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Micheal Jackson, he had moves, looks, and character.

Every artist has something that makes them such an icon. Whenever we listen to someone new, we take apart the traits that make them unique to us. The main factor in this though, has to do with one thing: their appearances. These individuals demonstrate their self expression by dressing and having a signature look. The celebrities demonstrate this, include: David Bowie, who wore glittery, bright makeup; Lady Gaga and her abstract clothing; The Weeknd’s crazy dreaded hair, and even some older artists dating back to the 18th century, like Mozart and Beethoven who wore makeup and wigs.

All these famous musicians have a signature look that has been associated with their fame. Most present day stars stress their unique appearances, and are easily identified by their looks. For example, Lady Gaga has notorious fame for wearing absurd pieces of clothing during performances and red carpet walks. She wears shiny abstract clothing that have vibrant 3D patterns. 1990s artist M.C. Hammer  used his well known signature harem pants as his look. Despite Hammer, other silly appearances have become socially popularized, like Devo’s funny looking hats that look like the tops of the Mexican candy, Pelon Pelo Rico. All of these unique traits from these different artists has brought them fame, but the real question is, where would they be without their wacky styles?

Dating all the way back to the 1700s, many of the men and even women at the time would wear their own trends, which was at the time, big white powdered wigs. These wigs were a sign that these people had class and wealth. Various composers like Bach, Haydn, Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven, and many more, jumped on the bandwagon with these wigs. Without all these people wearing wigs, they would not be where they were at today. Not only did the wigs signify class and wealth, but it also was a sign of respect because people respected people who had big luscious hair. At the time, many men and women would go bald; this is why the wig was so helpful to earn respect. Believe it or not, these wigs stayed in trend dating all the way up to the 1900s. After the 1900s, a new set of style began with music.

The 1900s was an iconic century. Everyone knows the classic styles of the 1900s, from the pinup styles of the 50s, the Go-Go dancers from the 60s, the funky disco from the 70s, the rainbow neon from the 80s, and the edgy grunge style of the 90s. Many of the artists that grew up in these different eras, all embraced the wild mess that was the 1900s. For example, David Bowie, well known for his androgynous looks and different alter egos, was known as Ziggy Stardust, who was a rock star who acts as a messenger for extraterrestrial beings;  he wore bright orange makeup and a lightning bolt on his face. Not only did this mark him as an icon, but it inspired other upcoming artists like Prince, who rocked his personal style of purple reign, in which he used pimp style clothing and wore his hair down with luscious loose curls. Michael Jackson was known for his “Thriller” phase which consisted of tight fitting pants, a bright red jacket, and black loafer shoes. Another artist inspired by Bowie, was Madonna, who was known for her “Like a Virgin” phase, which consisted of her wearing lots of white lacy dresses, and her puffy blonde hair. Many other rock and roll artists also had their own iconic looks; for example, KISS gave birth to the iconic edgy rockstar looks, in which all the group completely powdered their faces and finished off their makeup with a dab of black star designs and tears. If these artists had not gone outside the box and stuck with whatever everyone else was doing at the time, they wouldn’t have gotten the recognition they have now.

This 21st century  has also been a very iconic era for individualism in stylish clothes. We have been introduced to many artists who are well known for their looks. These include artists like Avril Lavigne, who was known for her pop sound, and tomboy look in the late 2000s. Another group of artists popularly known for their looks is punk rock band My Chemical Romance, who were popularly known for their gothic and theater like performances that is shown with each of their different albums. All these artists have been inspired by previous generations of other artists who dress in their own way and based on other looks and styles. It would be hard to see these bands without their whacky styles, but needless to say, they would still be fairly famous because of their musical talents.

Many famous people have embraced their signature looks and are well recognized because of their looks. The thought remains, however– what would happen if they never had these looks? Just how would their careers be affected? It is really hard to say, but it is most likely that many of these artists would still be famous without their whacky styles. This being said, the reason why they would still be famous is because of their musical talents. This puts to rest the ideology that wearing lavish wacky clothes makes you famous.