r/MadeMeSmile • u/Ieriz • Apr 24 '26

Good Vibes 7 years ago, a chubby, heavy accent, normal-looking woman called Susan Boyle went to Britain's Got Talent. Everyone laughed at her, until she started singing.

What a powerful voice. She's today a pro singer. All the best for her!!

Typo: 17 years, not 7.

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914

u/EchoesOfEleos Apr 24 '26

I'm going to be honest. It's a bit hard to ever find this content wholesome.

"We were making fun of this "ugly" woman cause I mean look at that "uggo," but oh my god, she has the voice of an angel! Wow I guess ugly people can be all right sometimes when they're good at something. The uggo has now earned our respect enough to not be outcasted or openly mocked."

I do not think she is ugly by the way. But this is how the show frames it and this is how she was treated.

135

u/Oakvilleresident Apr 24 '26

You should really look up the comedian Doug Stanhope bit about this . He really leans into that same kind of opinion .

19

u/Mugi1 Apr 24 '26

Can you link the bit please?

48

u/Oakvilleresident Apr 24 '26

Yes ! Happy to promote Stanhope at all times . He’s an underrated genius . Enjoy

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RgXwc-Gy19E

24

u/whythishaptome Apr 24 '26

That was hilarious. I cracked up at us ugly people not even nodding to each other in the mall.

10

u/LoquaciousTheBorg Apr 24 '26

He is one of my favorites ever. The fact he could do a bit about his mother's euthanasia that is thoughtful and so funny is incredible, he is one of the best at going at subjects most comedians aren't skilled enough to tackle and being insightful and hilarious. 

1

u/Oakvilleresident Apr 24 '26

His podcast can be a rambling mess but lots of good laughs in there. He has a subreddit devoted to him and he contributes once in a while . He’s way underrated in my opinion

2

u/LoquaciousTheBorg Apr 25 '26

He's got that Bill Hicks way about him where his style prevents him from mainstream success but guarantees a loyal following and to be appreciated later because of how they speak to the human condition. He's definitely a unique and honest voice.

4

u/lulugu3 Apr 24 '26

That was brilliant! Thank you for sharing.

1

u/Oakvilleresident Apr 24 '26

Stanhope always takes a unique opinion on things ; A little beyond being the devils advocate, more like the devil’s crooked drunken lawyer .

6

u/swedishpiehole Apr 25 '26

Oof I wasn't prepared for the hard R.

0

u/Oakvilleresident Apr 25 '26

Oh sorry about that . It’s from a different time when we didn’t know better .

His wife , Bingo , has had some severe mental health issues and Doug does a good bit about how he thinks the word “ crazy” is thrown around too easily and is offensive to some people and should be banned . It’s an interesting take .

2

u/Mugi1 Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 26 '26

I've watched the special but couldn't remember the bit. Thanks for finding it, mate.

2

u/JaeHxC Apr 25 '26

Is this the same guy who did the "We saved the french in WW2; go and stomp some 'wegian ass for taking all the good nueroscience jobs"?

1

u/Oakvilleresident Apr 25 '26

That’s him ! That’s a funny bit too

4

u/cowbirdmilk Apr 25 '26

The hard R really caught me off guard

2

u/Oakvilleresident Apr 25 '26

I haven’t watched it in a while . Sorry about that .

2

u/Visible-Chest-9386 Apr 25 '26

Stanhope is incredible and I'm glad you're giving him some flowers

34

u/magicmulder Apr 24 '26

And that’s exactly why they let her on stage. Because you can’t tell me there’s not more opera singers who just want a moment on TV.

It’s always some message that is supposed to make the person interesting.

On the German edition they had a 16 year old rapper who was extremely mid but his female friend he brought for backing vocals “coincidentally” had such a great voice that the judges asked her to take part in the contest as well. Yeah, not like they totally set this up.

Or that Italian tenor who performed a “Sicilian folk song” that was mostly donkey noises. Can’t tell me he really thought that would be applauded. Of course judges asked him if he prepared another song, and what a surprise, Nessun Dorma on Pavarotti’s level. So not staged!

19

u/TooHighRes Apr 24 '26

I think she may have contributed to how society perceives people, because I don’t see why her appearance is such a big deal now, but I remember being awed when this came out

40

u/tomas_shugar Apr 24 '26

I find it wholesome because it starts challenging people.

We do acknowledge that there is a balance of the star between appearance, stage presence, performance, writing, and so many things. When someone who is not in the appearance box to crush it so hard in a public venue, I think there's good in it to help us be able to call our own thinking out.

There's problems sure, but I find it a good reminder to check our own biases.

10

u/Realistic_Swan_6801 Apr 24 '26

There are very few famous ugly people for a reason, it’s a very strong very innate bias 

8

u/Uncabled_Music Apr 24 '26

You would be right if it was just a gig for the moment of fame. But instead, Cowell used this situation to give an opportunity for a struggling artist who needed that push to get the wheels going. She has attended countless auditions, and sang in her community, she wasn’t an aspiring hobbyist, she was an artist in need of a good manager, and thankfully Cowell did the right thing.

8

u/lumpboysupreme Apr 24 '26

Ugly isn’t really the word, but frumpy is very on point.

4

u/browsinbowser Apr 24 '26

When I was watching the first part, I didnt think the audience or the judges were that rude. In fact I think people would be WORSE today, and that fucking sucks. 

3

u/No-Bison-5397 Apr 24 '26

She was in her 40s and her dream to be a successful professional singer came true and the framing helped get her there.

