Ode to Ozzy
How Heavy Metal Dressed the Future
This week has left a mark on us all, punk hearts. Ozzy Osbourne has passed away, and I could not miss an opportunity like this to write about something that has defined my personality since I was a kid: rock music. Of course, I am making this Paradiso coded by diving into his chaotic love life with Sharon (because apparently I can't write anything on this platform without mentioning love), and naturally, into the metal and punk aesthetic that came with it.
Let me lecture you on love and rock and roll, the love story of Ozzy and Sharon. This way, when you find yourself in a conversation with some metalheads, you can drop a few facts and pretend you like heavy sounds and men who call themselves the Prince of Darkness.
Let us rewind to a time when love was not about matching outfits or soft-launching relationships on Instagram. Enter Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, the original glam goth Bonnie and Clyde, fueled by drugs, demons, devotion, and Dior (well, on her side). He was the bat-biting, blackout-prone frontman of Black Sabbath. She was the sharp-tongued manager with a list of enemies and a master plan. Their romance was anything but soft. Ozzy once tried to strangle her during a drug-induced psychosis, and Sharon still chose to stay, rebuild him, and turn his chaos into an empire. They fought, split, cheated, screamed, and somehow found their way back to each other again and again. That is not just love. That is rock and roll mythology. And while pop culture flirts with curated chaos, Ozzy and Sharon lived it. Eyeliner smudged, nails dirty, screaming into the void, and kissing through the flames.
In case you are not already clued in, Black Sabbath, Ozzy’s original band, helped invent heavy metal as we know it, alongside Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. This was not just music. This was cultural architecture.
Now before you scroll away thinking that is not your vibe, hear me out. These freaks, outsiders, and eyeliner loving weirdos cracked open a space where rebellion could be loud, theatrical, and deeply personal. They were not just playing guitars. They were tearing up gender norms, dressing like cursed angels in velvet and leather, and making music that felt like spiritual possession.
Their style was dark, dramatic, and defiantly unpolished. It gave rise to goth, punk, grunge, and even today’s fashion week runways. What was once seen as too niche or too aggressive ended up shifting how we understand identity, self expression, and power.
So how does this translate today?
While it is not a direct trajectory, the influence is unmistakable. Brands like Rick Owens, also known as the Lord of Darkness (does that sound familiar? lol), R13, Chrome Hearts, early Alexander McQueen, and Ann Demeulemeester all carry the same train of thought: rebellion. Through darkness, strange silhouettes, smudged makeup, and an outlaw attitude, they dress their customers in the same ideology Black Sabbath and Ozzy once screamed into their ears.
Rick Owens distorts classical tailoring into dystopian silhouettes, blending brutalism and elegance in a way that feels like a discourse for the stylish damned.
R13 captures raw, post-grunge American angst through distressed denim, oversized layers, and the kind of leather jackets that look like they’ve lived through mosh pits and heartbreak.
Chrome Hearts fuses biker culture with gothic excess, turning silver hardware, crosses, and heavy leather into sacred objects for rock aristocracy.
Alexander McQueen, in his early days, brought romantic darkness to the runway with theatrical silhouettes and collections inspired by death, decay, and rebellion against beauty standards.
Ann Demeulemeester offers a quieter defiance, using poetry, asymmetry, and androgynous tailoring to create garments that feel like relics from a beautiful, haunted world.
So yes, heavy metal might seem bizarre to some, but it made it possible for you to wear nail polish, skirts, or combat boots, no matter your gender, without apology.
Bottom line is, regardless of the fashion or even the music, I hope you find the Ozzy to your Sharon or the other way around. I hope you find someone who, through all their chaos, always chooses you. Through pain, obsession, trauma, and the whole mess life throws at you and that you bring with you, I hope you find a love that is just as iconic.
Because if there is one thing that truly matters, it is not the style, the aesthetic, or any of the surface-level stuff. It is who you want to share your madness with. Ozzy and Sharon are proof that even at the peak of fame and societal pressure, two people can fully accept each other — the good, the bad, and the full-blown rock and roll.
Meanwhile, we are barely taught how to tell who is worth keeping and who is worth letting go. So may you rise above your fears and the fake ideal sold to you online, the idea that you must constantly reinvent yourself and cut everyone off. Choose instead to see the good in people, even in those who have hurt you or have shattered that first fragile glimpse of perfection. And most of all, make sure the people you choose are choosing you too.
With lots of love and chaos,
Paula