14 DAY TRIAL // Mariah Carey isn’t ashamed to admit that she’s a diva, “dahling!,” but in case you were wondering just how big a diva she is, a new lawsuit offers an answer to that: she is the kind of diva who demands services worth $85,000 (€67,944) just to get ready for a photoshoot.
The claims are made in a lawsuit filed by a photographer who argues that the singer hired him for a photoshoot, and even though all her conditions were met promptly, she bailed on him at the last minute.
The photographer is seeking for damages to the tune of $150,000 (€119,972), which is his standard celebrity fee, TMZ reports.
A fortune on makeup and styling
Honestly, we don’t think there’s one person in this world who looks at a photo or footage of Mariah in concert or on TV or even out and about, “running errands,” and thinks “here is a woman who just got out of bed, threw something on, and went out.”
Mariah is all about her diva image, so she invests a lot of money into it, from her diamond jewelry to her designer clothes and her typical Mariah styling. She is also very particular about lighting whenever she’s having her photo taken and does whatever is in her control to give the best picture possible.
So naturally, we all knew that her maintenance / beauty cost must be huge overall, but it’s still surprising to hear she requires services worth a fortune just to get all dolled up for one photoshoot. And to think that she also has her people severely retouch her photos before they come out.
According to the lawsuit, this is what it takes to get Mariah “camera-ready”: stylist – $65,391 (€52,241.7), hair stylist – $9,600 (€7,673), makeup artist – $7,200 (€5,755), manicurist – $2,400 (€1,918). We assume that Mariah is only employing her own people, with whom she’s worked before; otherwise, there’s no explanation for these high fees.
Carey’s people have already responded to the lawsuit, saying that the conditions weren’t fully agreed upon, so neither Mariah nor her label should foot the bill.
Diva rumors have been around for ever
That Mariah spends this kind of money just to get ready for a photoshoot is almost a trifle compared to other diva rumors that have made the rounds in recent years.
In fact, she’s been plagued by those since she first made it big, having presumably started with the assumption that such an amazing and famous singer could only feel entitled to ask for the most ridiculous things from her people.
Speaking of, the most ridiculous diva demands Mariah is said to have made include: she’s not to be spoken to or looked at unless she addresses you directly, she’s not to have a female staffer whom she might consider more beautiful stand next to her (regardless of whether said staffer is a PA, backup singer, or even nanny), she is not to be told things that might upset her (and that includes any kind of criticism about her or her work).
Mariah is rumored to ask for her room at various hotels she receives accommodation to be adorned with butterflies and Hello Kitties wherever possible and in whatever form they can find. She will refuse to speak to save her voice, and expects her staff to know what she wants just by a flick of the wrist.
On one occasion, she reportedly refused to perform at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony because organizers couldn’t provide her with hundreds of white doves, which she wanted to release when her song reached the climax.
Again, asking for this kind of money in styling fees almost seems like a joke now, doesn’t it?