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‘80s Grammy Winning Pop Legend, 72, Just Stunned Fans With Bold New Political Statement
‘80s Grammy Winning Pop Legend, 72, Just Stunned Fans With Bold New Political Statement

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Yahoo

‘80s Grammy Winning Pop Legend, 72, Just Stunned Fans With Bold New Political Statement

'80s Grammy Winning Pop Legend, 72, Just Stunned Fans With Bold New Political Statement originally appeared on Parade. Some artists never lose their power to inspire change, and Cyndi Lauper just proved that activism only gets stronger with age. The beloved "Time After Time" singer has left fans absolutely mesmerized with a powerful TikTok that transforms a lighthearted social media trend into a profound statement about fundamental rights and social justice. Using the popular "just a few things I'm falling for" trend, the 72-year-old icon delivered what she calls "propaganda I'm falling for" in the most Cyndi way possible – wrapped in stunning visuals and set to Elton John's "Rocket Man." Dressed in a flowing yellow evening gown with a dramatic feathered overcoat and sparkly boots, she looked absolutely majestic while making her boldest statements yet. Her list of things she's "falling for" reads like a manifesto of hope and resistance: "girls just want to have fundamental rights," "a little 'she-bopping' is good for the soul," "nobody's free until everybody's free," and "voting in every election." Each statement carries the weight of her decades-long advocacy while maintaining her signature playful spirit. What makes this moment particularly powerful is how Lauper cleverly reimagines her own iconic song "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" as "girls just want to have fundamental rights." The wordplay isn't just clever – it's a rallying cry that connects her musical legacy with current political realities. Fans were absolutely blown away by her courage and creativity. Comments poured in praising her as an "icon" and "queen," with one particularly moving response from a Cincinnati concertgoer who noted how emotional it was to hear the reimagined lyrics live: "Girls just want fundamental rights made me tear up."The Grammy winner's decision to use TikTok – a platform often associated with lighthearted content – to deliver such meaningful messages showcases her understanding of how to reach audiences across generations. Her ability to blend entertainment with activism has always been her superpower, and this video proves she's still mastering that balance. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 Lauper's statement "nobody's free until everybody's free" particularly resonated with supporters who've followed her LGBTQ+ advocacy and human rights work throughout her career. At 72, she continues using her platform to amplify voices and causes that need champions. This isn't just another celebrity political post – it's Cyndi Lauper proving that true icons never stop fighting for what's right, and they never lose their ability to inspire others to join the fight. '80s Grammy Winning Pop Legend, 72, Just Stunned Fans With Bold New Political Statement first appeared on Parade on Aug 4, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword

