t.A.T.u. and Eurovision

            t.A.T.u is a Russian pop group consisting of two females. They competed in the European music competition in 2003, but stirred up quite a bit of controversy. Dana Heller’s article “t.A.T.u. You! Russia, the Global Politics of Eurovision, and Lesbian Pop” looks closely at the group and the competition to see if this group is an exploitation of women’s sexuality and if Eurovision should be responsible.

Eurovision is a song contest that was made to unite Europe post-war. It began in 1956 and inspired by the San Remo Festival.  It has started the careers of people like ABBA, Celine Dion, and Riverdance. The name t.A.T.u is an acronym for this one loves that one.  The duo was formed when they were 14 and was made because a child psychologist turned advertizing executive found them to have a homoerotic air around them. He put them into this group to meet the needs of people (these needs being to watch young girls being sexual with each other).  These girls are not lesbians, but have boyfriends and consider this more of an image for stage, not an actual representation of who they are. In the Eurovision competition, they got third place, which was a huge disappointment for Russia. Much blame is based on homophobia and a sore throat.

This article also delves into Russia’s identity problems after the fall of the soviet union. At first, the people felt cut off from the rest of the world, but now they feel connected. “Everything here from the West” (Heller 201) states Pilkington young associate. But, for some Russians, this is not what they want. They are content with how Russia is and don’t want any influence from the West, so when t.A.T.u did not win, this was even harder because they were not superior.

While this article looks down on Eurovision because of the politics, I don’t believe Eurovision should be blamed for any of t.A.T.u’s transgressions. They even state that they do what they want to do, even “…threatening to perform naked” (Heller 198).  These women do not abide by the rules of places like NBC and they shouldn’t be seen as innocents that were thrown into this situation. Moving the blame to Eurovision seems like a low blow and ignores the fact that t.A.T.u did the instigating.  The other aspect of this that bothered me was that the excuses were something as strong as homophobia and then suggests something as simple as a sore throat. That kind of accusation could be seen if it was not common knowledge that these women are not actually homosexual. Although the implication of homosexual acts could cause some people to panic, those viewing know it is an act. The act itself is a bit offensive, but homophobia seems an unlikely cause. 

Work Cited

-Heller, Dana. "t.A.T.u. You! Russia, the Global Politics of Eurovision, and Lesbian Pop." Cambridge Journal. 26.2 (2007): 195-210. Print.

-Hannah