Lady Gaga “represents the exhausted end of the sexual revolution” says feminist

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As some of you may not know, I actually consider myself a feminist. I enjoy a good feminist treatise every now and again, although my views on feminism and the treatment of women in society has grown and changed throughout the years – mostly, at this point in my life, I want women to take more responsibility for their own actions, and how we, as ladies, are holding ourselves back. As opposed to having things done to us, being passive, being the victims of a cruel, misogynistic world, I think many of us should admit (and I’m including myself here) that so much of the time, we’re doing it to ourselves.

So that brings me to the big girl-on-girl crime of the moment. Feminist author Camille Paglia has written a particularly condemning treatise against Lady Gaga in yesterday’s Sunday Times. Paglia has written about pop culture iconography before, notably Madonna and Marilyn, of course. But I really, really think Camille is being too harsh to Gaga – the full piece is here, and these are some of the highlights (most of it):

Lady Gaga is the first major star of the digital age. Since her rise, she has remained almost continually on tour. Hence, she is a moving target who has escaped serious scrutiny. She is often pictured tottering down the street in some outlandish get-up and fright wig. Most of what she has said about herself has not been independently corroborated… “Music is a lie”, “Art is a lie”, “Gaga is a lie”, and “I profusely lie” have been among Gaga’s pronouncements, but her fans swallow her line whole…

She constantly touts her symbiotic bond with her fans, the “little monsters”, who she inspires to “love themselves” as if they are damaged goods in need of her therapeutic repair. “You’re a superstar, no matter who you are!” She earnestly tells them from the stage, while their cash ends up in her pockets. She told a magazine with messianic fervour: “I love my fans more than any artist who has ever lived.” She claims to have changed the lives of the disabled, thrilled by her jewelled parody crutches in the Paparazzi video.

Although she presents herself as the clarion voice of all the freaks and misfits of life, there is little evidence that she ever was one. Her upbringing was comfortable and eventually affluent, and she attended the same upscale Manhattan private school as Paris and Nicky Hilton. There is a monumental disconnect between Gaga’s melodramatic self-portrayal as a lonely, rebellious, marginalised artist and the powerful corporate apparatus that bankrolled her makeover and has steamrollered her songs into heavy rotation on radio stations everywhere.

Lady Gaga is a manufactured personality, and a recent one at that. Photos of Stefani Germanotta just a few years ago show a bubbly brunette with a glowing complexion. The Gaga of world fame, however, with her heavy wigs and giant sunglasses (rudely worn during interviews) looks either simperingly doll-like or ghoulish, without a trace of spontaneity. Every public appearance, even absurdly at airports where most celebrities want to pass incognito, has been lavishly scripted in advance with a flamboyant outfit and bizarre hairdo assembled by an invisible company of elves.

Furthermore, despite showing acres of pallid flesh in the fetish-bondage garb of urban prostitution, Gaga isn’t sexy at all – she’s like a gangly marionette or plasticised android. How could a figure so calculated and artificial, so clinical and strangely antiseptic, so stripped of genuine eroticism have become the icon of her generation? Can it be that Gaga represents the exhausted end of the sexual revolution? In Gaga’s manic miming of persona after persona, over-conceptualised and claustrophobic, we may have reached the limit of an era… For Gaga, sex is mainly decor and surface; she’s like a laminated piece of ersatz rococo furniture.

Gaga seems comet-like, a stimulating burst of novelty, even though she is a ruthless recycler of other people’s work. She is the diva of déjà vu. Gaga has glibly appropriated from performers like Cher, Jane Fonda as Barbarella, Gwen Stefani and Pink, as well as from fashion muses like Isabella Blow and Daphne Guinness. Drag queens, whom Gaga professes to admire, are usually far sexier in many of her over-the-top outfits than she is.

Compare Gaga’s insipid songs, with their nursery-rhyme nonsense syllables, to the title and hypnotic refrain of the first Madonna song and video to bring her attention on MTV, Burning Up, with its elemental fire imagery and its then-shocking offer of fellatio. In place of Madonna’s valiant life force, what we find in Gaga is a disturbing trend towards mutilation and death…

Gaga is in way over her head with her avant-garde pretensions… She wants to have it both ways – to be hip and avant-garde and yet popular and universal, a practitioner of gung-ho “show biz”. Most of her worshippers seem to have had little or no contact with such powerful performers as Tina Turner or Janis Joplin, with their huge personalities and deep wells of passion.

