LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
And while I fully recognize that after five decades of performing, calling people “babe” is just a reflex for her—you know, like blinking or sneezing—it felt no less like a feminist anointing to me. When we began planning our annual “Women of Influence” issue months ago, I could think of no better person to be on the cover than Cher. Do you know anyone else who could more convincingly descend from a stage ceiling in tribal priestess costume (it’s the one on our cover) singing a feminist anthem like “Woman’s World?” Neither do I. Or who has exercised her influence— loudly and sometimes blisteringly (like it or not)—with no thought of personal consequences? Again, me neither. I spoke with her longtime friend and costume designer, Bob Mackie, for our cover story (page 74), and although she hasn’t strayed into politics in her new show, he agrees that regardless of what you think about her opinions, her fearlessness in our current political climate is a breath of pure, unfiltered fresh air.
Painted into mesh bodysuits, wearing a sari and riding an animatronic elephant, surrounded by gyrating gladiators, maybe Cher is outspoken in the kind of theatrical way that resonates particularly well with a Las Vegas audience. But there’s also a reason that she’s been a trailblazer for 50 years, giving women permission to speak their minds, not shoehorn themselves into cultural norms, and, on occasion, wear a headdress made of rooster feathers.
To Cher and all the strong women making the world a little more amazing for the rest of us, we salute you.