Lilly’s Blog: Why Lady Gaga Is A Role Model for Girls
I can’t deny it any longer. Lady Gaga is, against all odds, a role model for girls.
Lady Gaga takes herself very (very) seriously. When I first listened to interviews of her, I was put off by her nasally monotone and unchanging expression. She does not giggle or smile. In short, she does not make the interviewer’s job easy.
Once I overcame my discomfort, I could appreciate what she was saying.
In a world where girls speak every statement as a question, second guess themselves in class and have trouble saying what they are good at, it is extremely refreshing to hear a woman talk about how she knows she is awesome.
And, admittedly, she is very talented. Ms. Gaga is one of a few popular singers who writes her own songs, plays instruments and sings live. She has unapologetically high ambitions of elevating pop music to an art form.
Lady Gaga is proof positive that it is hard for serious women to appear likeable. But I admire her willingness to forgo being America’s sweetheart in favor of being serious about herself as an artist. Since middle school, I have watched my friends turn into bubblegum pink, squeaky voiced, hair-twirling versions of themselves when around boys or more popular girls. I believe this behavior is a way of assuring the socially powerful that they need not feel threatened. After all, we are just little girls with cute widdle girl thoughts and a simple wimple girl brain.
Just as she does not seem to be concerned with being friendly, Lady Gaga’s sense of fashion is fabulously consumer unfriendly. She is known for her outlandish costumes both on and off stage and, ostensibly, her dislike of pants. I love that she dresses for herself. And in dressing for herself, she doesn’t wear a lot.
Lady Gaga does not, by any means, fit the bill of conventional beauty. She is not particularly pretty or thin yet she is frequently seen in little more than underwear. Lady Gaga seems to have a surplus of confidence while working in an industry that is so toxic, girls who merely view the products of it have low self-esteem.
I also admire that, in all of the interviews I’ve read or watched, she doesn’t talk about her body. Unlike other celebrities who are fond of sharing their diet and workout tips, and proliferating the notion that the “ideal” body is just one squat away, she doesn’t talk about her body. Her physical appearance is, as it should be, less important than her music.
I love that Lady Gaga is not afraid to be weird. As I explained in my blog about Halloween costumes, teenage girls have a hard time being goofy. Remaining cozy and nestled between the Os of “cool” feels safe. Venturing beyond our narrow definition of cool isn’t easy when, as a girl, you’re pretty sure everyone is watching and judging you at all times. Lady Gaga thinks outside of the box and lives outside of those double Os.
From her crazy hair to the odd visuals of her music videos, she does whatever the crack she wants. And what she wants to do is be weird. But paradoxically, because she is so un-cool, Lady Gaga is….cool. She is an oxymoron; the jumbo shrimp of coolness. If that’s not reason enough to view her as a role model, I don’t know what will convince you people.
Her name in itself is a lesson for girls. There’s nothing wrong with being a Lady. Many of the pressures girl face (the pressure to do well in school, have lots of friends, be polite) are great goals to aspire to in moderation. There is nothing wrong with wanting to avoid conflict, but that code of conduct should not be an absolute that stunts the maturation of healthy relationships.
While being a lady is an admirable pursuit, is important not to forget to act gaga every once in a while. Some moments call for impromptu dance breaks, improvised songs or uncontrollable giggling. Striking a balance between daintiness and craziness is like discovering the perfect ratio of macaroni to cheese, delicious.
While I’m not a fan of some of her hypersexual lyrics and her use of images of injured women, there are (at least) five good reasons to consider the lady a good role model for girls. She isn’t afraid to act smart, dress for herself, focus on things other than her body, be odd, and have a sick name. And last but not least, Lady Gaga recently told a reporter, “I’m getting the sense that you’re a little bit of a feminist, like I am, which is good.”
I swoon.
Lilly is a high school senior and guest blogger for RachelSimmons.com. Read more about her here.
