I devised a cunning plan to find out if Elly Jackson, the tasty lead from pop-synth duo La Roux, is in fact a lesbian. Although a genius idea, googling the terms ‘Elly Jackson’ and ‘Lesbian’ simultaneously didn’t quite yield the concrete answers I was looking for.
It did however reveal just how much of a hot topic her sexuality is at the moment. Celebrity gossip forums, gay and straight, are dying to know who she lets ruffle her quiff late at night. And frankly, so am I.
The more research I did, and by ‘research’ I mean indulging myself in countless video interviews of this fiery electro goddess, the more I realised that she is particularly guarded on the topic, with very little being said to either confirm or deny any of the speculation. Probably a good move as far as publicity is concerned. Come out, and face being channeled in a specifically ‘lesbian’ genre; state overtly that she’s straight, and alienate her huge gay fan base. I’d be quiet about it too (NO I wouldn’t, I’d be using my fame and fortune to get my quiff ruffled as much as I could!)
Regardless of my questionable motives for wanting to know her sexual tendencies, a slightly more mature voice in my head was asking again and again, does it really matter?
Wouldn’t I feel the same way about La Roux if delightful Elly wasn’t gay?
The little lesbian in me that often feels left out of main stream culture shouts “Yes, actually, it does matter! It matters to me!” When I hear my favourite pop song on the radio, it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to know that the lyrics behind it are all inspired by lady-love. Straight people get to feel that all the time, let me have my brief moment of identification!
Another reason why it matters is that lesbians get such limited representation in pop culture. Who are we meant to be? We get offered two ends of a rather uninviting spectrum: Lady Gaga or Ellen. Lady Gaga (bless her) is out there being all bi and pro gay and so on, but she still smacks of the porn-lesbian image; played up and marketed to attract more guys, more attention, more money. And Ellen, although wonderful, isn’t exactly idolised for her cutting edge fashion sense and hard line trendiness. If Elly Jackson is a lesbian, she’s helping to create a new niche for those of us who don’t feel as though we have much representation in mainstream media.
And hell, I think she’s hot, so if she’s not gay, I’ll be pretty gosh darn devastated!
However, the more intellectual and less needy me knows that it doesn’t matter if she’s a lesbian or not. She’s a woman out there making great music for the love of it, and breaking ground (and hearts) in the process. It’s a rare and beautiful thing when a woman has the strength of character to bend such a biased culture to her own purpose:
“Even if my music is retro, or whatever, even if it's shit, at least there's someone out there for girls to look up to who doesn't have boobs and a tan and high heels."
Well, as far as having strong and positive role models for women in a culture of Taylors, Katies and Gagas, I guess we’re just going to have to share her with the straights on this one, they’re people too you know.
Kathryn Schneider (a.k.a Katka-Kapenaar) is a Cape Town Lesbian abroad, immersing herself in the ups and downs of lesbian life in London and attempting to navigate the fabulous and treachourous gay scene to the soundtrack of electro-synth pop. See how she copes with more gay girls than she can count on her two hands at www.katka-k.blogspot.com
