Last week I had my first article published in the school newspaper. I decided this year to do an opinion's column, except I only remembered this at 2 AM the day of my noon deadline. So sitting in front of a blank screen, I tried desperately to come up with an opinion on something, anything. All of a sudden my friend said, "Everyone has an opinion about Lady GaGa, write about her."
Fishnet tights, metallic platforms and pointy shoulder pads finished off my friends’ Friday night outfits. Climbing into a cab, they should have been going to an all night dance party, but really they were just sick.
Not stay at home with the stomach flu sick or 104-degree fever sick; they caught the Gaga fever, and it’s a hard one to shake.
From her days at Tisch School of the Arts in New York in 2003 to releasing her first album in 2008, Lady Gaga has been nothing but weird, and it’s just continued from there. This woman has sold over 15 million albums worldwide by talking about someone’s “Poker Face.” Gaga also sings about “Liking it Rough” and taking off “Our Fancy Pants.” But it’s more than just crude lyrics that have inspired Lady Gaga fans to show up in droves at her concerts.
Lady Gaga’s personality is just as eccentric as her lyrics. Bringing Kermit the Frog as her date to the 2009 Video Music Awards, Gaga made another one of her famously confusing public appearances.
Even when heading to the supermarket, the singer goes out in full costume and makeup. Clearly, she is not one to push that celebrities are real people, too.
Personally, I don’t understand the hype. The costumes and the stunts all seem to be just a ruse to get famous quick and to make people talk, even if it isn’t always positive things being said. However, I have to give it to Gaga, she doesn’t beat around the bush about her desire for fame, naming her first two albums “The Fame” and “Fame Monster.”
She’s even using her fame status to preach abstinence to her young fans. Handing out condoms at all her shows, Gaga told The Huffington Post about her celibacy, and her desire for her fans to hold off on sex and “get to know people.” Sounds pretty hypocritical to me, coming from a woman who sings about “disco sticks.”
What if all of our favorite celebrities survived on gimmicks alone? When I hear Lady Gaga’s name, her singing voice isn’t exactly the first thing on my mind. Whatever happened to the sophistication and culture of the performing arts? What once used to be a nation’s refined taste has now shifted unto gyrating divas like Gaga.
If we want to continue seeing talented people become icons let’s ditch the gimmicks and the pointy shoulder pads, and rely on our art.
Surprisingly, I've gotten quite a bit of email response from this piece, something I didn't even think was worth publishing. So surprise me again! Let me know if you have any opinions.
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