Norman Fucking Rockwell - Pre-Release Thread

[Vertimus 9,000]

No one is look-shaming or ‘policing’ her appearance, I am just acknowledging the change while observing it. Maybe it means nothing. But that is rather like saying her lyrics, her poetry, her music and her life mean nothing either.

 

Some people are more comfortable attempting to draw educated, tentative conclusions, and shouldn’t be ‘shamed’ for that either.

[divebarsinger 2,715]

i think what's being forgotten though is change in public appearance/persona is not a new phenomenon when it comes to artists in music, it's often a way of keeping longevity. what IS new and unusual is the way she's not releasing anything and conducting her career unprofessionally

[Sugar Venom 9,651]

also lizzy grant

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue1SBYZMP54

 

so if lizzy grant wears makeup and styles her hair then who is this girl when she’s barefaced? someone who doesn’t exist? a new persona we haven’t formally introduced to yet?

 

I am saying she has radically altered her public persona, and almost eliminated it. That is her choice, I am only observing and remarking on it. If for 18 to 24 months you successfully and consciously present yourself to the world as a glamour doll, then slowly withdraw from that stance to the degree that 3-4 years later you’re willfully posting ugly selfies of yourself taken from distorted angles, people are going to notice and wonder what’s going on in your psyche.

Does it ‘mean anything’? I think it does, since I am a believer in depth psychology. What it means, I am only making an educated guess about, but you are of course free to think and believe that it means nothing or something entirely different.

as someone who used to do a full face of makeup and style my hair every day basically since i was allowed to wear makeup, post on ig all the time and be active on social media etc; i haven’t worn makeup in two years bar special occasions like weddings and stuff, i haven’t used heat on my hair except maybe once or twice a year otherwise i wear my natural texture, my ig is anonymous and i don’t post at all i just use it to get notifs for when my friends and fave musicians post, all my social media is anonymous now too and like u get the point.. but i’m so much happier now than i was back then. i don’t feel the need to perform femininity for others cuz i’m just fine being myself. my self esteem and self confidence is so much better. like u said, we can think it’s entirely different what she’s going through and i too believe in psychology, but just because you guys think this new lana is a “step down” from the old lana or whatever doesn’t mean it actually is. she’s grown and changed. i doubt we’re all the same person we used to be back in 2012 when she was always glamorous too. you can call her selfies ugly but they really aren’t. there’s no such thing as ugly, just perceived value based on how conventionally u fit into european beauty standards and whatever is “trendy” at the moment. it feels like a lot of ppl on here think that she’s losing her worth because of how she’s changed and it’s really disheartening because they’re associating her natural state as less than when she complied with societal standards and i’m really tired of it

[Vertimus 9,000]

i think what's being forgotten though is change in public appearance/persona is not a new phenomenon when it comes to artists in music, it's often a way of keeping longevity. what IS new and unusual is the way she's not releasing anything and conducting her career unprofessionally

But musical stars usually don’t radically shift from ‘high glamour’ to ‘very plain’ in just a few years. In the distant past, Carly Simon, Rickie Lee Jones, Patti Smith and Kate Bush hardly altered their persona, style or appearance an iota over the course of their long careers, and, while more recently, Tori Amos has altered her look a little from album to album, it has remained largely consistent over almost 30 years.

 

Note that none of these artists went from trying their damnedest to look sexy and glamorous to very plain and utterly unadorned.

 

LDR is free to do whatever she wants with her appearance, style and persona, though I would prefer she look beautiful, since she is beautiful and has placed herself in the public eye by choice. But if she wants to abandon that aspect, that’s her choice to make, utterly.

 

The lack of professionalism otherwise is also very troubling to me, which is why I wonder if the two are perhaps related.

[divebarsinger 2,715]

But musical stars usually don’t radically shift from ‘high glamour’ to ‘very plain’ in just a few years. In the distant past, Carly Simon, Rickie Lee Jones and Kate Bush hardly altered their persona, style or appearance an iota over the course of their long careers, and, while more recently, Tori Amos has altered her look a little from album to album, it has remained largely consistent over almost 30 years.

 

Note that none of these artists went from trying their damnedest to look sexy and glamorous to very plain and utterly unadorned.

