I have to admit, somewhat shamefully, that I've been seduced by the Ga. At first it was easy to write her off simply because of the mainstream popularity of her unapologetically catchy anthems and her provocative costumes. However, given a closer look, there seems to be something much more to this new pop sensation that has taken over the music industry — and campus dance parties — by storm.
Is she a feminist icon? I wouldn't exactly take it that far. Nevertheless, as an openly queer woman who critiques double standards, restrictive gender roles, and the "unnatural" pursuit of the feminine ideal in her music and "performance art," she has instigated several important discussions about gender and sexuality in mainstream culture. By embodying the very thing she is critiquing, she is both empowered and objectified, celebrated and criticized within feminist and queer circles. Unlike other celebrities who project "unattainable sensuality," Gaga positions herself somewhere between "the desirable and the grotesque" with her own "ideal" looks (blonde, thin, big breasts) and outlandish costumes, a la photographer Cindy Sherman.
In the past, Gaga has avoided associations with the term feminism, even by perpetuating the negative, man-hating feminist stereotype in some of her earlier interviews. Although historically it has had limiting definitions, today feminism is multi-faceted and constantly evolving, and should not be reduced to a stereotype or confused with misandry. In one interview, Gaga adamantly espouses feminist ideas, critiquing the double standard in the music industry, but then exclaims, "I'm not a feminist — I, I hail men, I love men. I celebrate American male culture, and beer, and bars and muscle cars..." Her statement is outrageous and clearly not the voice of a feminist role model; however, it is important to note that this reduction, not only of "American male culture," but also of the very movement that allows her the freedoms she has today, is (probably) tongue-in-cheek and should be taken with a grain of salt. She is a young performer, a character and notoriously known for mocking interviewers.
Regarding her sexuality, Gaga told a gay magazine in 2008 that she identified as bisexual. Since then she has been more cautious about labeling herself because of the way the media spun her sexuality. Recently she has been criticized within the queer community for saying that her "attraction to women is purely physical" (Rolling Stone, June 2009) and admitting she's had nothing more than a sexual relationship with a woman.
Although this is further perpetuating the negative stereotypes of the already controversial topic of female bisexuality — that men are for relationships and women are simply for fun or "experimentation" — does she really need to prove her sexuality to be part of the "team"? Her visibility as an openly queer artist is still (unfortunately) a huge step in mainstream society. She is first and foremost a pop star, not an activist. Just as it is unproductive to impose a feminist label on her, she should not be held up to the same expectations as an LGBTQ role model.
Luckily, with maturity, Gaga seems to have begun to understand her position and the power of her voice in mainstream pop culture. In the past, she left her intended visual and musical messages unclear and up for (mis)interpretation, especially by young women who understood her explicit, sexy image in the context of the restrictive, heteronormative mainstream culture (i.e. sexual attractiveness to men).
In a recent Los Angeles Times interview, Gaga finally discussed her self-identified, feminist leanings, including general gender and sexuality issues as well as the conscious performance in her own work. Gaga explains the significance of some of her visual and musical messages, including the bisexual references in "Poker Face" and her message about "how the entertainment industry can, in a metaphorical way, simulate human trafficking — products being sold, the woman perceived as a commodity" in her "Bad Romance" music video. Gaga exclaims, "Being a woman in the pop world, sexuality is half poison and half liberation" as she both takes advantage of and critiques mainstream culture.
If one is looking for empowered women in the industry, it is true that there are others who deserve more attention, such as Tori Amos, Ani Difranco and Annie Lennox, who address issues of gender and sexuality without showing off their asses. Furthermore, as a friend of mine pointed out, appropriating feminine grotesque/femme fatale as a commodification of female sexuality is not original, and has already been done by individuals such as Madonna and Peaches. The lack of positive portrayals of female sexuality in pop culture is clearly a problem, but is Lady Gaga really filling the void? Our standards have to be much higher than that.
So let me ask the question again: is Lady Gaga a feminist icon? I don't think so. She is definitely not a Riot Grrrl, but she has successfully infiltrated the mainstream, which has had several (positive and negative) implications for gender and sexuality in pop culture.
Abigail Chance '11 is a gender and sexuality studies concentrator and FemSex facilitator. She can be contacted at abigail_chance [at] brown.edu.
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