It’s been speculated that in some way, The Weeknd’s performance as a plastic surgery patient kept under wraps by some bloody bandages in his “Save Your Tears” video, is a dig at ex-girlfriend Bella Hadid. Well, not Hadid specifically, but at the rumors of her own experience going under the knife—which, to be clear, she has denied.
On Sunday night, during his halftime show during the Super Bowl—which the powers that be held for some unknown reason—rumors of a scorned relationship flared up again online. Near the end of his performance, what looked to be a hundred identical performers stormed the field with Mr. Tesfaye, all in bandages and red coats of their own.
Something something, plastic surgery… something something, Instagram… something something… Kardashian Face.
Sure, the getup does share one too many similarities to popular discourse from critics about the innocuousness of plastic surgery in modern society. But to me, it merely reads like an overwrought reinvention for The Weeknd, who went from a weirdo Tumblr shut-in that made college party mixtapes, to a pop sensation and Super Bowl performer.The looming ghost of the Hadids, however, was not the only gimmick at the half-time show. There were robots, and a mirror maze, and violins, and a steadicam shot sure to induce a sense of nausea—all things that once excited people. But I feel no joy or wonder anymore. I stare into the screen, completely bored.
Wait… was it ever not boring?