Why is Susan Boyle becoming so popular?

About two weeks ago Susan Boyle - a curious woman with an unpolished appearance - performed as a singer on the popular TV show “Britain’s Got Talent”, where her presentation simply astonished the whole world. The initial skepticism of the jury and the laughter of the crowd turned into a standing ovation when she started to sing and her video on YouTube has been watched millions of times.

The video of Susan singing “I dreamed a dream” has become a global boom. What are the reasons for such success? One reason could be that millions of people in the world identify with her story: a story about a person succeeding only through the talent of her voice and not relying on physical appearance.

Another interesting thing to notice is the following: The Guardian Newspaper mentions that there was a difference between Boyle's hostile reception and the more neutral response to Paul Potts at his first audition – the winner of the first edition of “Britain’s got talent” in 2007. According to the writer, this reflected society's expectation that women be both good-looking and talented, with no such expectation existing for men.

Impressive popularity

Susan’s video on Youtube has been watched more times than Barack Obama’s inauguration. What’s more, this 48-year old Scottish woman has given interviews on important TV shows such as ABC’s “Good Morning America” or CNN’s “Larry King Live”.

One of the most interesting thing that happened after her audition is that millions of products are created and bought in her honor. From the popular “100% Boyle” t-shirt to the “Susan Fan Club” tote bags, there are countless items purchased over the internet at great online stores such as Idakoos.

How long will this popularity last? We don’t know for sure, but we all hope that Susan uses this time of her life to start a successful career as a singer. There’s no doubt she’s got the talent for it.