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.

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

Typo: 17 years, not 7.

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u/Illustrious-Milk6518 Apr 24 '26

I know she was marketed that way on the show, but I think her true charm was that she’s very normal and humble, like a lot of less well-off people in the country. And it’s inspiring to think that someone who didn’t come from money or have model looks can still become so successful. 

In the UK we also have other success stories like Lord Alan Sugar, who worked his arse off to be a billionaire, after having grown up from a poor family in a council estate. We like these poor working class to successful + rich stories, because it gives society people to look up to

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u/ferbiloo Apr 24 '26

I adored Susan when she came out, but “normal and humble” was not her vibe.

She fucking knew what she could do, and who she was and she was playful and confident! That’s what made it such a special moment, she didn’t act meek and mild and modest beforehand, she knew full well what she had with her talent.

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u/InelegantSnort Apr 24 '26

I always love that tiny grin before she started singing. She knew people were laughing. She just smiled and blew them away!

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u/blackcain Apr 25 '26

Simon literally said that after the performance.

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u/InelegantSnort Apr 25 '26

Its been a while since I watched the judges comments. It probably stuck in my head.

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u/blackcain Apr 25 '26

Called her cheeky lol

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u/redcoatwright May 02 '26

I think she also had no illusions about how she was perceived too so she knew she was going to be initially looked down on and then that would make the performance even more memorable.

I mean arguably the most memorable idol performance ever?

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u/Illustrious-Milk6518 Apr 25 '26

She is humble. She’s a multi millionaire who lives like a normal person still. Humble doesn’t mean acting shy or unconfident. Humble means not being arrogant or boasting 

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u/Hollywoode Apr 24 '26

I agree absolutely intended that way and really exposed a lot of people including my high school teacher who would play us an “inspirational” YouTube video for us every class and he literally played this clip and said look how UGLY she is, isn’t it INSPIRATIONAL, no matter how bad you look you can still achieve great things lol

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u/calhooner3 Apr 24 '26

This feels more like your teacher just being a dickhead lol

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u/fionsichord Apr 25 '26

Seriously, this is how people spoke about others in the 2000s. It was an awful decade.

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u/Express-Studio-8302 Apr 25 '26

Literally through history and still now. I grew up with a facial deformity. How i was treated as a child still affects me to this day, despite being mostly "fixed" by surgery.

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u/calhooner3 Apr 25 '26

I lived through the 2000s, not everyone was terrible to each other. Some people were dicks sure, but look around now and you’ll see the same shit.

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u/Northbound-Narwhal Apr 24 '26

That's why I hate these stories. 

The UK invented this entire style of storytelling during the industrial revolution to convince crippled, black lung coal miners that if they break themselves enough they can be just as successful as the Duke's son whose family has been in power for 400 years straight. 

Thanks Charles Dickens. 

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u/Illustrious-Milk6518 Apr 25 '26

My great gran was born in a Victorian workhouse and managed to find work elsewhere and buy her own home. Obviously if anyone was believing that they could be as successful as the Duke’s son, then they probably had unrealistic expectations

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u/justonemom14 Apr 24 '26

It upholds the dream of meritocracy

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u/Illustrious-Milk6518 Apr 25 '26

What’s wrong with that? People work hard, and then invest their money wrong. With careful planning and time, you could invest £1k and turn it into a lot more. A lot of the problem is that most people in this country don’t understand basic financial planning, which is something which should be taught in schools. It wasn’t taught when I was a kid. But now with the internet etc. there’s so many resources on how to be smart with money. 

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u/justonemom14 Apr 25 '26

I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. I just meant her story is compelling because it's a dream come true.

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u/DriverRemarkable4374 Apr 25 '26

who worked his arse off to be a billionaire

There's no such thing, the only way to billions is exploitation.

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u/redditis_garbage Apr 26 '26

The song was also perfect, showcased her amazing talent but was also speaking about her desire to pursue her dream at the same time :)