Editing Cher (section)

== Public image ==
=== Fashion icon status ===
[[File:Sonny & Cher Show 1977 Cropped.JPG|upright|thumb|left|alt=Cher wears an Egyptian-inspired costume featuring an ornate beaded headdress, jeweled collar and a shimmering two-piece outfit with matching bracelets.|Cher exposing her navel during a skit on ''[[The Sonny and Cher Show]]'', 1977]]

''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' described Cher as a "cultural phenomenon [who] has forever changed the way we see celebrity fashion".<ref name=Lang2016>{{cite magazine |last=Lang |first=Cady |url=https://time.com/4341151/cher-best-looks/ |title=Cher Birthday: Fashion Evolution |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=May 20, 2016 |archive-date=May 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524011738/https://time.com/4341151/cher-best-looks/ |url-status=live |quote=There's a reason Cher is called the goddess of pop[.]}}</ref> She emerged as a [[fashion icon|fashion trendsetter]] in the 1960s, popularizing "hippie fashion with [[bell-bottoms]], [[bandana]]s and Cherokee-inspired [[tunic]]s".<ref name=Aminosharei-2010>{{cite magazine|first=Nojan|last=Aminosharei|url=http://www.elle.com/fashion/g2102/fashion-high-notes-446376/?slide=5|title=Influential Women in Music {{ndash}} Influential Musicians|magazine=[[Elle (magazine)|Elle]]|date=June 2010|access-date=January 18, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222115603/http://www.elle.com/fashion/g2102/fashion-high-notes-446376/?slide=5|archive-date=December 22, 2015}}</ref> In 1967, she caught the attention of then-''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' editor [[Diana Vreeland]] at a party for [[Jacqueline Kennedy]] and began modeling for photographer [[Richard Avedon]].<ref name=Aminosharei-2010/> She appeared five times as [[List of Vogue (US) cover models|the cover model for US ''Vogue'']].<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |title=1892, Now It's Online |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/fashion/vogues-archives-go-online.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215021216/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/fashion/vogues-archives-go-online.html |archive-date=December 15, 2011 |access-date=April 6, 2025 |first=Eric |last=Wilson |date=December 14, 2011}}</ref>

Avedon photographed Cher in a beaded and feathered [[See-through clothing|nude gown]] by [[Bob Mackie]] for the cover of ''Time'' in 1975;{{sfn|Howard|2014|pp=125–126}} ''Billboard'' called it "one of the most recreated and monumental looks of all time".<ref name=Mazurek-2017>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|title=How Cher Transformed Fashion And Became One Of The Most Influential Style Icons In Red Carpet History|first=Brooke|last=Mazurek|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/lifestyle/7800945/how-cher-transformed-fashion-and-became-one-of-the-most-influential|date=May 19, 2017|access-date=September 8, 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519173955/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/lifestyle/7800945/how-cher-transformed-fashion-and-became-one-of-the-most-influential|archive-date=May 19, 2017}}</ref> Cher had first worn the gown to the 1974 [[Met Gala]]. According to [[André Leon Talley]] of ''Vogue'', "it was really the first time a Hollywood celebrity attended and it changed everything. We are still seeing versions of that look on The Met red carpet 40 years later."<ref name=Mazurek-2017/> ''Billboard'' wrote that Cher has "transformed fashion and [become] one of the most influential style icons in red carpet history".<ref name=Mazurek-2017/>