 

the way i see it a shift is a shift. only difference i see here is she's not choosing makeup and is going quite androgynous, the instagram post of her wearing a suit being one example. i just don't see how her new look isn't 'beautiful' just because it's not as sexual, i also know people who went wild for her bare faced wearing that suit so it's subjective. 

[californianfreak 3,479]

tbh seeing comments about her image/“new persona” are really bothersome. i don’t know how her natural, bare face is less genuine than when she’s wearing eyeliner/lip liner/lash extensions/ etc.. she’s dressed causally her whole life. i mean she used to perform in jeans and that god awful green capitol records shirt for gods sake like,, idk. women will never be free huh. first you all diagnosed her with depression when she stopped wearing makeup and started tying her hair back or had some frizz. now because she does yoga and drinks matcha she’s basic with no personality? even tho these things really have nothing to do with her personality?? and besides, yoga and matcha are healthy, wholesome things. do you want her to go back to being an alcoholic?? my personal taste is very glamorous but i don’t dress like that day to day, it’s exhausting. i’m sure even moreso when you’re a celebrity and every time you leave your house you’re expected to perform for the public even if it’s just getting groceries. just let her exist naturally she doesn’t need lash extensions and fresh acrylics and an outfit that shows off her bare legs every time we see her . it’s like you guys forget ldr is a persona and a character she performs on stage for us, she’s not Lana Del Rey born to die cola honeymoon west coast million dollar man when she’s getting ice cream and window shopping with her friends. she’s lizzy grant (aka HERSELF). she doesn't have to be lana del rey when she doesn't want to. i think what we're seeing now is just lizzy grant, the most genuine version of herself because…. it’s her???

 

maybe some of u would like a refresher 

 

 

so if lizzy grant wears makeup and styles her hair then who is this girl when she’s barefaced? someone who doesn’t exist? a new persona we haven’t formally introduced to yet?

 

as someone who used to do a full face of makeup and style my hair every day basically since i was allowed to wear makeup, post on ig all the time and be active on social media etc; i haven’t worn makeup in two years bar special occasions like weddings and stuff, i haven’t used heat on my hair except maybe once or twice a year otherwise i wear my natural texture, my ig is anonymous and i don’t post at all i just use it to get notifs for when my friends and fave musicians post, all my social media is anonymous now too and like u get the point.. but i’m so much happier now than i was back then. i don’t feel the need to perform femininity for others cuz i’m just fine being myself. my self esteem and self confidence is so much better. like u said, we can think it’s entirely different what she’s going through and i too believe in psychology, but just because you guys think this new lana is a “step down” from the old lana or whatever doesn’t mean it actually is. she’s grown and changed. i doubt we’re all the same person we used to be back in 2012 when she was always glamorous too. you can call her selfies ugly but they really aren’t. there’s no such thing as ugly, just perceived value based on how conventionally u fit into european beauty standards and whatever is “trendy” at the moment. it feels like a lot of ppl on here think that she’s losing her worth because of how she’s changed and it’s really disheartening because they’re associating her natural state as less than when she complied with societal standards and i’m really tired of it

 

THIS Thank you so much for saying this, my thoughts exactly!! I used to wear make up daily, but now I just cba anymore - not because of any mental health condition or cry for help. It's because I just don't feel the need anymore - although I still have issues, I am just more comfortable in my own skin and don't feel like I need to improve my appearance for anyone. And that's a positive thing - why should women feel the need to change how they look for others? Honestly, not wearing make-up regularly is not a big deal and likely does not mean something deep is going on! I am not trying to roast anyone, I love you guys, but pllleeeeaaaasseee just keep that in mind!

[divebarsinger 2,715]

david bowie went from plain folk type singer to ziggy stardust in a very short time, it's the reverse but i don't see how it's different cos he's a man lol.

