In Defense of Celine Dion Fucking Living. Her. Life.

Hi, me and many other fans around the world are preparing a petition to sign to make Luxury Law go away from Celine’s staff. We believe that he is changing in a really bad way her image… making her appear bad, cheap and ridiculous… We want back our Celine, young, fresh, but glam and classic…

What can I say, nothing makes me want to put words together more than my two great passions in life—Celine Dion and fashion. Kidding-ish. Still, seeing the above message (which was sent to another Celine fan who posted it on Instagram and whose sentiments I’ve seen sprinkled throughout the fan community enough to know this “new Celine” backlash is a THING) made me feel the need to craft a response. So here I am, fresh off a decade-long stint in the blogging retirement home itching to deconstruct this argument. That we, the fans, need to protect our delicate little flower, Celine, from her STYLIST. I mean, REALLY.

Picture the “LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE” kid, less histrionics and no crying—but every bit as fabulous. That’s me right now. Let’s go…

Allow me to set the stage for the non-fans: Celine has been working with stylist Law Roach for the past year and wearing some crazy (by crazy, I mean AWESOME) shit on stage and off. He also styles Zendaya among others. The Law, Zendaya, Celine trio was even on the cover of the Hollywood Reporter in March of this year (Celine in a “classic glamour Celine” look, I might add). Law is hot right now. Celine was a fan of his work and hired him. Celine also likes the work he is doing for her, hence he is still employed by her and with her on the European tour as we speak. Now, some know Titanic-era Celine—a vanilla, ballgown-wearing, long-blonde-hair-cascading, singer of ballads. A mom. SAFE. CLASSY. So there are people/fans who now see Celine stepping out of her hotel in Paris in, you know, a tiger jumpsuit or faux-leather black overalls, are cringing, pearl-clutching and legit STARTING A PETITION calling for Law’s removal.

Which brings me to my first and what should have to be my only point—

Celine is a grown-ass woman. I would say this more eloquently, but I don’t think I could say it better. I don’t know if politics/the current administration have forced my hand in being hyper-attune and/or sensitive to this, but I’m sorry, that message—we want “our Celine” back and “here’s how I’m conditioned to think she should be”—reeks of misogyny.

Guess what? Celine doesn’t owe anyone “pretty” or “classy.” And, unless this is some Stockholm-syndrome dynamic going on where Law has imprisoned and brainwashed her (unlikely, but I would personally like the rights to make one hell of a Lifetime movie on the subject if so…), she is an intelligent woman who didn’t get this far on voice alone and has earned the right to decide things like, oh, what to put on her body before going out in public. Shocked that this is even up for discussion.

If Celine being a 49-year-old woman who is rolling around in more piles of cash than you can fathom and can thereby, I don’t know, DRESS HERSELF and pay whoever she fucking wants to style her isn’t enough evidence toward her right to autonomy, I’ll argue this—

Fashion is art is fashion is art.

“Pretty” is easy. Pushing the limits and taking it there requires a little more thought.

High fashion isn’t put on this earth to be pleasing to the eye. Something that reflects off your brain while you nod dismissively in approval and move on—erasing the image 10 seconds later. Pretty is forgettable. I love pretty as much as the next person. You can’t go wrong with pretty. We’re all drawn to pretty. But it’s not the be-all and end-all. Fashion designers are artists, creating something that may damn well hurt your eyeballs but will also make you think. Illicit a response. Convey a message. MEAN SOMETHING.

Celine has always loved fashion. She loves to have fun with it even more. She has never taken herself seriously in that realm. Fashion is her thing. She calls it her favorite art form. Celine’s a creative. She’s never going to thrive on being boring. You can’t take someone brilliant, passionate, emotional, artistic who makes music for a living and expect them to not see the world through that filter, with an appreciation for other artists and their work. [SIDE NOTE: Since I wrote this, Celine, in town for her own concerts, made the rounds at Paris Couture Week—casually hobnobbing with fellow queen Anna Wintour, becoming Vogue’s darling (check out their Insta…), giving an impassioned standing ovation at Giambattista Valli (see below; this is strangely reminiscent of how I look at her shows—squee, jumps and all…) and just generally WINNING AT LIFE. Fashion? SHE. LOVES. IT.)]