''[[The Hamilton Spectator]]'' declared Cher "the [[It girl|It Girl]] of the '70s".<ref>{{cite news |last=Lynn |first=Darling |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-hamilton-spectator-cher-just-how-lo/163880925/ |title=Cher: Just how long can Hollywood's oldest teenager remain at 17? |newspaper=[[The Hamilton Spectator]] |date=July 21, 1979 |access-date=January 25, 2025}}</ref> She became a [[sex symbol]] through her TV shows, wearing inventive and revealing Mackie-designed outfits and successfully fighting network censors to bare her [[navel]].{{sfn|Mansour|2005|p=82}} Because she did so by choice rather than at the direction of male producers, Cher is often credited as the first woman to expose her navel on TV.{{efn|The first woman to expose her navel on TV was [[Yvette Mimieux]] in 1964.<ref>{{cite web |title=Navel gazing: The first female belly buttons ever seen on TV |url=https://www.metv.com/lists/navel-gazing-the-first-female-belly-buttons-ever-seen-on-tv |access-date=July 25, 2020 |publisher=[[MeTV]] |archive-date=July 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725051024/https://www.metv.com/lists/navel-gazing-the-first-female-belly-buttons-ever-seen-on-tv|url-status=live}}</ref>}}<ref name=navel>Sources identifying Cher as the first woman to expose her navel on television:
* {{harvnb|Chunovic|2000|p=57}}.
* {{cite news|ref=none|last=Fury|first=Alexander|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/cher-on-the-cover-of-love-magazine-queen-of-chiffon-and-sequins-is-the-ultimate-fashion-icon-10411943.html |title=Cher on the cover of Love magazine: Queen of chiffon and sequins is the ultimate fashion icon|newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=July 23, 2015|access-date=January 18, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221213920/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/cher-on-the-cover-of-love-magazine-queen-of-chiffon-and-sequins-is-the-ultimate-fashion-icon-10411943.html |archive-date=December 21, 2015}}
* {{cite news|ref=none|last=Hagwood|first=Rod Stafford|newspaper=[[Sun-Sentinel]]|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2002-08-29/lifestyle/0208280334_1_cher-comedy-hour-doll-bob-mackie|date=August 29, 2002|title=A Living Dress-up Doll|access-date=February 12, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216055107/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2002-08-29/lifestyle/0208280334_1_cher-comedy-hour-doll-bob-mackie|archive-date=February 16, 2016}}
* {{cite web|ref=none|last=Johnson|first=Zach|url=http://www.eonline.com/au/news/521262/cher-and-bob-mackie-end-42-year-partnership-i-m-crying-the-singer-tweets|publisher=[[E! (Australia)|E!]]|title=Cher and Bob Mackie End 42-Year Partnership: "I'm Crying," the Singer Tweets|date=March 14, 2014|access-date=February 12, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303032935/http://www.eonline.com/au/news/521262/cher-and-bob-mackie-end-42-year-partnership-i-m-crying-the-singer-tweets|archive-date=March 3, 2016}}
* {{harvnb|Trier-Bieniek|2014|p=105}}.</ref> ''People'' dubbed Cher the "pioneer of the belly beautiful".<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|url=http://people.com/archive/for-those-who-can-stomach-it-the-belly-beautiful-emerges-as-the-seasons-hot-new-look-vol-25-no-16/|title=For Those Who Can Stomach It, the Belly Beautiful Emerges as the Season's Hot New Look|first1=Kristina|last1=Johnson|first2=Cathy|last2=Nolan|first3=Jacqueline|last3=Savaiano|date=April 21, 1986|access-date=February 12, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226221920/http://people.com/archive/for-those-who-can-stomach-it-the-belly-beautiful-emerges-as-the-seasons-hot-new-look-vol-25-no-16/|archive-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> In 1972, after she was featured on the [[International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List]], Mackie stated: "There hasn't been a girl like Cher since [Marlene] Dietrich and [[Greta Garbo|[Greta] Garbo]]. She's a high-fashion star who appeals to people of all ages."{{sfn|Bego|2001|p=77}}

In 1999, after the [[Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)]] honored Cher with its Influence on Fashion Award, [[Robin Givhan]] of the ''Los Angeles Times'' called her a "fashion visionary" for "striking just the right note of contemporary wretched excess".<ref name=Givhan-1999>{{cite news |first=Robin |last=Givhan |author-link=Robin Givhan |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-14-cl-36955-story.html |title=And the Fashion Award Goes to&nbsp;... Cher? |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=May 14, 1999 |access-date=January 18, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618213206/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/may/14/news/cl-36955 |archive-date=June 18, 2012}}</ref> Givhan noted that designers such as [[Tom Ford]], [[Anna Sui]] and [[Dolce & Gabbana]] have cited Cher as "source of inspiration and guidance".<ref name=Givhan-1999/> She added that "Cher's Native American showgirl sexpot persona now seems to epitomize the fashion industry's rush to celebrate [[ethnicity]], adornment and sex appeal."<ref name=Givhan-1999/> ''Vogue'' proclaimed Cher "[their] favorite fashion trendsetter", calling her "eternally relevant [and] the ruler of outré reinvention".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Satenstein|first=Liana|url=http://www.vogue.com/article/cher-turns-70-style-evolution|title=All Hail Cher, Queen of the Red Carpet Rebels|magazine=[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]|date=May 20, 2016|access-date=May 10, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507072650/http://www.vogue.com/article/cher-turns-70-style-evolution|archive-date=May 7, 2017}}</ref> ''[[The Independent]]''{{'}}s Alexander Fury traced her influence on celebrities including [[Beyoncé]], [[Halle Berry]], Jennifer Lopez and [[Kim Kardashian]], stating, "They all graduated from the Cher school of never sharing the stage with anyone."<ref name=Fury-2015>{{cite news|last=Fury|first=Alexander|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/cher-on-the-cover-of-love-magazine-queen-of-chiffon-and-sequins-is-the-ultimate-fashion-icon-10411943.html |title=Cher on the cover of Love magazine: Queen of chiffon and sequins is the ultimate fashion icon|newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=July 23, 2015|access-date=February 12, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160218142818/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/cher-on-the-cover-of-love-magazine-queen-of-chiffon-and-sequins-is-the-ultimate-fashion-icon-10411943.html |archive-date=February 18, 2016}}</ref>

