Monday, July 29, 2013

Diva Please!

Let's get something straight right here, right now.  This is the definition and the origin of the word, "diva":

A diva is a celebrated female singer; a woman of OUTSTANDING talent in the world of opera, and by extension in theatre and film. The word entered the English language in the late 19th century. It is derived from the Italian noun diva, a female deity or goddess.
(SourceSource, Source)
This is Deborah Voigt, an American operatic soprano and she is a diva, honey! (This is the part where I place one hand on my hip and use the fingers on the other to snap while a cock my head and toss my hair to emphasize my point.)
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She was born with a natural talent but had to train and study for years to become an opera singer...to become a diva. She has appeared at the Met and several other major opera houses around the world.

My point? This lady (and others like her) are the real deal. They have put in the work to earn their title   so can we please stop using the word "diva" to describe the mediocre? I'm looking at you, businesses that cater to women.

You are not a diva because you like to shop:
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You are not a diva because you like to drink:
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You are not a diva because you make cookies:
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You are not a diva because you are an alternative to a tampon or sanitary napkin to be  used during "that time of the month"
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You are not a diva because you sell latex and mylar
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and finally, you are not a diva because you don't know how the Spanish language works
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Hope we have that all cleared up now.

p.s., the other acceptable definition of the word "diva" is pretty negative. It basically means a woman who is regarded as temperamental or haughty. How did we take a word with the origin of "goddess" and transform it to basically mean "bitch"?