[Sugar Venom 9,651]

we have no idea what’s behind the “lack of professionalism” .. it could be her or the label or something entirely separate like we have no idea. but either way, lana as a professional.... isn’t all the stuff we’re mad at her for her managers job anyways?? we know ben and her label are busy with different Shiny and New artists, so i feel like she’s probably just been left to herself and is just kind of meandering until people have time for her again, and she’s probably using it as a well deserved break. we’ve been really lucky with the amount of content we’ve gotten from her over the span of her career, not every artist releases so much so quickly and consistently, not to mention the hundreds upon hundreds of unreleased and alt versions and demos we have and the even more we know of but don’t have yet but could potentially in the future

[Vertimus 9,000]

the way i see it a shift is a shift. only difference i see here is she's not choosing makeup and is going quite androgynous, the instagram post of her wearing a suit being one example. i just don't see how her new look isn't 'beautiful' just because it's not as sexual, i also know people who went wild for her bare faced wearing that suit so it's subjective.

I don’t think ‘beautiful’ has to be ‘sexual’ by any means—equating the two for quite a while was LDR’s choice.

 

In the distant past of classic Hollywood, a lot of actresses were beautiful and considered beautiful without being very sexy at all, like Irene Dunn and Margaret Sullivan, and later, Jane Wyatt.

 

In the 60s, both Nico and Sandy Denny were considered beautiful without being in any way overtly sexy or sexual. Kate Bush has never been overtly sexual in any capacity, but certainly been considered beautiful, attractive and desirable.

 

In LDR’s case, since the change—though not necessarily on her album covers—has been so dramatic, people are definitely going to take notice.

 

Similar observations are made of male performers like Justin Bieber and Zayn Malik. Fans and Stans follow every slight change of appearance, every hairstyle change, every suspected shot of Botox or filler, every suspected pound gained or lost, change of makeup, body enhancement, etc., and includes the airbrushing of photos too, as we saw in Bieber’s Calvin Klein campaign a few years ago.

[divebarsinger 2,715]

I don’t think ‘beautiful’ has to be ‘sexual’ by any means—equating the two for quite a while was LDR’s choice.

 

In the distant past of classic Hollywood, a lot of actresses were beautiful and considered beautiful without being very sexy at all, like Irene Dunn and Margaret Sullivan, and later, Jane Wyatt.

 

In the 60s, both Nico and Sandy Denny were considered beautiful without being in any way overtly sexy or sexual. Kate Bush has never been overtly sexual in any capacity, but certainly been considered beautiful, attractive and desirable.

 

In LDR’s case, since the change—though not necessarily on her album covers—has been so dramatic, people are definitely going to take notice. Similar observes are made of male performers like Justin Bieber and Zayn Malik. Fans and Stans follow every slight change, every hairstyle change, every suspected shot of Botox, every suspected pound gained or lost, chance of makeup, etc.

 

it was her choice, but so is this.

course they're going to take notice, that's why i said previously a dramatic shift in persona is often to keep interest and longevity in the industry. it presents her to a potential new audience, it allows her to express herself in a different way. she has many different influences and whether that shift is dramatic or gradual to me is just pedantry. david bowie's shifts weren't gradual at all, even musically. he risked alienating his audience on many occasions. lana has said herself losing fans isn't something that worries her, so unprofessionalism aside, i can't see why this wouldn't be deliberate. 

[Rorman Nockwell 54,636]

and of course its sarah lmao

 

even chuck posted about it!

 

What did Chuck post? Can't see anything. 

 

I left a (nice) comment explaining on Sarah's post and she just deleted it. Evidently, she doesn't care. Oh, and the other friend commented that they should go for a staycation there. 

 

Anyone want to keep defending these tone-deaf bitches now? Case closed; they're trash. 

[IanadeIrey 61,192]

Lana is at a point in her career where she is free to embark on artistic endeavours she chooses to and I am happy to be a part of that. 

Love the new music & visuals she has been putting out recently! 

 

Can't wait for the record to drop too. 

[Make me your Dream Life 83,641]

First n foremost. She's not all Lana, not even Lizzy Grant. She's Elizabeth, the person that she was even before when she blew up. I think after HM we're clearer to see that. The trailer park life, to her hustlin earlier on, to now, she's probably just used that experience source material to fuel what matters to her most, at least career-wise, her music.

 

And if we're talking bout appeal. Ngl, hers is her face. Her natural beauty. Its incredibly hyperfeminine, w how small it is, bright eyes and button nose. That'll hopefully never change. Add in the charisma, and u've the capacity to charm absolutely anyone. As some others said on this thread too, just bc you look a certain way or b felt that others want more of u bc of this, doesnt mean that you'll have the most genuine experiences, but u ride the ride til it isnt fun anymore. Bc she might still b looking for her people. I totally get that. And that can get really lonely bc people dont see you for who you really are, or even long to b, but instead what they want from you.