=== Physical appearance ===

Cher has attracted media attention for her physical appearance, including her youthful looks, hairstyles and tattoos. Journalists have often called Cher the "poster girl" of plastic surgery.<ref name=McCracken>{{harvnb|McCracken|2008|p=27}}</ref> Cher has admitted to plastic surgery but criticized media speculation, denying most rumored procedures. She stated she doesn't need to justify her choices, saying in 2002, "If I want to put my tits on my back, it's nobody's business but my own."<ref>{{cite news |publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |title=The World According to Cher |date=February 26, 2002 |access-date=March 15, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141119182400/https://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=132108 |archive-date=November 19, 2014 |url-status=live |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=132108}}</ref>

Author Caroline Ramazanoglu wrote that Cher's appearance has evolved from "a strong, decidedly 'ethnic' look [to] a more symmetrical, delicate&nbsp;... and ever-youthful version of female beauty". She argued that Cher's [[Feminine beauty ideal|idealized beauty]] "now acts as a standard against which other women will measure, judge, discipline and 'correct' themselves".{{sfn|Ramazanoglu|1993|p=197}} Paddy Calistro of the ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote that during Cher's rise as a movie star in the 1980s, her "highly articulated bone structure captured audience attention", which led to an increased number of medical requests for "surgically inserted '[[Zygomatic bone|cheekbones]]'".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-16-vw-245-story.html |title=Porizkova's Eyes. Cher's Cheekbones. Basinger's Lips. A Surgical Search for the Ideal Face |first=Paddy |last=Calistro |date=March 16, 1990 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=December 15, 2022 |archive-date=December 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215235706/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-16-vw-245-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{multiple image
| total_width       = 290
| align             = left
| image1            = Sonny and Cher Love American Style 1971 Cropped.JPG
| caption1          = "The Cher Hair", Cher's signature hairstyle, in 1971
| alt1              = Cher smiling with long, straight dark hair parted in the center, wearing a light-colored top with buttons and a beaded necklace.
| image2            = CherO2201019-35 (48933042391) (cropped).jpg
| caption2          = Cher with a blonde wig at a 2019 performance
| alt2              = Cher performs on stage in a black outfit with silver and crystal embellishments. Her voluminous platinum blonde wig complements her glittery pink eye makeup and glossy lips. She sings into a sparkling black microphone.
}}

Cher's signature hairstyle, known as "the Cher hair"—long, straight, jet-black hair parted in the center—was a 1970s fashion trend that saw multiple revivals in later decades.<ref name=Givhan-1999/><ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Harper's Bazaar]] |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/hair/g39034982/1970s-hairstyles/ |url-status=live |date=February 17, 2022 |first=Lindy |last=Segal |access-date=March 15, 2025 |title=The Most Iconic 1970s Hairstyles We Still Want to Wear Now |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228012614/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/hair/g39034982/1970s-hairstyles/ |archive-date=February 28, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]] |url=https://www.glamour.com/story/these-70s-hair-trends-will-be-everywhere-this-summer |archive-date=June 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622010729/https://www.glamour.com/story/these-70s-hair-trends-will-be-everywhere-this-summer |access-date=March 15, 2025 |title=These '70s Hair Trends Will Be Everywhere This Summer |first=Elle |last=Turner |url-status=live |date=June 21, 2021}}</ref> In the 1970s, she started wearing [[wig]]s on her TV shows to play various characters in the same episode.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/cher-songbook-era-by-era-comebacks-videos |first=Nathan |last=Smith |title=Songbook: How Cher's Perseverance And Rule-Breaking Persona Created A Career To Believe In |publisher=[[National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]] |access-date=March 14, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923195800/https://www.grammy.com/news/cher-songbook-era-by-era-comebacks-videos |date=September 23, 2024 |archive-date=September 23, 2024}}</ref> By the 1990s, wigs became a staple of her public appearances, enabling her to experiment with colors and lengths.{{sfn|Bego|2001|p=307}} She has stated that wigs help her "stay current" while protecting her natural hair.{{sfn|Bego|2001|p=307}} Professor [[:de:Katrin Horn|Katrin Horn]] from [[University of Greifswald]] wrote that Cher's use of wigs has surpassed typical celebrity fashion, elevating her into "the realms of [[AFAB queen|feminine drag]]".{{sfn|Horn|2017|p=198}}