OMG I LOVE LADY GA GA
Lady Gaga dresses way too weird. That one outfit she wore looked like a giant lacy slim jim! Plus she synthesizes her voice so much in her songs I don’t know what she really sounds like. She also steals some of her lyrics so obviously she doesn’t write all of her own stuff. A lot of her songs sound alike as well. Also, I’ve seen photos of her where she has a little penis and she denies this. If she is a hermaphrodite she should be proud of it, not hide it. Furthermore, did anyone forget that she used to be a stripper? How is that a good role model for girls in today’s society? What it says is “I’d rather strip for cash than actually go to music school”. She is also extremely anorexic and anything but natural beauty. This is terrible for teenage girl’s self esteem. At least Kelly Clarkson gained some weight and wasn’t afraid to show it. Same with Jessica Simpson.
I’m not going to comment on everything here, I just wanted to clear up the red outfit thing because I had been wondering about it too but she explained it in an interview:
“It was meant to be a continuation of the VMA performance. So after the princess had been murdered by the paparazzi, the red lace was meant to symbolize sort of my eternal martyrdom”
Red lace has some sort of historical meaning, she explained it but I forgot, it was on the Oprah interview.
Lady Gaga studied music at Tisch in New York.
I hate repeating what other people have already said, but she certainly is thin though not Barbie-doll pretty. Other than that, two thumbs up! I love her for doing her own thing.
Hi Wendy,
Perhaps I should have said that, in relation to other celebrities, she is not particularly thin. You are absolutely right when you say that, compared to the average woman, she is thin.
Lady Gaga is not thin? Have you SEEN the Bad Romance video? She’s about as “not thin” as Nicole Richie circa 2007.
Agreed. She’s crazy thin in that video.
She is also crazy manipulated in that video with computer graphics to appear big eyed and elongated. It’s obvious that the scene with the rib cage is manipulated. In real life interviews she doesn’t look anorexic at all. We should remember that when we see any photos or music videos.
just wanted to say that Gaga is very petite and has a small bone structure just like me, and if i gain or lose 5 pounds alot of my clothes dont fit me anymore.. 10 pounds and none of them fit. A pound on a smaller person makes a much bigger difference. when i’m really busy and lose a little weight, my friends think i’m anorexic, even if i have only dropped to 103 from 108-110. And she is even smaller than me. so i think if you consider her crazy schedule and hard work of being on tour, it’s probably pretty hard for her to maintain her normal weight. i think this is something that no one really ever considers about people like us!!
Well since no one responded, I will re-post my comment.
A quick search of the web, and feminist blog websites will turn up numerous reasons why Lady Gaga is no role model. Here are a few (I also posted this at feministing.com).
We can see how she has posed for a King Kong-esque photograph, here: http://www.racialicious.com/2009/12/22/die-already-king-kong-racism-lady-gaga-edition/
We can see how her lyrics portray unhealthy relationships, here: http://www.justonlinemovies.com/boston-teen-panel-lady-gaga-foxx-songs-are-unhealthy-relationship.html (this was also posted about in the feministing community site, I just am unable to find it)
And we can see how Lady Gaga uses a women in a wheelchair as a prop during her performance at the VMA’s, here: http://cripwheels.blogspot.com/2009/09/lady-gaga-and-wheelchair.html
With all these things in mind, why exactly are we swooning?
HI Daniel, thanks so much for posting – I think Word Press thought you were spam, so I approved all your comments and you should be good to go. It’s been great to hear from posters like you about the counterpoints to Lilly’s argument. I am learning a lot. I appreciate the links, too.
I hadn’t seen those issues before, and I looked them all over. I think that all of those things could be taken in different ways. You can choose to see the negative or the positive.
For example, in the picture with Kanye, when I saw that I thought he was rescuing her, I thought he looked more like he was scared than evil. I don’t know why she and Kanye (or any other African American) would choose to portray him as King Kong.
The thing about her lyrics reflecting unhealthy relationships was decided by a group of teenagers, and was only about her song “Bad Romance”. I don’t understand that though, because the song is just saying that she wants the real part of someone, the good things and the bad things that we usually keep to ourselves. And “Bad Romance” isn’t meaning a bad relationship, it is like, a bad romance novel.. romantic, too good to be true, etc.