 

Never really saw her as a star entertainer, u can tell straight from her voice even the pain she sings through that's definitelfy felt overwhelmed by her fame. She can do tf she wants, she seems happy just hangin w her friends and sister, at least she's got that. She deserves some kind of breathing period/break. The aesthetic shes been tending to herself is real minimal, if she even is thinking about that as largely as before, does fit the music, but its not as important as what she delivers thru it. Ngl. We're just paining, waiting for her to communicate a kind of schedule bc its been so fucking loooooooong

[Vertimus 9,000]

it was her choice, but so is this.

course they're going to take notice, that's why i said previously a dramatic shift in persona is often to keep interest and longevity in the industry. it presents her to a potential new audience, it allows her to express herself in a different way. she has many different influences and whether that shift is dramatic or gradual to me is just pedantry. david bowie's shifts weren't gradual at all, even musically. he risked alienating his audience on many occasions. lana has said herself losing fans isn't something that worries her, so unprofessionalism aside, i can't see why this wouldn't be deliberate.

But from sexy, glamorous and beautiful to very plain is rare, if there’s any precedent for it at all, and clearly she doesn’t need to do something like THAT to ‘maintain interest,’ not after having just had a number one record. If so, it would come across as desperate, in my opinion.

 

David Bowie did alter his persona a lot during the 70s, but he was the dynamic, innovative exception, and his alterations were very artistic.

 

Most artists of that era, like Bob Seger, Robert Plante, KISS, Heart, Leonard Cohen, Fleetwood Mac, Patti Smith, Lou areed, Blondie, Gordon Lightfoot, Linda Ronstadt, Iggy Pop, etc. hardly changed at all.

 

Madonna was really the one who brought the ‘complete style change’ from project to project in with ‘Like a Virgin,’ abandoning the look and sound of her debut.

[divebarsinger 2,715]

But from sexy, glamorous and beautiful to very plain is rare

 

think you've answered this yourself here. it is and maybe that's the whole point.

 

as i said i don't think it's entirely about 'maintaining interest' it isn't if she isn't concerned about losing fans, which she isn't. what it can be is creatively self explorative.

[Sugar Venom 9,651]

The lack of professionalism otherwise is also very troubling to me, which is why I wonder if the two are perhaps related.

but like i said in my above post, she’s clearly been taking a break as we’ve seen from her spending time w her friends and doing fun activities and overall not mentioning music or her career. if lana del rey is on break then why does she have to dress up as lana del rey? but what she has released has her own bare faced selfies as the covers. so she probably wants us to accept her as she is and anyone who doesn’t like it is free to leave but it’s not her problem and she’s not going to change for them.

 

take me as i am take me baby in stride

/

and who i am is a big time believer

that people can change, but you don't have to leave her

when everyone's talking, you can make a stand

cause even in the dark i feel your resistance

you can see my heart burning in the distance

baby, baby, baby, i'm your man

 

in my opinion... she’s changed, but that doesn’t mean we have to abandon ship and go find someone else to stan, she still has more to offer. people are gonna talk about how different she’s acting, her lack of makeup and hair styling, casual clothes, overall more laid back attitude and change of perspective in lyrics, and those of us who stand by her can stand up for her and defend these changes. she knows people are gonna be resistant to these changes especially cuz normally she’s known for her glamour. but the “i’m your man” lyric distances herself from traditional femininity and what type of performance is expected of her/the roll she’s expected to fill as a woman, especially one known for her submissive lyrics. i think she knows what she’s doing

[MoreCruelThanYou 5,277]

HOLY SHIT where is graham?? Can’t believe I forgot about him. I need a crazed essay stat

Is Graham @Peroxide?

It's disgusting. Still mad that I wasted money on this stupid shit that tastes like clay

Is there really not a matcha thread on LB yet? lmao

[honeycookie 1,032]

What music? lol

[Cacciatore 19,346]

Y'all really had a lot to say on that last page huh 

[ADDICTEDTOLANA 1,225]

Thank god Tati is dragging James Charles so I have something that entertains me while Lana is gone.