[Ads-l] Word: artthrob -- the heartthrob is dead: long live the artthrob

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Website: The Guardian
Article title: Harry Styles proves the heartthrob is dead: long live
the artthrob
Article subtitle: These days, remaining relevant as a male pop star
involves something more imaginative than singing a disposable tune
while flaunting your abs
Author: Anne T Donahue
Timestamp: Tue 27 Sep 2016 11.34 EDT

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/27/harry-styles-one-direction-another-man-justin-beiber-heartthrob-image

[Begin excerpt]
Heartthrobs are getting weirder – and that’s exciting. In the 1990s
and 2000s, it was rare to see artists outside their teen pop, Tiger
Beat realm. They were safely heteronormative (sometimes closeted),
keeping a wary distance between the fans and their real lives. Last
year, artists were still struggling to redefine what heartthrob meant,
peppering our feeds with abs and pecs. And while I’ll support any
artist taking their top off whenever they want to, it’s much more
interesting when that vibe goes hand in hand with an overt dedication
to their art, a celebration of their hustle and creativity, and the
feeling that these guys are doing exactly what they want to be doing.

So: all hail the artthrob. Master of his own destiny.
[End excerpt]

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