The wheelchair thing can be interpreted many ways. Actually her whole VMA performance can be interpreted in many ways but most people think that her whole meaning behind it was to show how fame can affect someone, can CRIPPLE someone, and can eventually be the death of someone (Princess Diana, who is credited as an influence) while paparazzi are only interested in getting their picture or their story. The performance was sequential, she started out very feminine, very pretty, innocent. As the song went on, her eyes grew crazier, the dancing changed, the crutches and wheelchair came out, she played the piano like a mad woman, and she was eventually killed and held up as paparazzi were still taking pictures. The wheelchair, in my opinion, was a symbol for fame “crippling” a star, taking away their personal lives, pressuring, etc. to the point that they feel like like they can’t stand on their own two feet.
I just wanted to point out the other side of the debate, not trying to argue or anything.
It doesn’t seem like she is any more of a role model than so many others. They all seem like they are trying to copy each others sound and look. My teachers and mom are more like real role models to me. My dad said that pop music has been elevated to an art form many times by Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, Linda Ronstadt and Nat King Cole. Who are all those people?
I commented here yesterday, contradicting the main point of this article, and my comment has since been deleted. I am curious as to why that is, a mistake perhaps? I will gladly re-post my comment if that is the case.
What a great article and all too, too true. She’s amazing and gives me chills every time I watch her.
I have also written a few blog posts about how Lady Gaga is a positive role model and a feminist even before she admitted it! Check it out!
First off, I would like to say that I enjoy Lady Gaga’s music a lot (although I would hesitate to call it art), but she is in no way a good role model for young women.
I think she is a smart musician, her lyrics can be clever and she does (co)write them. However, I have to agree with Lilith in regards to her attractiveness and whatnot.
But more importantly she has shown time and time again behavior that is just not good role model behavior. Being in control of your job and being “weird” can be good things, but Lady Gaga has done other things that should make people think twice.
For example, one of her photos taken for her upcoming album depicts her in a King Kong-esque pose (which as we all know is steeped in racist portrayals of African Americans). The link can be found here: http://www.racialicious.com/2009/12/22/die-already-king-kong-racism-lady-gaga-edition/
Also, a great feminist website, feministing.com has written before on this topic. During the VMA’s a person in a wheelchair appeared onstage with Gaga during her performance of “Paparazzi”. A good post on this event, discussing how this person was not a dancer but rather a prop, can be found here: http://cripwheels.blogspot.com/2009/09/lady-gaga-and-wheelchair.html
Also, her lyrics are not have not shown to portray healthy relationships. As posted on feministing.com , the sound relationships nutrition label (which was developed by teenagers) is a program used to discern the way relationships are portrayed in lyrics. Two of Lady Gaga’s songs made the top ten list for songs portraying unhealthy relationships, while none made the healthy list. A link to this post can be found here: http://community.feministing.com/2009/12/lets-dance.html
I would also like to point out there there are numerous other artists out the who are quick to admit they are feminists, like Nellie McKay, Sinead O’Connor, and Tori Amos. Musical taste is subjective, so people may not enjoy listening to these artists, but whether a musician is a feminist is not subjective.
I was turned off by the “hypersexualized” lyrics and imagery at first as well, BUT then I listened to Gaga’s interviews. She rarely calls herself a singer or an entertainer. Instead she very often calls herself a performance artist. Performance art has a message. To me, she exaggerates the oversexed celebrity, obsessive paparazzi etc…to the point of garishness, pushing it even further to the point of art. She provokes questions, laughter and horror all in one song. She interests me more and more. Plus, listen to her doing her hits acoustic/live …that is some big talent.
[...] of Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters, which I reviewed here), I couldn’t help but share this kick-ass article by a high-schooler, Lilly @ [...]
This is a great Gaga love fest, but one part really rubbed me the wrong way…
“Lady Gaga does not, by any means, fit the bill of conventional beauty. She is not particularly pretty or thin yet she is frequently seen in little more than underwear. Lady Gaga seems to have a surplus of confidence while working in an industry that is so toxic, girls who merely view the products of it have low self-esteem.”
What do you mean she isn’t particularly pretty or thin? By saying something like that, you’re reinforcing that “conventional beauty” that you’re praising Lady Gaga for going against. And I don’t understand how on earth you can say she isn’t thin… I’d like to see what ridiculously unattainable – and probably unhealthy – weight meets your standards of “thin” if Lady Gaga doesn’t.
