Image

I was a Clay Aiken fan. Call me a nerd, but you won't be the first. I liked his voice, to me his looks had nothing to do with it. I'm not a person that focuses on looks. If the music is good and the singer can sing, count me in.

Since his days on AI, he has undergone many changes and the following link discusses the most recent image change by Clay. http://new.us.music.yahoo.com/blogs/realityrocks/61249/clay-remolded

I agree with the writer. It looks more like a freaky playbill shot for some production about an evil opera killer (think Phantom). It doesn't make me like his music any less because he still sounds the same. His many image makeovers got me thinking.

How much does image influence a singer's likability? How many "ugly" singers can you think of? I'm sure some smart Alec will come up with someone, but overall, most of them are fairly decent looking people. Could someone who has a not so perfect body be a famous and well liked singer? Is our culture so obsessed with looks that only the really skinny blue eyed blondes get recording contracts? We must look like conceited fools to the rest of the world. I'd love to see a music video that features a normal person (acne and bad hair included) dressed normally (no underwear hanging out, no cleavage falling out of a top) singing well.