"I'm quite repulsed by the diva type"
About this Quote
Calling yourself “repulsed” by “the diva type” isn’t just a personal preference; it’s a boundary-setting move in a pop ecosystem that rewards spectacle and entitlement as much as talent. Siobhan Fahey came up in an era when female front-people were often boxed into two marketable archetypes: the pliable professional or the high-maintenance star. “Diva” is the word that polices that line, a label that can mean genuine vocal authority, but more often functions as a sexist shorthand for a woman who insists on control.
Fahey’s phrasing matters. “Quite” sharpens the edge, and “repulsed” signals moral disgust, not mild annoyance. She’s not saying she dislikes dramatic personalities; she’s distancing herself from a whole set of behaviors and expectations: the cult of hierarchy, the tantrum-as-brand, the idea that other people exist to service your genius. In group dynamics like hers (bands, collaborations, studio systems), diva behavior isn’t just annoying, it’s corrosive: it turns art-making into risk management.
The subtext also reads as a quiet argument for a different kind of power. Fahey isn’t rejecting ambition or glamour; she’s rejecting the performance of superiority that the industry sometimes mistakes for leadership. It’s a musician signaling credibility by aligning with craft, discipline, and collective work over narcissistic mythmaking - and, pointedly, refusing a role the culture is eager to assign women the moment they appear difficult, decisive, or simply in charge.
Fahey’s phrasing matters. “Quite” sharpens the edge, and “repulsed” signals moral disgust, not mild annoyance. She’s not saying she dislikes dramatic personalities; she’s distancing herself from a whole set of behaviors and expectations: the cult of hierarchy, the tantrum-as-brand, the idea that other people exist to service your genius. In group dynamics like hers (bands, collaborations, studio systems), diva behavior isn’t just annoying, it’s corrosive: it turns art-making into risk management.
The subtext also reads as a quiet argument for a different kind of power. Fahey isn’t rejecting ambition or glamour; she’s rejecting the performance of superiority that the industry sometimes mistakes for leadership. It’s a musician signaling credibility by aligning with craft, discipline, and collective work over narcissistic mythmaking - and, pointedly, refusing a role the culture is eager to assign women the moment they appear difficult, decisive, or simply in charge.
Quote Details
| Topic | Humility |
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