Cher has six tattoos. ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]'' called her the "Ms. Original Rose Tattoo".<ref name=Sullivan-1996>{{cite news|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1996/06/02/cher-thinks-the-unthinkable-removing-all-but-one-tattoo-gasp-actress-singer-rebel-ponders-if-its-time-for-a-change-now-that-tattoos-are-so-popular-she-bets-that-even-bob-dole-has-one/|title=Cher thinks the unthinkable: removing all but one tattoo Gasp: Actress-singer-rebel ponders if it's time for a change, now that tattoos are so popular. She bets that even Bob Dole has one|newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|date=June 2, 1996|access-date=January 16, 2016|first=Jim|last=Sullivan|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115053620/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1996-06-02/news/1996154167_1_cher-tattoo-bob-dole|archive-date=January 15, 2013}}</ref> She got her first tattoo in 1972.<ref name=Sullivan-1996/> According to Sonny Bono, "Calling her butterfly tattoos nothing was like ignoring a sandstorm in the [[Mojave Desert|Mojave]]. That was exactly the effect Cher wanted to create. She liked to do things for the shock they created."{{sfn|Bono|1992|p=237}} In the late 1990s, she began having laser treatments to remove her tattoos.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Jim|last=Jerome|title=Being Cher|url=http://people.com/archive/cover-story-being-cher-vol-49-no-20/|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=May 25, 1998|access-date=January 17, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226221737/http://people.com/archive/cover-story-being-cher-vol-49-no-20/|archive-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> The process was still underway in the 2000s. She commented, "When I got tattooed, only bad girls did it: me and [[Janis Joplin]] and [[:Category:Motorcycling subculture|biker chick]]s. Now it doesn't mean anything. No one's surprised."<ref>{{cite news|first=Edna|last=Gundersen|author-link=Edna Gundersen|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-02-06-cher-side_N.htm|title=Cher shares: Life, love, tattoos, politics, paparazzi|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|access-date=January 16, 2016|date=February 6, 2008|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125001357/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-02-06-cher-side_N.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Cher was the inspiration for [[Mother Gothel]], a fictional character who appears in [[Walt Disney Pictures]]' animated feature film ''[[Tangled]]'' (2010). Director [[Byron Howard]] stated that Gothel's exotic appearance was based on Cher's "exotic and Gothic looking" appearance, continuing that the singer "definitely was one of the people we looked at visually, as far as what gives you a striking character".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/tangled-nathan-greno-and-byron-howard-interview |title=''Tangled'' – Nathan Greno and Byron Howard interview |year=2010 |access-date=August 9, 2014 |website=IndieLondon |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006071418/http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/tangled-nathan-greno-and-byron-howard-interview |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1992, [[Madame Tussauds]] wax museum honored Cher as one of the five "most beautiful women of history" by creating a life-size statue.{{sfn|Ullman|2007|p=165}}

