Female Band Member

Mark :

Susanna Hoffs is often regarded as the main vocalist of THE BANGLES, which is an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s.

Several artists have referenced the Bangles in their own songs. Alternative-country artist Robbie Fulks sings a wistful ode to “That Bangle Girl”, a song identified as one of his “personal favorites”, on his 2000 Very Best album. Although Fulks never says her name, the line “When the little one took the mike, I knew I’d fallen” suggests the particular “Bangle girl” he pines for is Susanna Hoffs, the shortest member of the group and frequent lead singer:

From 1986 onwards, there was friction among band members after the media began singling out Hoffs as the lead singer of the group, due to Columbia Records practice of releasing mostly singles on which Hoffs sang lead vocal.

On September 28 2006, Tom Teicholz wrote an article for the Jewish Journal called: “Susanna Hoffs walks like a rockstar/Mom | Hollywood Jew”. This article begs the obvious, “How did a nice Jewish girl from Santa Monica become a rock star?”:

http://www.jewishjournal.com/hollywood_jew/article/susanna_hoffs_walks_like_a_rockstar_mom_20080528/

It is often said that The Bangles’ mystique as a rock band could not have been the case without Susanna Hoff’s bushy dark hair, dark eyes, as much as her Mediterranean features are an exotic attraction. As indeed, The Bangles are often attired in exotic apparel which alludes to Balkanese Travellers in South Eastern Europe. The concept of Bangles also alludes to Chudi, which are traditional ornaments worn by South Asian women, especially Hindus. They are circular in shape, and, unlike bracelets, are not flexible. Bangles are part of traditional Indian jewelry. They are usually worn in pairs by women, one or more on each arm. Hence, The Bangles is a rock band which alludes to Indo-Germanic migrations in Southern Europe, North Africa, Ottomans and the Ancient Near East, Semitic peoples of the Middle East, Persia, Afghanistan, and the Indian subcontinent.

Ranked #43 on VH1’s 100 Sexiest Artists Susanna Hoffs is by far the most stunning and beautiful member of this rock band, which was a chart topping success throughout the 1980s.

All of which begs the obvious: Is Susanna Hoffs’ success partly attributable to her Jewish ancestry? If at all, to what extent is Hoffs to be described as culturally Jewish as distinct from other members of this group who are most definitely American?:-

1) Susanna Hoffs’ role as the most famous member of The Bangles is compelling evidence that Israelites are the Chosen People.

2) Susanna Hoffs’ success is down to individual merit (both as a result of NATURE as much as NURTURE), which has nothing to do with her Jewish ancestry.

3) There is no biographical evidence that the Hoffs are an observant Jewish family. By and large, American Jews are increasingly assimilated with the mainstream, political, White majority in the U.S. As indeed, it is common knowledge that Jews are a part of the White race in North America. There is no evidence that the Hoffs family belong to or participate with Jewish organizations in the U.S. Thus, there is no evidence whatever to suggest that Susanna Hoffs is culturally “Jewish”. Hoffs’ success has nothing to do with her Jewish background.

4) Susanna Hoffs is the only member of this group who has a Semitic, Near Eastern, physical appearance. Annette Zilinskas, Micki Steele, Debbi and Vicki Peterson are from North European extraction. Walk like an Egyptian could not have been a #1 hit without the exotic Traveller appearance of Susanna Hoffs. Hence, it is by no coincidence that Susanna Hoffs is the most pined for member of The Bangles. Hoffs’ exotic Mediterranean look is mostly attributed to her Jewish ancestry. Concurrently, she has sufficient North European DNA to appeal to the majority of American rock fans throughout the 1980s to date. Hence, Susanna Hoffs is neither American nor Jewish, but it is much more plausible to describe her as a hyphenated “American Jew”.

5) All of these answers are correct.

6) None of these answers are correct.

7) Some of these answers are correct.

Tagged as: Bangles, Robbie Fulks