Rock n' wrestling into the 80s
Rock n' wrestling into the 80s

Express Tribune

time19-03-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Express Tribune

Rock n' wrestling into the 80s

It's the 1980s. Vince K. McMahon has bought WWE (then known as WWF) from his father and is defying all the unspoken territorial rules in the pro-wrestling industry to begin a national expansion. He has one male superstar in Hulk Hogan but no woman who could be the next big thing. One of the wrestlers from the Fabulous Moolah's camp, Wendi Richter, who had had enough of the mistreatment, underpayment and exploitation, approached Mr. McMahon to join WWE. In Vice's Dark Side of the Ring episode about the Fabulous Moolah, Richter said she "didn't want my check going to Moolah." With WWE's rising popularity in the '80s, McMahon chose Richter as the new face of the women's division to lead into the new era. But to sell her as the new face, she had to defeat the old guard in Moolah, who had been recognised as the women's champion for the past 28 years. Rock N' Wrestling Connection In 1983, wrestling manager Captain Lou Albano appeared in the music video of Cyndi Lauper's iconic anthem Girls Just Want To Have Fun. Soon after, he began taking credit for making Lauper popular and disparaging women in general. This started what will be known as the 'Rock N' Wrestling Connection' where pro-wrestling went rock n' roll (way before Chris Jericho became the Ayatollah of Rocknrolla), bringing WWE and women's wrestling mainstream attention. "I created and made Cyndi Lauper," said Albano on Late Night with David Letterman in 1984. This started a rivalry between Lauper and Albano. But since Albano was retired as a wrestler, he chose Moolah to represent him against Lauper's representative Richter. On July 23, 1984, Richter defeated Moolah to end her 28-years-long reign of terror and became the new Women's Champion at MTV's The Brawl to End It All. While Moolah had been beaten several times in 28 years, McMahon chose to market her as the unbeaten champion, very much like he presented Andre the Giant as the undefeated villain for a babyface Hogan in 1987. Their losses had occurred during the territorial days and since WWE was now nationally broadcasting shows, most of the audience would not have been aware of the records, allowing McMahon to dictate how he saw fit in order to promote the matches in the most effective ways. Richter's era had begun with a bang. She would lose the title once before regaining it at the first ever WrestleMania in 1985. However, by this point, she had grown doubtful of McMahon's practices and again felt she was underpaid. And her demands to be paid what she deserved led to the first screwjob. In November 1985, Richter was supposed to defend the Women's Championship against a masked wrestler called The Spider. The match took place at the Madison Square Garden where women's wrestling was once banned until Moolah broke it. During Richter's match, the Spider went off-script and pinned her to win the title. After the match, The Spider revealed herself to be, in fact, Moolah. While Richter claims she never knew The Spider's real identity, it's doubtful that that's the truth. Regardless, McMahon had just executed the 'Original Screwjob', over a decade before he would do the same to Bret 'The Hitman' Hart in the '90s. Richter immediately quit WWE, left the arena and went home. Women's wrestling in the US had just had another setback and lost its biggest star. While Richter's career after the Original Screwjob was never the same, she did return to WWE to accept her well-earned WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2010, and made a couple of appearances after that, including one alongside Lauper. Joshi Puroresu While female wrestlers in the US faced their own obstacles, Japanese female wrestlers known as Joshi weren't doing any better. Sadako Ikari joined her two brothers 'Inokari Brothers' to form a vaudeville-style athletic group and toured across Japan. She would become the first known Joshi as they gained popularity in post-war Japan. The post-WWII Japan saw waves of American troops settle in the country and this gave way to new forms of entertainment, including women's wrestling, albeit mainly as catfights in strip joints. It's fascinating to note that Japan's first wrestling promotion was All Japan Women's Wrestling Club started by Inokari Brothers, who featured their sister Sadako and several other Joshi like Katsumi "Rose" Tayama, Hiroi Hojoji, Yumi "Miss Potato" Katori, Yoko Sakurai, Masako Izu, and Yukiko Tomoe as the stars of the promotion. This was years before the god of Japanese wrestling Rikidozan (a Korean by birth) would come to Japan and establish the Japanese Pro Wrestling Alliance (JWA) in 1953. After her split with ex-husband Billy Wolfe and the rise of Moolah in the States, Mildred Burke visited Japan in 1954. During her week-long tour, she, along with Mae Young and Rita Martinez, wrestled in eight shows and also trained with Joshi including Ikari. Meanwhile, Rikidozan also started featuring women in his promotion. Altogether, it was a booming period for women's wrestling in Japan. In 1955, The Matsunaga brothers formed a new governing body 'All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling Association' for Joshi puroresu (Japanese women's wrestling). However, the abrupt exit of Inokari Brothers from wrestling shook its foundation, and women's wrestling suffered and went back to being entertainment for American soldiers in strip joints. By 1968, the Matsunaga brothers established All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) and laid the foundation of women's wrestling to become a well-respected industry in itself which didn't need male stars to survive. While Ikari continued wrestling sporadically, she was never again a hot brand like she was in the 1950s. But her contributions, with the support of her brothers, did in fact help promote women's wrestling and she is recognised as one of the pioneers until today. While Moolah had a chokehold on women's wrestling in the US and was struggling, AJW landed a TV deal and established itself in the 1970s. Their popularity skyrocketed with the arrival of a women's tag team named 'Beauty Pair'. Composed of Jackie Sato and Maki Ueda, the team ushered in a new era of Joshi puroresu as they became pop music idols for teenage girls. At one point, their fame is said to have rivaled the likes of Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin at their peaks. They drew television ratings that blew away the most profitable periods in American pro-wrestling. Beauty Pair also paved the way for The Crush Gals in the '80s who ruled the industry while Moolah refused to step away from the spotlight in the US. This is part two of the Women's Wrestling series.

Cyndi Lauper ‘cried' after song title was made into feminist slogan for protests
Cyndi Lauper ‘cried' after song title was made into feminist slogan for protests

Yahoo

time09-03-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Yahoo

Cyndi Lauper ‘cried' after song title was made into feminist slogan for protests

Girls Just Want To Have Fun singer Cyndi Lauper said she 'cried' after seeing the title of her hit song had been modified and turned into a feminist slogan. The New York-born music star, 71, who is known for her activism as well as her songs, was asked what it has meant to see banners at women's marches saying 'Girls just want to have fundamental rights'. 'When I saw that, I cried a little, because I used to get in a lot of trouble for talking about women's rights,' she told Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. 'When I saw that, I called up my friends that I started the True Colours Fund with, and I said, 'Let's start the Girls Just Want To Have Fundamental Rights Fund, come on', which helps women's health, safe and legal abortion, prenatal care, postnatal care, cancer screenings and everything having to do with women's health and promotion of women. 'So we do that and we raise money and fund organisations all over the world.' Lauper co-founded True Colours United (formerly True Colours Fund), an organisation focusing on youth homelessness and the LGBT+ community, in 2008. She announced her donor-advised fund, formed to financially support women's issues, in 2022, following protests in support of abortion rights after the Supreme Court repealed Roe v Wade. The protests took place five years on from the global Women's March that was organised after the first inauguration of US President Donald Trump. She added: 'Well, they (things) change and they don't. 'The fact that Taylor Swift had to justify herself, I was like, 'Are you kidding?' I'm freaking so proud of that young woman. What a good example. 'I'm happy watching all these young women, and I know that there'll always be struggles, but you just always got to take a step back, and there's always going to be gatekeepers, and just figure out how to get around them. 'Find like-minded people doing similar things that you aspire to do, and know that there are still artist collectives that you could join, and achieve what it is you want.' On the idea of legacy, she added: 'I was told one time by a very prominent, very important male figure of the industry, that said that we were making disposable music. 'And I took issue with that because I did not make disposable music, and I don't do that.' She added: 'Just do the best you can, and don't make disposable music, or make music that makes people happy. Find some songs that help people, and you can leave that behind and do some great work.' Lauper, who performed at Glastonbury Festival last year, is known for hits including Time After Time, Money Changes Everything and True Colours. While performing Girls Just Want To Have Fun, during her Pyramid Stage set, she referred to feminist marches and said she went out and saw the signs about girls wanting 'fundamental rights'. She has won two Grammy Awards, one for best new artist in 1985, and the other for best musical theatre album for Broadway and West End musical Kinky Boots, for which she wrote the music in the 2010s.

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