=== Social media presence ===
Cher's social media presence has been noted for its unconventional and candid style. ''Time'' named Cher "Twitter's most outspoken (and beloved) commentator",<ref name=Lang2016/> while ''The New York Times''{{'}} [[J Wortham]] highlighted her authenticity, contrasting it with the heavily curated [[Online identity|online personas]] typical of celebrity accounts. Wortham described Cher as "an outlier, perhaps the last unreconstructed high-profile Twitter user", whose posts combine "nakedness and honesty" that is "rarely celebrated" in mainstream culture.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/magazine/theres-only-love-and-fear-on-chers-twitter.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |first=Jenna |last=Wortham |author-link=J Wortham |date=January 29, 2016 |access-date=February 12, 2016 |title=There's Only Love and Fear: On Cher's Twitter |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209090325/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/magazine/theres-only-love-and-fear-on-chers-twitter.html |archive-date=February 9, 2016}}</ref> Similarly, ''The Guardian''{{'}}s [[Monica Heisey]] described Cher's Twitter account as "a jewel in the bizarro crown of the internet", noting, "While many celebrities use Twitter for carefully crafted self-promotion, Cher just lets it all hang out."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/apr/30/cher-twitter-feed-the-bizarro-crown-of-the-internet |author-link=Monica Heisey |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |first=Monica |last=Heisey |date=April 30, 2015 |access-date=February 12, 2016 |title=The brilliance of Cher's Twitter – a jewel in the bizarro crown of the internet|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216203410/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/apr/30/cher-twitter-feed-the-bizarro-crown-of-the-internet |archive-date=February 16, 2016}}</ref> Journalists have also remarked on her frequent use of [[emoji]]s, which Cher has linked to her [[dyslexia]], describing them as intuitive tools for visualizing emotions.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Bellis |first=Rich |title=Cher shares why she loves emojis: they're 'modern-day hieroglyphs' |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/4023787/cher-shares-why-she-loves-emojis-theyre-modern-day-hieroglyphics |magazine=[[Fast Company]] |date=November 2, 2016 |access-date=December 7, 2024}}</ref>

=== Gay icon status ===
[[File:GLAAD Awards 2012-79 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|alt=Cher stands on stage with Chaz Bono, smiling. She wears a black outfit with an afro hairstyle, while Chaz wears a suit and tie.|Cher presenting son [[Chaz Bono]] with the [[GLAAD Stephen F. Kolzak Award]] at the 2012 [[GLAAD Media Award]]s]]

Cher is revered by the [[LGBTQ community]], a status attributed to her career accomplishments, distinctive style and enduring longevity.<ref name=Mapa-2003>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[The Advocate (magazine)|The Advocate]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7WQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA51 |title=We love you, Auntie Cher |first=Alec |last=Mapa|author-link=Alec Mapa |date=April 15, 2003 |access-date=January 18, 2016}}</ref> Many of her songs are considered [[List of gay anthems|gay anthems]], including "If I Could Turn Back Time",<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite magazine |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a31136515/lgbt-songs-queer-anthems/ |first=Keely |last=Weiss |magazine=[[Harper's Bazaar]] |title=20 LGBTQ+ Anthems to Celebrate Pride All Year Long |url-status=live |date=June 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502032239/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a31136515/lgbt-songs-queer-anthems/ |archive-date=May 2, 2020 |access-date=March 26, 2025}}
* {{cite magazine |first1=Joe |last1=Lynch |first2=Stephen |last2=Daw |first3=Hannah |last3=Dailey |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |title=70 Top LGBTQ+ Anthems of All Time |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/lgbtq-anthems-queer-pride-songs/if-i-could-turn-back-time-cher-1989/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230809172614/https://www.billboard.com/lists/lgbtq-anthems-queer-pride-songs/if-i-could-turn-back-time-cher-1989/ |archive-date=August 9, 2023 |date=June 2, 2023 |access-date=March 26, 2025}}</ref> "Believe",<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/music/lgbtq-anthems/ |first=Seija |last=Rankin |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=June 19, 2018 |title=The best LGBTQ anthems of all time |archive-date=June 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623143709/http://ew.com/music/lgbtq-anthems |access-date=March 26, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> "Strong Enough"<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite news |title=Pride 50: Here are the Top 25 Pride Anthems of All Time |newspaper=[[The Mercury News]] |first=Jim |last=Harrington |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/06/17/pride-50-here-are-the-top-25-pride-anthems-of-all-time/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704002202/https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/06/17/pride-50-here-are-the-top-25-pride-anthems-of-all-time/ |date=June 26, 2020 |archive-date=July 4, 2020 |url-status=live |access-date=March 26, 2025}}
* {{cite news |url=https://www.laweekly.com/top-lgbtq-anthems-part-2-the-80s-and-90s/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240812132644/https://www.laweekly.com/top-lgbtq-anthems-part-2-the-80s-and-90s/ |title=Top LGBTQ Anthems Part 2: The '80s and '90s |first=Michael |last=Cooper |date=September 6, 2019 |archive-date=August 12, 2024 |url-status=live |newspaper=[[LA Weekly]]}}</ref> and "Song for the Lonely".<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Into |title=20 Ultimate Gay Anthems For Pride |date=June 9, 2017 |access-date=March 26, 2025 |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/20-ultimate-gay-anthems-for-pride/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124222954/https://www.intomore.com/culture/20-ultimate-gay-anthems-for-pride/ |archive-date=January 24, 2025}}</ref> She is regarded as a [[gay icon]] and is frequently imitated by [[drag queen]]s.<ref name=Rogers-2009>{{cite web |last=Rogers |first=Thomas |url=http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2009/01/31/drag/ |title=Where have all the drag queens gone? |website=[[Salon.com]] |date=February 21, 2009 |access-date=January 16, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090514144332/http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2009/01/31/drag/ |archive-date=May 14, 2009}}</ref> According to ''[[Salon magazine|Salon]]'' writer Thomas Rogers, drag queens emulate figures like [[Judy Garland]], [[Dolly Parton]] and Cher because they "overcame insult and hardship on their path to success"—narratives that resonate with the struggles many gay men face when coming out.<ref name=Rogers-2009/>