I’m with you 100% on the rest, but this little excerpt is just as toxic as the industry you’re knocking.
A good point. Although the argument about Gaga’s confidence still holds up…and on my Facebook Fan Page Lauren Herold talked about Gaga’s playful sexuality, which is part of her physical confidence. It’s perhaps more appropriate to look at that than to weigh in about her thinness or beauty.
I agree, that statement really bothered me, because i believe she is both beautiful and thin. I feel like the author must have missed the Bad Romance music video, which detracts some serious credibility. I think she has definitely recognized some things, but it seems she has a less than perfect grasp on Lady Gaga’s message, especially concerning her comment about “injured women”
[...] of Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters, which I reviewed here), I couldn’t help but share this kick-ass article by Lilly @ [...]
Great post! Summed it up in my facebook status as: Lady GAGA is a role model for young girls: talented, unapologetic, ambitious, self-styled, anti-consumer, confident, unconventional & “the jumbo shrimp” of cool. I want to also add that she is an incredible story teller, elevating music videos into the Michael Jackson Thriller category. She is always surprising, always inventive, and I love that she is also collaborative (like a Layday). She assembles a great team around her, “The Haus of Gaga” and while owning her name, gets better with the group.
I LOVED this post and shared it on Facebook. Spot-on is right. I just did a post at another blog I write at where I contribute and the topic was “Megaphone Monday” — as in, toot your own horn day. You’d be surprised at how hard it was for women to come up with things they’re proud to say they’re good at. They were so happy to have a forum to do so! Thinking I’ll make it a regular occurrence.
Hi Melissa,
Megaphone Monday sounds so cool! I really hope you continue creating a safe space for women to celebrate themselves because “bragging” is an often overlooked, and underdeveloped, life skill. Thank you for reading and sharing the blog.
Lilly
PS-Next Megaphone Monday, you can count me in!
Girrrrrl, YOU make ME swoon! What an excellent piece. I’ve been brewing similar thoughts and now you’ve gone and articulated them all so well. Lady Gaga is indeed darn dope and I am so happy to hear that she self-identified as a feminist. Keep up this wicked writing of yours, can’t wait to keep reading…
This is Awesome. Probably one of the best articles I’ve read about Gaga! I hope people really consider what you’re saying before they jump in Gaga bashing… Only one thing that I thought about while I was reading this is that I remember an interview in which she said that she has “great body confidence” … So she has talked about her body. But the way she said it was a good influence on girls, it wasn’t like she was bragging. And it certainly explains how she can walk around in her crazy outfits as comfortable as can be. Actually that quote has stuck with me and it pops into my head a lot.. and I know it sounds cheesy but I really do have more confidence when I think of it. I think that Gaga influences us all positively but we may not even realize it. Hopefully your article will do something to change that!
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Lilly, I love this post. I have recently been won over by Lady Gaga, too. It was like ESP when you wanted to write about her! Your analysis of her name is totally spot on …the perfect balance of what a Real Girl needs….the lady and the gaga. Great job.
Uh, what? A “real girl” (what, like a RealDoll?) apparently “needs” to be a little bit “lady”, a little bit “gaga”? Excuse me, who are you to define acceptable/non-acceptable “real girl” status? Your wording reminds me of the “real women have curves” rubbish pseudo-feminism that gets spouted in the media sometimes.
I don’t want to be too negative, as there’s a lot to admire in the post above, but there are a few troubling points. I echo the comment above from Lilith about LG supposedly not fitting the beauty standard: She’s white, thin, blonde, and has regular, attractive features; how is she “unconventional”, really, in any substantive way?
Hi Jo, Thanks for your post. Not sure I am trying to define Real Girl status for others as much as articulate my personal definition of a Real Girl. For me, the Real Girl is shorthand for an authentic, balanced individual who can be both sophisticated and silly…silliness being something that eludes many girls as they try to respond to the cultural pressures to be contained, physically and otherwise. Slogans and jargon are annoying, for sure; my point is that I appreciate how the nomenclature encapsulates both sides. I agree that calling LG’s beauty unconventional may be somewhat questionable, though I can see where Lilly is coming from, too. Thanks for commenting!