Generation Gaga doesn’t identify with powerful vocal styles because their own voices have atrophied: they communicate mutely via a constant stream of atomised, telegraphic text messages. Gaga’s flat affect doesn’t bother them because they’re not attuned to facial expressions.

Gaga’s fans are marooned in a global technocracy of fancy gadgets but emotional poverty. Borderlines have been blurred between public and private: reality TV shows multiply, cell phone conversations blare everywhere; secrets are heedlessly blabbed on Facebook and Twitter. Hence, Gaga gratuitously natters on about her vagina…

[From The Sunday Times]

Um… what? So Camille doesn’t find Gaga “sexy”. Sure. I don’t find her sexy either, but I don’t think that’s the point…? I mean, it’s not like Gaga’s message is “I can STILL be sexy even though I’m wearing meat.” I might be wrong, but I think Gaga’s goal is be “fierce” not sexy – as in, “This meat makes me looks fierce.” And what’s so wrong with being asexual? I appreciate that the Gaga is NOT putting herself out there as some oversexed pop starlet – Gaga is refreshing that way, and yes, she veers towards the morbid and deathly, but I kind of like that too. It’s different. It’s like Paglia is complaining that Gaga has made up a wholly manufactured image, AND that Madonna is the authentic one because Madge was genuinely “sexy”? Note to Paglia: all pop star’s have manufactured images. Gaga’s image is supposed to be drag, it’s supposed to be morbid, it’s supposed to be novelty. Enjoy.

Basically, I’m awaiting Naomi Wolf’s take on Gaga. Because I think Paglia has lost her touch. And girl-on-girl crime hurts.

Lady Gaga appears backstage wearing a meat dress after accepting the award for video of the year for Bad Romance at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on September 12, 2010 in Los Angeles. UPI/Jim Ruymen Photo via Newscom

Lady Gaga holds her video of year award for 'Bad Romance' with presenter Cher at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, California September 12, 2010.      REUTERS/Mike Blake  (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT) (MTV/SHOW)

Lady Gaga appears backstage wearing a meat dress after accepting the award for video of the year for Bad Romance at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on September 12, 2010 in Los Angeles. UPI/Jim Ruymen Photo via Newscom

12 September 2010 - Los Angeles, California - Lady Gaga. 2010 MTV Video Music Awards held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE. Photo Credit: Kevan Brooks/AdMedia

Header: Gaga on Sept. 12, 2010. Credit: WENN.

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118 Responses to “Lady Gaga “represents the exhausted end of the sexual revolution” says feminist”

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  1. lola lola says:

    It is an interesting point that Camille makes, Gaga isn’t sexy. Its true. I never realized it until now but she can stomp around in the tiniest g-string and it just isn’t sexy. She’s got a lovely body but its rather sterile when it comes to sex appeal. How odd.

  2. Canucklehead says:

    Camille is bang on with this one. It is a bit harsh but Gaga has been dodging this kind of actual criticism for a bit too long.

    The corporate machine, the childish lyrics, the contrived public appearances, it’s all a true observation of Gaga’s talents and persona.

    It’s nice to see Paglia has still got it though eh? The way she criticizes with fangs out is way too cool.

  3. Lewis says:

    I’m not sure that the term “feminist” really applies in regard to Camille Paglia. She is definitely a theorist in the realm of gender politics, but I wouldn’t necessarily call her a champion of women, for all that.

  4. TQB says:

    Does anyone know how to get to the ersatz rococo furniture store?

  5. A.K.A. says:

    I completely agree with what Camille wrote. My exact same thoughts. Gaga is far from sexy, she’s becomingmore and more disturbing and it really comes off as “trying too hard” and turns out “cheap”. There’s nothing natural in her, everything is calculate. And though Madge is not one of my favourites these days (trying too hard to stay hip & young) looking back on her career, I can only think : She’s a real artist – not Gaga.

