In 1966, when Bob and I were going to our Senior Prom in NJ, a suburban Jersey housewife, mother of two daughters, was busy writing songs and trying to keep her husband, Gerry Goffin, away from LSD. Carole King is one of the most prolific, phenomenal pop divas of our generation. And her song, the one Aretha Franklin performed to No 1 stellar star status, is the title of her new memoir, “A Natural Woman.”
This will absolutely be on my must-read list!
And natural she is, with her halo of grey hair and make-up-free face, King was always true to her music, and herself. Over the years she’s had four husbands, four kids, and won four Grammys in 1972. You have to love a woman who is unapologetic, who still comes across like the Jewish Mama from Brooklyn (originally), who only wants to take care of her family and make everybody feel good. “I kept pushing music away because I thought it was keeping me from having a normal life. At this moment, I understand that for me, music is normal life,” King says.
Let’s think about what a natural, and normal life is like for a woman in the spotlight. Becoming famous is almost like putting a magnifying glass between the star and the light – it can only burn. Look at Ashley Judd. A brilliant woman, who happens to be from a musical family but chose acting instead, is speaking publicly about the objectification of women. You’all know my feelings about this. Thank you Ashley for not just explaining your “puffy face,” but for calling our culture and the media to task. “You have to suffer to be beautiful,” that’s what the Flapper would tell me as she combed and pulled my hair out of my head to make perfect braids. It’s time we gave our daughters a different message. “Normal” life is whatever you make it, and a natural woman is beautiful. Beauty is illusory.
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