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I don't like Lady Gaga.
Blasphemy alert. I’m a sixteen year old American girl and I don’t like Lady Gaga. And no, it’s not because I don’t like her music, her costumes, or her performances. I just don’t like being manipulated.
Actually, I lied. It’s partly her music, costumes, and performances. But not so much because they’re hideous or outrageous or tiresome. But looking back at those pictures of her as a “normal” girl and seeing what and who she is now, it’s almost insulting. The fact that this girl had to change into something almost non-human to finally get noticed is unsettling, at best. She’s instead this cold, faceless force. No one noticed her when she was trying to “make it”. But then the fame machine (monster, she calls it?) seemed to eat her up and spit out an entirely new person, repackaged and revamped to “shock” us all.
And in the end, it really isn’t even that shocking. It’s almost a little pathetic (and you’ll see what I mean by insulting) when it seems that the state of the nation’s youth has degenerated so much that we need a woman in a mask and sparkling breasts to tell us that we’re all okay. Okay to be different, okay to be loved, the whole package. Because then we really aren’t, are we?
She's been quoted as saying, “I would rather die than have my fans not see me in a pair of high heels. I'd never give up my wigs and hats for anything.” I'm afraid that this mentality about possessions and image, to her millions of female fans, is dangerous. She speaks almost as if these material things are as vital to life as water is. This is the same woman who says that “I'm always saying something about art and music and fame. That's why you don't ever catch me in sweatpants.” She claims that her style and her persona is for art, and yet, it begs the question if she ever does anything for herself. She makes herself a martyr for the love of her fans. And if she is as passionate as she says she is about new frontiers in art, why are the vast majority of her lyrics about sex and money?
I'm not asking her to be anything different, not exactly. Give me a David Bowie reincarnate, an rebel in the music industry. But give me a little more complexity, a little more beauty, a little more thought than just what's on the outside. Give me another facet than just the freaky hair and makeup and clothing, because if that’s all there is, her opinion about simply being yourself is lost somewhere in the jumble of cosmetics and oversized sunglasses. But most of all, give me a break.
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This article has 471 comments.
THANK YOU.
I try explaining this to my friends all the time, and they never agree. Lady Gaga is famous because she's weird. I appreciate unique, and I love different. Lady Gaga, however, is just bizzare. She has no thoughts, and most of her songs have no true meanings. Her song "Born This Way" does have a good message, but it's not original at all. The theme that you should love yourself has been around forever. She is a fake.
yeah, i totally agree with you, that i don't like lady gaga as a person. but as an actress/singer/perfomance artist/etc, i think she is really good. yeah, some of her lyrics and be a little racy, but even the beatles have some songs like that. the funny thing is is that i absolutely hate all pop music and at first i didn't think lady gaga was all that great, but when i saw her music videos, i kinda liked her. i mean, i don't really like her as a person (well, as much as i know about her) and none of her songs are on my mp3 player, but i don't hate her as a perfomance artist.
anyways, i thought this piece was very well-written. usually when pieces are controversial like this, the become popular only because they are controversial, even if they are horribly written (which bothers me SO much). i thought this piece was gonna be something like that, but it was actually pretty good, i liked how you had quotes from her. keep up the goo work!
The thing about Lady Gaga is everyone calls her 'shocking' or 'unique' but everything she's been doing has been done before. Wearing an 'interesting' outfit and reproducing the same boring, repititive pop music that has been made time and time again is not being original. And what exactly is her great message? She's telling people they can 'be different' or 'be themselves' or something I suppose? By spending, no doubt thousands of dollars on ridiculous costumes how is she being herself or being unique? She's not. And that meat costume, that was obviously an attention stunt. How could someone want raw meat against their skin? That did not look good or give any sort of valid message. She talks about fashion all the time and thinks she's so clever when she makes references like those made in her interview in V magazine saying that a person not familiar with these references could 'never' go into fashion. As though she is an avocate for the industry? She is supposed to be providing her 'little monsters' with what? Some hope, some amazing message? By trying to be constantly outrageous? Lady Gaga is not 'unique' or 'original', she just keeps trying to shock the public with her lyrics, music videos and outfits. And it's working. People seem to idolise her and for what? Where does her real talent lie? Because it clearly is not in writing lyrics. I like the raw her. I'm not saying you have to be 'boring' or 'normal' but it's like she's completely denying herself to be the least bit normal just for the sake of her career as though this will improve things? Maybe if she wore the costumes and was just blunt about it I'd like her. Actually, no I wouldn't I don't like her music. Sorry I just had to get a few things off my chest.
Whatever, like Lady Gaga if you choose, but please lay off describing her as 'original'.
Lady Gaga, so you say you are...
You're giving girls bad ideas. We don't need makeup and high heels to be beautiful. We don't need to sing about partying and stuff to make ourselves feel good. That's what everyone is singing about right now, anyway. Try some story-telling and ballads. They're good for your soul.
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