  6. LOVE ANGELINA says:

    LOL This woman is going on and on and on and I had to stop reading. I love Lady Gaga and I can feel her vibes, I am a good vibe reader, and her passion for her work and love for her fans is genuine. I don’t think Gaga does anything for money but hell if I work at hospital of course I care about my patients but heck I need my pay check to. When Gaga won Video of the Year last night and she started to sing and she told us the name of her latest album, how anyone just couldn’t feel the passion and love radiating from her I don’t know. Gaga is awesome and her fans love her.

    I find her incredibly sexy, but its not traditional sexy. Gaga is sexy because of all her passion and talent.

  7. PennyLane says:

    I think the end of this piece is what really got me.

    Gaga isn’t “real”. She is an imitation artist who has stolen her glam and glitz from other artists who did it better the first time. Everything she does, everything she says is scripted, it’s a lie – she said so herself.
    Her songs reveal nothing of who she is or what she feels. It’s not music – music is a form of communication – it’s noise. Nice to dance to in the clubs, alright to listen to in the car – but when your man has left you, your dog has died, and the rent is due – Gaga is not going to be there to comfort you. But an artist like Janis Joplin who lived through real pain, who struggled, and who shared those struggles with her fans as friends, not mearly admirers – will.

  8. malachais says:

    to each their own, I would think Lady Gaga would appreciate someone criticizing her

  9. gemmaa says:

    I must say Paglia pinned down a lot of what I have been feeling towards Gaga.
    I think Paglias real problem is the manner in which Gaga seems to set herself up as some sort of disturbing messiah for her ‘little monsters’.
    I do not view her as an artist when I see her (entertaining) performances, but as a very powerful corporate vehicle.
    So orchestrated, alllll the way. I remember (ahem) watching an episode of the Hillsa few years, where she was getting styled and, basically, set up for where she is now.

  10. Eleonor says:

    I don’t get the point.
    I don’t understand why Gaga should be sexy, she wants to be a performer this does not imply she has to be sexy.
    Personally I don’t like her music, and I don’t follow her career, but I think she’s good in doing her stuff; and I’m quite bored about all this celebs and “artist” who use sex to get attention.

  11. Dizzybenny says:

    Thank you Camille fore saying what we little bloggers have been saying since the beginning about Lady CaCa!!

  12. Leticia says:

    I agree with Paglia. I have been longing for someone to dare to criticize Gaga, cause I personally don’t have that type of courage.

  13. danielle says:

    Lewis, I agree, I wouldn’t call Paglia “a champion of women”. I like the Gaga is about more than sexuality. I get the sex music link, but too many female artists (cough – Christina Aguilera – cough) are focused on being sexy to the detriment of their own talent.

  14. Miss. Thang says:

    I agree that this is spot on. I think Gaga wishes she were sexy (why else would she wear such revealing clothing?) but it just falls flat. I think she’s trying to show a contrast between morbidity and sexuality, but it’s not working and she just comes off morbid. Madge was sexy and I think a big part of that was that we all thought she was doing wild, crazy sexual things in her spare time. There was a realness to that sexuality. Gaga has said numerous times that she’s celibate so it’s just not working for her.
    Gaga said on Ellen once that this is who she really is and how she always wanted to dress and always wanted to act, but I have trouble believing that. It all seems so fake and as though she’s constantly trying to outdo herself, rather than simply expressing herself.
    The best point Pagila made is that Gaga is a money machine who tries to appeal to the “little monsters” of the world, but only to get their cash. I don’t believe she cares one bit about them and she’s never done anything real for them (or if she has I’ve never heard of it!). She gives them crap songs in exchange for their money. I think the “little monsters” are getting a bum deal.
    The worst part about the entire situation is that Gaga really can sing. That girl has serious pipes, but they’rr being wasted on the lyrical genious that is “Ra ra ra ra ra, Gaga, ooh la la.” Ridiculous.

  15. melinda says:

    I can’t understand why she has to be sexy either. One thing I like about Gaga is that she isn’t conventionally beautiful or sexy. She is good at what she does though, and her talent and passion make her what she is, not her sex appeal.

