Shelby Adair Reading Response #1

"Elvis Presley is still one of the most worldwide iconic celebrities despite his death nearly forty years ago in August of 1977. Author and professor Erika Doss repeatedly emphasizes that Elvis was more than just a singer; he was an image that represented something different for nearly every person. He was innocent and handsome yet sexy and rebellious and completely unapologetic for his openly sexual presence on stage (thrusting, licking his lips, winking) in a culture dominated by image and sight.

Elvis had a way of connecting to his fans and audiences on a personal level, in a way that engaged and encouraged them to be active participants. Elvis created a personal relationship with his fans, so much so that they felt he was singing directly to them, even in crowded arenas. This was very powerful to his fans who were living in the postwar American culture that “aimed to keep ‘people separate and feeling at a distance’” (4). His music and his image caused extreme reactions, often from young girls who would scream and often cry hysterically at his presence—even on TV. One fan, Janie Butterfield, said that his performances made her just need to, “kick the seat in front of us or let out a ‘rebel yell’ or something” (4). It was the combination of his provocative dance moves and personal lyrics that made the viewers feel like they were “an audience of performers” (4).

The ways in which Elvis represented many different aspects of American culture varied.
Most admired his rags-to-riches story, he “started out a poor white nobody and would up with money, fame and a mansion in Memphis” (7). But more importantly, he stayed true to his roots and never forgot where he came from. It is unclear when or why his fans decided this about him. Doss argues that it could be the patriotism he presented when he was drafted and he served as a regular G.I. despite being incredibly famous and wealthy—he was still a regular person. “Ascribing to Elvis the honesty, decency, humility, generosity, respect, politeness, and familial devotion that they also ascribe to an idealized American working class, many fans see Elvis as one of them, as a "blue-collar guy in blue suede shoes." He represented the working class blue collars and was able to rise to wealth and still remained loyal to them.

The most powerful image of Elvis is the way he connects to the WASP working class and they way he “corresponds to their own racial and class prejudices. In their eyes, Elvis is the perfect symbol of a mostly middle-class white America getting what it feels it deserves: money, fame, a mansion in Memphis” (9). Although he never claimed to symbolize these things, Elvis was in a sense objectified to mold into whatever any one wanted him to be. This is what Doss claims is the most powerful aspect of Elvis’s image and why it has resonated for so long in popular culture."