Diana Defends Fashion Flubs
The road to runner-up status wasn't smooth for American Idol's Diana DeGarmo. Besides mastering their musical numbers, these pop-star wannabes had to work on their images. Sometimes, this cosmetic work included damage control — especially for DeGarmo, who sometimes sported some truly unflattering frocks. During the Latin-themed week, for instance, Simon told Di: "I give the performance a seven and the dress a zero." Ouch!
"Well, I learned satin is not really my material," DeGarmo tells TV Guide Online. "Unless you're Tamyra Gray, you cannot wear it. I learned that the hard way. Sorry for the purple dress!"
At least this plucky 16-year-old has a healthy sense of humor. You'd think catty criticisms of her weight and clothes would be crushing at her age, but the Georgia girl sure puts on a brave face.
"You know, I'm not the skinniest thing, obviously," she says. "It's OK. You just gotta learn what to wear. But dishing or bashing my clothes does not bother me. As long as it's not about my voice, I'm good. If I hear, 'Oh, you're a horrible singer!' then I get a little miffed. But hey, if it's about my clothes, c'mon, bring it on, bring it on!"
Of course, DeGarmo didn't only draw fashionista fire. Many AI fans also griped about her taking on Fantasia in the finale, instead of La Toya London. Di's response to those naysayers? "I was the bad news bear for so long that everybody doubted," she recalls. "They were saying, 'She's too cutesy!' Blah blah. Out of 70,000 people, I was second. I came this far. Hey y'all, I'm sorry, but I did! The people of America put me here."
Bottom line: She may be No. 2, but Diana DeGarmo aims to play it like
Clay, grabbing success even
sans the
Idol title. "Fantasia," she promises, "you better watch out, sister. 'Cause I'm comin'!"