''[[Maclean's]]'' journalist Elio Iannacci stated that Cher was "one of the first to bring drag to the masses", hiring two drag queens to perform with her during her [[Take Me Home Tour (Cher)|Las Vegas residency]] in 1979.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=September 8, 2013 |last=Iannacci |first=Elio |title=Cher on the art of the comeback |url=https://www.macleans.ca/general/on-singing-for-jackie-kennedy-working-with-lady-gaga-and-the-art-of-the-comeback/ |magazine=[[Maclean's]] |archive-date=June 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620060906/https://www.macleans.ca/general/on-singing-for-jackie-kennedy-working-with-lady-gaga-and-the-art-of-the-comeback/ |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The Advocate (magazine)|The Advocate]]''{{'}}s Jeff Yarbrough described Cher as "one of the first superstars to '[[History of homosexuality in American film|play gay]]' with compassion and without a hint of [[LGBTQ stereotypes|stereotyping]]", as she portrays a lesbian in the 1983 film ''Silkwood''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T2MEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA6|magazine=[[The Advocate (magazine)|The Advocate]]|title=Hollywood lives|first=Jeff|last=Yarbrough|date=August 20, 1996|access-date=January 18, 2016}}</ref> Cher's social activism have further solidified her status as a gay icon.{{sfn|Bernstein|2003|p=166}} As the mother of a [[trans man]], Chaz Bono, Cher has advocated for visibility and support for trans families.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://xtramagazine.com/culture/trans-parent-cher-zaya-wade-220706|title=Why trans family visibility matters|magazine=[[Xtra Magazine]]|date=March 31, 2022|access-date=April 24, 2023|archive-date=December 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224041407/https://xtramagazine.com/culture/trans-parent-cher-zaya-wade-220706|url-status=live}}</ref>

Cher's influence on [[LGBTQ culture]] was highlighted in the NBC sitcom ''[[Will & Grace]]'', where she was the idol of gay character [[Jack McFarland]]. She appeared as herself in two episodes, including "[[Gypsies, Tramps and Weed]]" (2000)—referencing her 1971 song "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves"—which became the show's second-highest-rated episode.<ref>{{cite news|title=Celebrity Update|date=November 18, 2000|newspaper=[[Orlando Sentinel]]|page=A2|quote=And Cher's guest spot on ''Will & Grace'' gave the show its second-highest rating ever}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2006/03/30/memorable-will-grace-guest-stars-cher/|title=Memorable ''Will & Grace'' guest stars: Cher|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=March 30, 2006|access-date=March 22, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104064650/http://www.ew.com/article/2006/03/30/memorable-will-grace-guest-stars-cher|archive-date=November 4, 2015}}</ref> Cher's impact on the drag community is also evident in the reality competition ''[[RuPaul's Drag Race]]'', which has honored her through challenges like the musical performance "[[The Unauthorized Rusical|Cher: The Unauthorized Rusical]]" in [[RuPaul's Drag Race season 10|season 10]] and the runway theme "[[RDR Live! (RuPaul's Drag Race season 16)|Everything Every-Cher All at Once]]" in [[RuPaul's Drag Race season 16|season 16]].<ref>"[[The Unauthorized Rusical]]". ''[[RuPaul's Drag Race]].'' Season 10. Episode 8. May 10, 2018. [[VH1]] / [[WOW Presents Plus]].</ref><ref>"[[RDR Live! (RuPaul's Drag Race season 16)|RDR Live!]]". ''[[RuPaul's Drag Race]]''. Season 16. Episode 4. January 26, 2024. [[MTV]] / [[WOW Presents Plus]].</ref>