This episode is dedicated to the impact of Donna Summer, the woman known as the queen of disco who inspired millions around the world to dance, really dance, and forget their troubles. But it wasn’t just about the sounds – it was about her hair, her features, her makeup, the glitter and the sequins.
The reason I’ve decided now is the time to focus on the wonders of Donna Summer is because HBO is releasing a documentary today, called Love to Love You, Donna Summer and it promises to share Donna’s struggles with fame, how she navigated being a mother and also endeavoured to keep her private life private, all while experiencing such career highs as being the first black woman to have a music video play on MTV. I’m dying to watch the documentary so I thought I’d try and take us back a little bit to break down just how Donna inspired the world.
Let me know if you enjoyed this episode and if you're listening on Spotify and you're a Donna Summer fan, be sure to take part in my poll and let me know your favourite Donna song.
And don't forget, there's my special Donna video over on TikTok @charissekenion right now! If you want to let me know what you'd like to hear more of on the show, email me direct on beautymepodcast@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram or Twitter @beautymepodcast.
Did you know that you can now listen to BeautyMe on Amazon Music? Wherever you listen, I would really love if you could hit that subscribe or like button. Feel free to leave a 5-star rating over on Spotify, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget there’s also my newsletter beautymenotes.substack.com where I often share imagery from each episode. See you next time!
Links
History of I Feel Love: https://pitchfork.com/features/article/song-from-the-future-the-story-of-donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroders-i-feel-love/
Dark days of Donna Summer: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/apr/28/i-was-decadent-i-was-stupid-i-was-a-fool-the-dark-days-of-donna-summer
Interview with Donna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2naPKEsw2s
1978 interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9s2CpYc0fY
My Donna Summer inspired playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5DRnOLtKJtjXMlLgRDpH5J?si=923693b20f884555
BeautyMe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beautymepodcast
BeautyMe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautymepodcast/
BeautyMe newsletter: https://beautymenotes.substack.com
BeautyMe on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charissekenion
BeautyMe on ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/beautyme
Ep. 26: Being a black French woman in America and why lockdown convinced her to go natural, with makeup artist Yacine Diallo
Ep. 25: How affirmations and The Secret help with staying focused and calm during lockdown, with Roshanne
Ep. 24: '90s hair trends, how to stay present and how routines and selfcare change when you're in lockdown, with Tamu McPherson
Ep. 23: The slow hair movement, the concept of masculine beauty and what being in the middle means with Matt and Anil, again
Ep. 22: Morning meditation, coffee and cigarettes and taking the long route to working in the hair industry with Matt and Anil
Ep. 21: Why beauty isn’t a feminine thing, why not smiling shows strength and why you need to feel desirable with Chloe J Flowers
Ep. 20: My skincare empties - including Peter Thomas Roth, Dr Jart, Vichy and more #BeautyBuzz
Ep. 19: Toxic Beauty documentary - is it just fear-based marketing? Plus, do you use DevaCurl products?
Ep. 18: Skin tips for darker skin + why sunscreen isn’t just about avoiding cancer, with Aesthetician Dija Ayodele
Ep. 17: London Aesthetician Dija Ayodele talks growing up in Sierra Leone and how she built her beauty business
Ep. 16: Why cutting our hair off means a lot more than a new look, with Anisa Benitez, founder of More by Her
Ep. 15: Mindfulness, depression and going HAM with skincare with Nush
Ep. 14: BONUS: Beauty Buzz with Hard as Nails founder and nail tech Shenique
Ep. 13: Hard As Nails Studio founder and nail tech Shenique Dawkins
Ep. 12: Talking about the labels around 'good', 'bad' and 'rebellious' hair with model and Postscript Features Director Elvira Vedelago
Ep. 11: BONUS: It's the second part of Beauty Buzz and we're talking through our current skincare and makeup essentials
Ep. 10: Talking about skin fasting and how judgemental the beauty industry can be, with beauty enthusiast Iman Ogundeko
Ep. 9: Urine as a hair colourant? The Hair Historian AKA hair journalist Rachael Gibson talks ancient hair trends and more
Ep. 8: Acne and plastic in the beauty industry with blogger and flatlay queen Adrienne, AKA The Sunday Girl
Ep. 7: Meet the host; find out why I started BeautyMe
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