Last year, we got to witness an incredible performance of Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. Although the biopic got mixed reviews, the movie demonstrated just how incredible the frontman’s style was. Although the singer is mostly known for his exceptional voice, the singer graduated from Ealing with a diploma in graphic design. He was the mastermind behind many of Queen’s stage costumes and album covers. Bulsara would ofen show exibitionist tendencies, and even going as far to perform in only white shorts.
The theatrical and flamboyant artist repeatedly wore tight-fitting body suits and would often wear sequin covered costumes during the beginning of his career. Freddie would also paint the nails on his left hand black. Many have been curious why he only decorated one of his hands, but his bandmate Brian May said that both him and the lead vocalist were right handed, which made it difficult to paint both of their hands. During the later period of the vocalist’s career, his outfits became much more mild and the artist often wore jeans with a jacket. One of his most known looks is from the concert in 1986, where he wore a yellow jacket and white jeans. This was one of Mercury’s last concerts due to his illness which unfortunately ended his life in 1991.
In a music video for the single ‘I Want To Break Free’ the band dressed up in drag and mocked the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Although the concept was proposed by Roger Taylor, it was Freddie that got backlash for the video. At this time, the public was questioning his sexuality and MTV even banned the video in the United States. Although this wasn’t the only time when Mercury wore women’s clothing. He teamed up with Queen’s drummer and Peter Straker to record a music video for his solo song ‘The Great Pretender’. Many of his outfits might have a hidden symbolic meaning. During many Queen concerts, the musician would wear costumes decorated with lighting symbols. This may be a reference to Zoroastrianism, where lightning is considered a special form of energy because it requires neither water nor nourishment for its existence. This can’t be proven since Mercury didn’t talk about his faith publicly, and we don’t know whenever he chose to continue his family’s religious practises.
Freddie Mercury had many iconic looks and it would be almost impossible to cover and explain all of them in great detail. Although the vocalist has passed away and the bassist of the band decided to step down from the public eye, Queen is still performing with Adam Lambert. Whenever you hated or loved ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, it’s safe to say that the movie made a huge impact, and showed how much of an incredible artist Mercury was. New generations are listening to the band’s music and appreciating Bulsara’s performative and flamboyant outfits, while securing the musician’s title of a rock god and a fashion icon.
Written by Margaret Leon
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