just aren’t like you and me, Chordy. You have to accept it. It’s time.
Umm, call me old-fashioned but I’m really happy there were no 17 magazine issues with articles on bi-sexuality when I was a youngin.
You’re old fashioned.
WTH? What’s wrong with bisexuality? It’s not like we can magically control who we are attracted to.. dafuq.
I don’t know why anyone of either sex would want to do it with her. She’s disgusting.
It’s sad that people roll their eyes and assume someone is being fake if they come out as bisexual, celebrity or not. Check your own biases at the door. These people have nothing to gain career-wise by saying this in 2012. It’s a brave person who is honest about who they are. If anything, identifying as bisexual is something people tend to have a negative commentary about (look no further than this posting) in both straight and gay communities. As someone who is bisexual, I know plenty of people who shirk the label by saying they are gay or straight instead because they feel they will be accepted easier.
In the “pop world,” it’s a “cool factor” to say you are bisexual. Nothing brave about it when every poptart out there is saying they are bisexual in an interview. It’s become so cliche’. None of them are seen living with women or even openly dating, per se. Just the usual photo-ops of partying and kissing, blah, blah, and then they are on to their next boyfriend or marriage.
The real question is how does she garner any covers; I’ve seen her live and she’s another talentless pop tart; when all the songs on your cd are autotuned you aren’t a singer, just another pop confection. And to think that a true talent like Esperanza Spalding is ignored for this twit. Of course she yaks about sexuality; that doesn’t take intelligence, Do any of these pop confections read, you know, books, magazines, journals of opinion, ideas, art, science to broaden and give their minds substance? COmpare this to Pete Townsend of the WHO’s new bio where he comes off as well read and articulate (even worked for a publication in the 70s).
I saw her live and was impressed. I thought she put on quite a show and I had so much fun. Of course, I didn’t go there with the intent of hearing a world renowned vocalist.
I’m a bi girl with a girlfriend, but my previous relationships were all with men. Why? Because:
Dating pool of straight/bi men = ~93%
Dating pool of gay/bi women = ~12%
Not every woman who claims to be bi and then marries a man is a famewhore tryhard. Sometimes it’s just plain ol’ maths.
And don’t discount social pressure: my GF, who identifies as gay, once got enagaged to a man because she wanted to have a “normal” relationship where she could hold hands in public and take her SO to family gatherings.
She got over it, thankfully. 😉
No wonder! I was looking for a woman for a while because I was sick of dating men, and I couldn’t find one! The maths explain a lot.
Surprise, surprise, every pop girl is bi-sexual. It’s like a prerequisite for the job description. I imagine many are just a little it’s-the-cool thing to be, bicurious when drunk type deal and young and single. I have a couple of friends who are true bisexuals and have been in true relationships with both sexes and lived with both (but ultimately settling down with men because they couldn’t imagine giving up a man forever, but admitting still very attracted to women also), and I know the difference between that and it’s the hip thing to be for the moment or college type deal experimenting.
I am GLAD she is discussing her bisexuality in 17 magazine. Young women do not get a lot of healthy messages about sexuality in teen magazines. I became a teenager in the early seventies and had no one to turn to. I was LUCKY I only got pregnant once, at age 17, and that abortions were legal by then. My sexuality defined me for years as a rebellious where, and i believe not having a place to talk about it made things way harder than they needed to be.
My mom took me to have my abortion (today is the anniversary) but we never talked about it, about sex, nothing. I was ashamed of myself and yet driven to act out in a million ways.
It is a wonder i survived without committing suicide. I am 55 now, and having a wondrous reawakening after 30 years of chronic pain and fear. What might my life have been like if i had felt safe and been heard? I do not know.
But i wish we had evolved as a society to a place where young men and women are seen and heard, listened to, and honored body, soul, mind, and essence. Why should that be so difficult? Why should young people, whose bodies are maturing ever younger due to hormones in the food, be kept from learning about sexuality in a healthy, honoring way?
Ignoring sex, lying about it, and acting as if it is wrong and shameful, sure hasn’t worked very well.
Just my humble opinion. Happy New Year to all the fabulous Celebitches. I do love the brilliance and the snark. And the heartfelt, open dialog. Best on the ‘net, so far as I have found.
Happy New Year to you! And thank you so much for sharing! Sometimes I can’t believe the sort of things I’ll read on a site called Celebitchy. I agree with you 100% on everything you said. Getting all precious about sexuality and shaming people isn’t helpful for anyone. I’m so sorry for your pain, but I’m guessing there are a lot of women who identify with it. Great post!
Thank you Chordy. The nice thing about anonymous posting is that things may be said without backlash in one’s personal life.
I am very open in my own life about who I am and where I came from. I am mostly happy in my marriage, have an interesting love life, and am on my ways to restoring my long-lost health. It is nice to be me, but for a long time, not so much.
I ache for the unnecessary suffering i see and read about. Sometimes, telling the truth can be a radical and empowering act.
And so it goes…
Bright Blessings and may your path be lit with love and self-acceptance. That is the beginning of joy.
The second shot would have looked better on the cover.
she’s taking a page out of Lady CaCa book.
unreal!!
The comment Kesha made about bisexuality is true for me. I don’t care about gender at all. I care about the person’s personality!
Oh honey, great you love both sexes, too bad neither one of them likes you -.-
I don’t believe Ke$ha is truly bisexual. I mean, she’s never had a serious relationship with a woman, just with men/boys. I’m sure she’s had plenty of sexual experiences that she enjoyed, but I doubt she’ll ever fall in love with one. She’s straight with some serious girl crushes, that’s all.