Although I agree with your idea that she had to change and glamorize herself to be noticed, I disagree with the rest. No one, aside from Lady Gaga, can exactly say whether her costumes and accessories are an extension of herself or simply a means of attracting attention. It's true that she wasn't always this "out there", but it doesn't mean that she isn't instigating the change herself. Also, isn't it better that someone this colorful is preaching acceptance and diversity than an "average joe" type? Besides, the quotes you have cited can be interpreted in multiple contexts-such as her refusing to change her style (tone it down) and that she enjoys making an artistic statement that isn't quite as strong when wearing sweatpants. It's art; it's allowed to be different. dramatic, and diverse. 

As three enourmous televisions, spanning from floor to ceiling, broadcast the sound and image of the so-called, "Mother Monster" I'm not sure how you could make that book anymore Dystopian after that....xD

I disagree. :) And yes you may call me crazy and probably a freak for this, but I love Lady Gaga, or I say, mother monster. To begin with, many people don't see the true person in her behind the fame and the "hideous" fashion, every bit of her is devoted to art and music and by wearing "outrageous" outfits, she is expressing herself as an artist who isn't bounded by the norms of the society, this has no negative influence in her fans. I am from the same community and I witness that, they are brave and really nice, but fierce when it comes to defending our idol.  You compare her with her old pictures from childhood, let me tell you - she was never normal haha. You can see her pictures of her wearing red lipstick and dark outfits - a little weird for her age. She was bullied throughout her high school because others thought that she was a freak, on one such incident, one of the bullies threw her in the trash. Her first and only dream was to be a singer, she learned to play the piano by ear at age 4 and took lessons when she was 5. She was always the weirdo who played in crazy outfits at clubs and theaters and go go danced to Black Sabbath. Fame never changed her. (On the side note, do you realize that a lot of the outfits she wear are made by elite fashion designers? Fashion is fine art, not for domestic use that is why we think most of it is eccentric.) Further in, she brought pop and dance music into the big scene, once again, music can't remain blues forever, or rock forever; it must evolve and that is what sells. Her transition from The Fame to Born This Way meant a transition in terms of music and fashion. Some songs have a deeper meaning than what it seems, Speechless is a good song which shows her lyrical skills. Edge of Glory was dedicated to her grandfather who passed away, "Hair" is about freedom of expression, "Marry The Night" - which the general public thought was repulsive - is based on her actual story of how she got rejected by a record label but still dared to make it. "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." Just because she dresses differently doesn't mean that she can't have a voice in the society. We understand her not because she manipulated us in her spells, but because we know her story, we know who she is and who she was, and the fact that even through rejection, bullying, bulimia etc. - she paved her way to become who she is today. A global icon dubbed as the "Rising Queen of Pop". The road to success is not as straight as it seems. She says, "The most important thing in people's creativity is to honor your creativity and not ever ignore it because of what the society is projecting us." She may seem to have the fame to her head like other celebs, but she's really humble and down-to-earth. This is what she said at the Monster Bal Tour concert (at Madison Square Garden, sold out.) "I used to dream and I used to pray that one day one person would believe in me, so when you( the audience) leave tonight, I want you to know that at least one person believes in you (bows)." You can say these things once, twice, thrice and call it fake but she's been saying it all her career and believing it all her life. If you still think I've been brainwashed and that it's fake and artificial, don't worry there are thousands more trying to bring her down, telling her to die and kill herself - but millions of us will always be there for her. xoxo

i agree with you. i think lady gaga is very entertaining, however, what you said really opened my eyes about artists pretty much selling their souls just so people can listen to their music or even get attention. i always said that if i ever became famous, i would never not be myself. i would always remain humble. thank you. :)

Absolutely, 100%. I finally got around to watching one of her videos (I thought her music was mediocre so I never bothered) and was disgusted that this stuff is popular. Her image is lame and more superficial than most, her shock value is tiresome and transparent. But when I decide to watch a video and find it to be loaded with straight-up soft porn and Satanic symbolism, and realize that THIS is the person people freakin' idolize, I pretty much lost hope for Western society. Thanks for giving me a shred of it back.

Im not really a big fan of Lady Gaga either not just because im not allowed to listen to her music. She just seems so fake. I want to be a singer too but I dont wanna do it if I have to dress up like a self glorified barbie doll and only sing about inappropriate things.  Really thought provoking piece. 5 stars

I am a 13 year old kid from San Ysidro, CA and I do like Lady Gaga I don´t care how she looks or because of her performances I like her because she taught me a lot of being brave and also because she has talent..

A beautiful new take on the image that is Lady Gaga

Honestly, I agree with your opinion because, music has an impact on people. Meaning her fans idolize her and will try to be just like her. which is a bad idea.

Amen. Finally, I never knew why I had such a distaste for Lady Gaga. I mean, I knew I did, I just never put enough thought into it to generate words. You did, perfectly! Great article, very articulate.

I love how well-written and convincing this article is, even though I'm a GaGa fan, but not nearly as much as most people. I really like a couple of her songs, and that's about it. But I love that you have the guts to come out and say exactly what you don't like about her. Not a lot of people would because of bandwagoning. Great job.

Nothing like that. I'm Little Monster and I can say, that GaGa isn't only showbussiness doll. Really, it's not like that!

I dont agree with what  you  think about her. Her music is fine and her clothes are creative.

Well written. I fully, 100% agree with you about this Gal. You should be a blogger or a reporter. This was amazing.

Have you ever read Fahrenheit 451? Huzzah to your strong voice and well written piece. I agree with you.

I see your opinion on this I do and I'm not necessarily dissagreeing, but in show biz there's this thing called image, and if you make it noticable, different, and worth a "look" at your image will shoot up drastically. I do agree it is an act ( and I am a big Lady GaGa fan) she did change and she is doing this costume make up thing as an act--because it works! I mean she made 129 million dollars last year by doing what she's doing so I wouldn't complain with that much cash--she knows how to work the image industry and give people a "show" but as for her music I will strongy dissagree most of it is about New York--trust me on this I own the "Born This Way" Album--as for the article well written.

Its very hard to stay true to yourself in pop music culture. Look at katy perry, justin bieber, britney spears. None of those people started out over the top and "fake". Once they sign a contract, they're locked into whatever the manager wants. Dont hate them, hate what has been done to them. maybe they were nieve, fine. But not bad. they were taken advantage of. feel bad

I agree. Good article. Teenage girls have been bombarded with unreal media images of media stars. Rather than how you look on the outside, it's about the beauty you have on the inside. No amount of wigs, makeup, and costumes can complete with true inner beauty.  It is a challenge to teenage girls to find their inner beauty regardless of how they look on the outside.

I agree. Good article. Teenage girls have been bombarded with unreal media images of media stars. Rather than how you look on the outside, it's about the beauty you have on the inside. No amount of wigs, makeup, and costumes can complete with true inner beauty.  It is a challenge to teenage girls to find their inner beauty regardless of how they look on the outside.

I have to agree with much of this, however, I have to admit as well that I still enjoy some of her music. Unlike much of the artists who are making music for the world today, she actually has talent. If you go to a Lady Gaga concert, she will sound very much alike her recordings. She can SING, unlike the other "artists" who can autotune. She also plays piano very well. I respect her, because although some of what she says may sound shallow, she knew what it took and who to manipulate to get what she wanted, and she got it. Still, this is a well written article.