And who better to love and support the major fashion houses of the world than a global superstar who can afford it 10x over even when it’s not being lent to her. YOU DO YOU, CELINE. Head to toe Balmain BECAUSE YOU CAN *claps/wipes tear/jumps up and down*

Look, I’m not saying high fashion is for everyone or even meant to be appreciated by everyone. It’s all subjective. I’m not saying that those faux leather overalls are going to change the world (they are Givenchy, though, so maybe make the world a little bit better?). And, I’m definitely not saying you can’t pair a pic of Celine wearing them next to an image of a Minion because #accurate. And you know I’m slow clapping it out for whoever did that.

I’m just saying CELINE APPRECIATES IT. And she can DO WHAT SHE WANTS. It’s not about you or me. It never will be.

For those fans thinking Law has “changed” her. Sorry, this is who she is. Lest we forget the black thong, ass-baring at the 1993 Grammys. As classic a “Celine” as the Titanic era. Playing different roles depending on the day. Celine’s as good at what she does BECAUSE she’s as creative as she is. She knows how to put on a show. Fashion is a part of that. It’s spectacle. When done correctly, it makes you stand up and take notice and have a reaction. Postitive. Negative. Doesn’t matter. As long as you feel something. And Celine legit has no fear, which—if you’re going to hardcore do fashion—is the only way. Don’t think for a second she doesn’t know putting on something safe and tame and pretty that will please the masses is an option. And one which she takes sometimes.

After all, there’s a time for classic and pretty. And that time is, you guessed it—WHENEVER SHE FEELS LIKE IT.

Maybe Celine isn’t being who you want her to be. Maybe she should look a different way. Maybe she has dressed a certain way for a certain amount of time and created this “image” and her being any other way is uncomfortable for you.

THAT’S ON YOU.

If you buy a concert ticket, she owes you a show. If you pay for her music, she owes you that audio track. She went in the studio. Someone produced it. You paid for it. Business transaction. Goods/services. Over and out.

She doesn’t owe you pretty. She doesn’t owe you safe. She doesn’t owe you an image—even one she herself built from the ground up. She doesn’t owe you 1998 Celine. She doesn’t owe you 2010 Celine. She owes it to be true to herself and LIVE HER BEST LIFE.

No matter who Celine wears, you know who she is. The person who may step out of her five-star hotel draped in $20K worth of designer threads but whose eyes light up when she sees her fans there. People who’ve been standing for hours, in the heat, in the rain, needing water, needing a bathroom, NEEDING A NAP (clearly not speaking from personal experience here…) just to catch a glimpse of her. They scream her name. And she doesn’t just slink into the waiting car. She waves. She approaches the crowd. She takes that album cover they’re holding and cradles it in her left hand. Signs “Love, Celine Dion xo” or some variation. A signature you’d recognize anywhere. Leans in for a selfie, a Sharpie perched in her right hand. She’s warm. She looks you in the eye.

This popped up on my Insta feed after I wrote the above. Literally her as currently seen on the streets of Paris doing an absolutely flawless reenactment of what I wrote above. She even walked out holding the umbrella herself before people started handing her things. Humble unicorn queen AF.

And, when she’s feeling inspired (which is surprisingly often; guess Paris brings it out of her…), she jumps on top of her car and leads the crowd in a sing-a-long. WHO DOES THAT.

SHE CAN WEAR A TRASH BAG AND NEVER SING AGAIN IF SHE WANTS. 

Because? She is a good person who cares about other people. She is thoughtful, kind and empathetic despite existing in the most ridiculous orbit of superstardom for the majority of her life (nod to René who was always hell-bent on keeping her humble through the madness). She is more than her clothes and her voice. The world is better because she’s in it. What more should any of us strive for?

You do you. Celine does Celine.

(And if, while doing Celine, Celine wants to donate anything she’s worn over the past weeks/years/decades, we’re the same size and live in the same town. So HMU, CD! Kisses, E)