Many pop stars have been labelled as divas in the media, including Aretha Franklin, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Cher, Christina Aguilera, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, among others. They also note that the word has been used by the media to name many female politicians and entertainers rather than 'just ambitious and assertive like their male counterparts'. Welsh National Opera note that the title emerged in the early 19th century after an increase of female leading sopranos who became 'almost became goddess-like in the eyes of their adoring public'. Women are often referred to as divas if they are 'difficult, temperamental and demanding'. Īn extravagant admiration for divas is a common element of camp culture. The Italian actress Lyda Borelli is considered the first cinematic diva, following her breakthrough role in Love Everlasting (1913). In contemporary Italian, diva and divo simply denote much-admired celebrities, especially film actresses and actors, and can be translated as '(film) star'. The Italian term divismo describes the star-making system in the film industry. The male form divo exists in Italian and is usually reserved for the most prominent leading tenors, like Enrico Caruso and Beniamino Gigli. The basic sense of the term is goddess, the feminine of the Latin word divus (Italian divo), someone deified after death, or Latin deus, a god.

The plural of the word in English is 'divas' in Italian, dive. It is derived from the Italian noun diva, a female deity. The word entered the English language in the late 19th century. Diva can also refer to a person, especially one in show business, with a reputation for being temperamental or demanding. If referring to an actress, the meaning of diva is closely related to that of prima donna. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. ĭiva ( / ˈ d iː v ə/ Italian: ) is the Latin word for a goddess. American singer Mariah Carey is often described as an 'ultimate diva' by the media for her musical ability as well as her demanding persona.

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