Diva

Derivation and terminology

Diva is a name from Roman mythology, and is associated with the nouns divus, diva, which means god, goddess, and the adjective divinius, which means divine or heavenly. The word entered the English language in the late 19th century. It is derived from the Italian noun diva, a female deity. The plural of the word in English is "divas"; in Italian, dive . The basic sense of the term is goddess, the feminine of the Latin word divus (Italian divo), someone deified after death, or Latin deus, a god.

The male form divo exists in Italian and is usually reserved for the most prominent leading tenors, like Enrico Caruso and Beniamino Gigli. The Italian term divismo describes the star-making system in the film industry. In contemporary Italian, diva and divo simply denote much-admired celebrities, especially film actresses and actors, and can be translated as "(film) star". The Italian actress Lyda Borelli is considered the first cinematic diva, following her breakthrough role in Love Everlasting (1913).

An extravagant admiration for divas is a common element of camp culture.

Modern usage

Women are often referred to as divas if they are "difficult, temperamental and demanding". Welsh National Opera note that the title emerged in the early 19th century after an increase of female leading sopranos who "almost became goddess-like in the eyes of their adoring public". They also note that the word has been used by the media to name many female politicians and entertainers rather than "just ambitious and assertive like their male counterparts".

Many pop stars have been labelled as divas in the media, including Aretha Franklin, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Cher, Christina Aguilera, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, and Whitney Houston. Additionally, Madonna and Mariah Carey have been called an "ultimate diva" in the press and have often embraced the title as their media persona. Carey herself noted on a podcast with Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex that today's media "mean you're a successful woman" but also a "bitch" and that "it's not okay for you to be a boss". Musicologist Lily E. Hirsch argues that the phrase may be used in a sexist and racist manner when discussing a woman of color.

Multiple female artists and bands have also released albums and songs either titled or containing the word "diva". These include Annie Lennox, En Vogue, Beyoncé and Sarah Brightman. English media personality and businesswoman Gemma Collins is well known for her "diva persona". In 2018, she released a book titled The GC: How to Be a Diva and began starring in her own reality television series Gemma Collins: Diva.

In 1998, VH1 debuted its first annual VH1 Divas concert with Carey, Franklin, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan and Shania Twain. Some other artists who performed at later concerts were Whitney Houston, Cher, Tina Turner, Diana Ross and Destiny's Child. From April 1999, WWE used the term "diva" to refer to their female performers. In 2016, they discontinued this term, becoming Women in WWE.

References

Bibliography

• Doane, Mary Anne (1991). Femmes Fatales: Feminism, Film Theory, Psychoanalysis, Routledge, New York. .

References

1. (8 July 2019). "Mariah Carey Proves She's a Diva With Bottle Cap Challenge".
2. (October 20, 2011). "Hotel rolls out the red carpet for Carey, the ultimate demanding diva". [[The Independent]].
3. (March 27, 2015). "The Ultimate Diva: Mariah Carey". [[Paper (magazine).
4. Rambarran, Shara. (2023). "'Proceed with Caution': Mariah Carey - The Ultimate Diva in Popular Music and Culture? in Diva: Feminism and Fierceness from Pop to Hip-Hop.". Bloomsbury.
5. "Kratka imena koja nisu u top 50, a imaju posebno značenje".
6. "diva | Origin and meaning of diva by Online Etymology Dictionary".
7. ''[[Time (magazine). Time]]'' magazine observed in its October 21, 2002, issue: "By definition, a diva was originally used for great female opera singers, almost always [[soprano]]s."
8. [[John Warrack. Warrack, John]] and West, Ewan (1992), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera''
9. Doane p.125
10. [http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/publications/wordisout/archive/04milnes.htm "Vamps, camps and archetypes: gay men, the diva phenomenon and the inner feminine"] {{webarchive. link. (September 4, 2009 by Andrew Milnes (2002))
11. "Diva: criticism or compliment?".
12. Eskridge, Sonya. (July 31, 2017). "The Diva Has Returned: Aretha Franklin Reveals Stunning Weight Loss".
13. (13 May 2020). "Ariana Grande Opens Up About How Being Labeled A Diva F*Cked Her 'Up A Little Bit'".
14. Bogursky, Sasha. (October 16, 2013). "'The Voice' recap: Cher's diva antics exposed as contestants deliver intense performances". [[Fox News Channel]].
15. (19 May 2015). "Christina Aguilera's 7 Best Diva Moments".
16. (August 2018). "Best Pop Divas of All Time".
17. (April 29, 2003). "Madonna: An American life". [[NBC News]].
18. (November 12, 2009). ""Glee" Stars Pick Their Favorite Songs for All-Madonna Episode".
19. (31 August 2022). "Meghan Markle and Mariah Carey Want To Reclaim The Positivity Behind The Word 'Diva'".
20. Hirsch, Lily E.. (2023). "Can't Stop the Grrrls: Confronting Sexist Labels in Pop Music from Ariana Grande to Yoko Ono". [[Rowman & Littlefield]].
21. Zacharek, Stephanie. (15 May 1992). "''Diva''".
22. Promis, Jose F.. "Funky Divas – En Vogue".
23. (2010-07-12). "Rap-Up TV: Bangladesh Reinvents Kelly Rowland And R. Kelly". [[Rap-Up]].
24. Golby, Joel. (17 August 2019). "Diva Forever: can a new reality show reveal the real Gemma Collins?".
25. "Gemma Collins: Diva Espana - what time is it on TV?". [[Radio Times]].
26. (5 July 2018). "A fun read? Towie's Gemma Collins discusses her new guide to being a diva".
27. (16 August 2018). "VH1 Divas Live at 20: A Look Back at the Major Music Moment That Almost Never Happened".