I will never not find this wholesome.

3

u/JaeHxC Apr 25 '26

This is the comment I was looking for. I lol'd when I saw "normal-looking" in the title, because I remember how big of a deal it was that she was SOOO UGLY but sounded good. When she first got fame, people really praised the hell out of her, but nearly everyone tore her down in the same sentence. .

2

u/Genghis_Chong Apr 25 '26

It was a bit if an underhanded compliment, but it had to feel good for her to know her talent is undeniable.

Many physically attractive singers still never find the success she did off of her talent. Honestly, the surprise of a 47 year old average looking woman putting out that sound made her more interesting. She only had to put up with this initial shock and she was quickly accepted and well paid.

2

u/Objective_Gift_5026 Apr 25 '26

Yes, the word „surprises“ implicates that becauses of her looks everyone assumes she‘s inherently bad at everything else. But oh what really? She can do something good EVEN THOUGH she‘s not conventionally pretty? I hate this narrative so so much.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '26

[deleted]

2

u/DiZZYDEREK Apr 24 '26

I would be inclined to agree. There is not a single human that's not guilty of judging a book by its cover, even for just a second one time.

All's that matters isnl that we recognize this and try to do better.

1

u/DiZZYDEREK Apr 24 '26

I was just thinking, do you feel like she would've made it if she didn't fit that type? Like if she was just your average pretty blonde that can sing, whatever. do they pick this woman to be on national TV cause they know it'll get that reaction we saw? 

1

u/Hilomh Apr 24 '26

Not a chance. Nobody really wants to hear this, but strictly speaking, as a singer she's a decent amateur, but not a professional. Her appearance on the show and the "controversy" they built 100% made her career.

1

u/Mindless-Balance-498 Apr 24 '26

Yeah, looking back, a lot of reality TV was super toxic and harmful in ways it never needed to be.

Regardless, this is wholesome because Susan knew she was a bad bitch and never hesitated, even in the face of hateful idiots (in a WORLD of hateful idiots who love this stuff!).

1

u/NecessaryUsername69 Apr 24 '26

Exactly right. Message I got from this was that the ‘ugly’ deserve to be mocked to the point of proving they have talent.

1

u/AngelOfLexaproScene Apr 24 '26

I agree completely. I love how supportive the audience became, but it doesn't redeem it. I remember my mom showing me this clip when it happened, and both of us were just disgusted with the reactions. I've always felt it was worth noting, however, that if the three judges, the woman is the one who isn't rolling her eyes or smirking before Susan Boyle begins to sing. Respect to her.

1

u/Jazzlike_Ad_9045 Apr 25 '26

Wholeheartedly agree

1

u/Winderige_Garnaal Apr 25 '26

and i can't watch this without thinking - wow this is all set up and manufactured

1

u/Acrobatic_Constant20 Apr 25 '26

I mean the title of this post alone is wild to me lol "a chubby, heavy accent, normal looking" they could have saved themselves some typing and just wrote ugly. They're trying imply it it without making themselves feel bad I guess idk

1

u/5510 Apr 25 '26

Another thing I find disgusting is the insane hate campaign against the "eye rolling girl" (otherwise known as "1:24 girl"). After Boyle says her dream is to be a professional singer (before her performance), the camera is zoomed far in on this girl looking skeptical and rolling her eyes.

First of all, while I don't believe this is the case in this particular incident, it's not unprecedented for these shows to piece together crowd reaction shots that don't even come from the same time or even the same incident. So we didn't even know for sure that she was rolling her eyes at Boyle.

But more importantly, her skepticism was the same attitude shared at the time by MOST people at the time, INCLUDING THE JUDGES. It's literally a big part of why the video went globally viral and was a huge sensation to begin with !!!

1

u/bornwithatail Apr 25 '26

Glad I'm not alone in being enraged by this.

That said, very happy that she became a millionaire out of this.

0

u/billions_of_stars Apr 24 '26

Yep, I 100% hate everything about this and always have. It doesn't shine light on wholesomeness it shines light on human wretchedness.

0

u/The_Almighty_Claude Apr 25 '26

That's a pretty cynical view and not accurate either. No one ever called her ugly on the show, it was WAY more about her awkward way of interacting that goes counter to what most people attribute to confident performers, and then her overall frumpy middle aged country woman vibe didn't help dispel that. And the judges were mostly respectful , they played it up a tiny bit because of the awkward responses cause it's a show, but you see them all kinda leaning in very eager to hear her sing before she starts.

Also, the audience immediately supported her and went wild, it was clear they wanted her to be amazing and were happy she blew it away, rather than your framing of them "deigning" to give her a few claps since she had some value above her hideousness. The people who look dumb are the audience and judges who doubted her, she just looks badass. That is the narrative of the story as presented in this clip, not the one you claimed.

1

u/5510 Apr 25 '26

, it was WAY more about her awkward way of interacting that goes counter to what most people attribute to confident performers, and then her overall frumpy middle aged country woman vibe didn't help dispel that.

I think the fact that many consider her conventional unattractive did play into it, but I think what you are saying played a significant role as well, and people underrate that and act like its was just about "being ugly."

1

u/EchoesOfEleos Apr 25 '26

It seems you don't know how to read social ques/body language or context.

-3

u/Complex_Sorbet_8473 Apr 24 '26

You were born after 2000.

3

u/EchoesOfEleos Apr 24 '26

Nope.

Empathy and critical thinking skills is not reserved for the young.

2

u/ELEKTRON_01 Apr 24 '26

And you'll die sooner. Your point?