This chapter deviates slightly from the previous ones in
this series in that I have not seen a great deal of recent objectification
directed at Elvis Presley. However, Elvis has long been objectified and
dehumanized, and, thus, I have chosen him for the subject of today’s post.
This is not intended to be an extensive history of Elvis
Presley. There have been plenty of works devoted to the story of this most
iconic individual. The nature of this piece is to point out the ways in which
Elvis was exploited and to humanize him.
Elvis Aaron Presley was born January 8, 1935 in Tupelo,
Mississippi to Gladys and Vernon Presley. He was a shy young man blessed with
musical talent. He was very close with his parents, particularly his mother.
When Gladys passed away on August 14, 1958, Elvis suffered a nervous breakdown.
As Elvis’ popularity grew, his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, became
more and more involved in both his business affairs and his personal life. Over
time, Elvis became dependent on more and more medications, many to calm his
nerves or give him the energy he needed to perform. While Elvis may have had underlying
health issues, the multiple medications exacerbated them. He died from cardiac
arrest on August 16, 1977. He was only 42 years old.
I was twelve years old when Elvis died. I was sitting in the
chair at the orthodontist’s office when his passing was announced. Even at twelve,
I thought that it was very sad that he had died at such a young age. He was a
little over a year older than my father.
I realized even then that Elvis had come to be viewed as
something other than human. Some people looked to him as a sort of demi-god.
There were women who saw him as a perfect specimen of manhood. There were those
who refused to believe that he was dead and convinced themselves that he had gone
into hiding and would one day re-emerge to bring joy to a troubled world.
Then there were those who viewed Elvis as an object of
ridicule. He was in poor health and had put on quite a bit of weight before his
passing. The medications Elvis was on probably had a great deal to do with his
weight gain, but even if they didn’t, there is no excuse for ridiculing a
person’s physique. It’s simply a shitty thing to do, and we all have a duty to reject
this sort of bullying, belittling “humor.”
Although Elvis came to be viewed as a caricature in the eyes
of the public, he was still a human being. Alice Cooper recalled the time that
he met Elvis. To paraphrase what Alice said, Elvis seemed lonely. He really
wanted Alice to stick around and just hang out with him. He didn’t have that
sort of connection in his life. His popularity had become a prison for him. He had
enough money to have anything he wanted, but all his money couldn’t buy the friendship
he really needed.
Behind every
carefully cultivated and marketed image, there is a real human being. The image
of Elvis Presley the Rock and Roll God is a costume. Elvis Presley the Person
became lost behind that façade. He deserves to be remembered too.
With Love and Respect,
Cie
Elvis for your listening pleasure:
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