On Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has recently declared in the Times interview that she is, in fact, a feminist.

I was surprised to see no buzz about this in the blogosphere, as there was a lot of it when she said that she wasn't. But bad is always noticed before good...or maybe not. No, most likely not, I would think.

Anyway, the textual quote is this:

“Do you know what that girl at the bar said to me?” she says, sipping her Scotch, and taking a single drag off a fag before handing it back. “She said, ‘You’re a feminist. People think it means man-hating, but it doesn’t.’ Isn’t that funny?”



Earlier in the day, conversation had turned to whether Gaga would describe herself as feminist or not. As the very best conversations about feminism often will, it had segued from robust declarations of emancipation and sisterhood (“I am a feminist because I believe in women’s rights, and protecting who we are, down to the core”) to musing on who she fancied. (“In the video to Telephone, the girl I kiss, Heather, lives as a man. And as someone who does like women, something about a more masculine woman makes me feel more… feminine. When we kissed, I got that fuzzy butterfly feeling.”)



We had concluded that it was odd most women “shy away” from declaring themselves feminists, because “it really doesn’t mean ‘man-hating’ ”.

I was really about to give a party after hearing this. I mean, I have always believed that Gaga is a feminist just by existing as Gaga, but hearing her say it gives me a warm sensation. After all, it's to her that half the conversations with my friends turn (all obsessed little monsters...) , so it's nice to see her taking strong stands. Just like when she spoke for gay rights and other such episodes. Most of her fans will follow.

Some would argue that Gaga's feminism is actually inexistent. She is a thin, hairless, blonde, white woman after all- and she acts sexy most of the time. She doesn't do much to defy traditional beauty standards.
Yet, the sexiness has to be there. It has been an essential part of pop music for far too much time to be completely eliminated. But it's not the only thing that's present.

This is just sexy for the sake of it.

This is something weird and subversive.

And, still in the Times interview, she said:

“ It’s not what straight men masturbate over when they’re at home watching pornography, it’s not for them. It’s for… us.”

And her music, her videos- even her twitter, all have pretty liberating meanings. Liberating for anyone who feels freaky, outcast or inadequate. Thus, pretty much for everyone.

Gaga is not really a person. Stefani was a person. Gaga is an image, and as such, she can be interpreted in countless ways.

But it's really hard to see her as just another pop star who will disappear in a couple of years. Probably it's just her genius marketing tecniques (giving fans a name can't hurt), or maybe something else that you can't really identify, an aura that she has created around herself  through everything she does. So intensely human yet strangely mithologic.

Or maybe it's just me, I don't know.

She inspires me, she gives me strength, so whatever I say about her can't be objective- not even a little bit.

Thus I will just shut up for the moment, since I guess that if I continue liking her so obsessively she will turn up casually in many other posts. xD

P.S. I don't know what to think about her comment on feeling more feminine with a masculine woman...?