  16. emu says:

    Paglia not only nails Gaga, but most of contemporary culture as well. Also, the link included here is not to the full article — that requires a subscription to the Times, or a ‘pay-as-you-go’ fee for the article itself.

  17. la_chica says:

    I also agree with Paglia

    I remember one of Gaga’s first videos, it was packed with endorsements. And I thought, this woman wants us to take her seriously as an artist when it seems like her art is only a vehicle for making money.

    Every aspect of her is manufactured, lacking spontaneity and passion. Even her “passion” for art and fans seems a calculated aspect of her persona.

    Of course, Kasier, all pop stars have manufactured images, but most are not the extent of Gaga. Look at Madonna, she was obvs creating and image, but she all was alive, vibrant, brimming with natural personality. Gaga is anything by vibrant.

  18. Rita says:

    I find this thread full of intelligent insight by both the Kaiser (all hail) and Camille. I love Gaga’s voice but I’m indifferent to her message (whatever it is). She is a product (and very talented one at that) to be enjoyed in the moment. The shock and awe of feminisism is behind us gals. Now, it’s time to reach as far as we can and be ourselves while doing it. It’s time to put up or shutup.

  19. redlips says:

    I consider myself a feminist and she certainly does not represent me! I think her 15 minutes will be up soon.

  20. Tess says:

    Kaiser, I think Paglia’s point is not so much that Gaga fails because she’s not sexy…Paglia is looking for authenticity, a performer who digs down deep and reveals something honest and true.

    As far as Gaga wanting to be fierce, wow, I just don’t see it. She’s like a supermarket cupcake decorated with pastel frosting and rainbow jimmies. An artificial confection, offering very little spiritual sustenence.

    Paglia, herself projects authentic female ferocity in the way she has taken on the entire woman-as-victim mindset that Naomi Wolf so perfectly epitomizes.

    Wolf probably would defend Gaga. But, too bad, because she and her fans miss out on the fabulousness of an authentically ferocious female by a country mile.

  21. Bill Hicks is God says:

    Intelligence and self-confidence is sexy, not running around like every day is Hallowe’en and tossing your crotch at the camera in videos. She strikes me as a very insecure woman-child who would be lost without her persona.

  22. latam says:

    to be honest as much as her image is well thought out, i think she is still a talented artist. I also don’t think her point is to be sexy, no? if it was she would be more conventional rather than parading around covered in meat and kermit the frogs.

  23. Suzy says:

    Gaga looks like she could be Cher’s daugther.

  24. filthycute says:

    Brilliant.

  25. mymy says:

    Spot on. So contrived in a sterile computer oriented society. And the sexual revolution has passed. What would be cutting edge today is less narcissism and more modesty. It isn’t really necessary any longer. Someone forgot to give gaga the heads up.Once upon a time woman were repressed. Now not so much. Here is the USA/ Porn stars are exalted

  26. Lucy says:

    @ Kaiser

    Kudos! Cheers! Thank you so much for your introduction!

    I will now bow down to you.

    🙂

  27. lilo-donotpassgo-donotcollect says:

    How about, instead of hating on each other, women of the world unite? We are a force to be reckoned with, if we would stop the bickering amongst ourselves and concentrate on making the world better for ourselves and girls.

  28. Amanda says:

    Paglia is 100% right.

    I don’t think Paglia is saying Gaga should be sexy. She is saying despite all of her efforts, she is not. I do think Gaga TRIES to be sexy. She talks about sex a lot in her interviews. She wears next to nothing quite often. She does very provacative photoshoots. But still, Lady Gaga is extremely unsexy.

    But, the most dead-on part of this article is the first part, about Gaga’s manufactured personality. When I read Gaga’s outburst last night about the VMA’s about how her next album would be titled “Born This Way” I rolled my eyes. She may have been born with musical talent, but this girl is 100% a put on persona. If you even compare her look now to a year and a half ago when she publicly debuted (Just Dance), it has majorly changed. I find it strange and fake that there is never a time when she is photographed or interviewed and you get the “real” Lady Gaga, aka Stephanie- the girl behind the act.

  29. anon says:

    I can’t help but wonder how/if that meat outfit smelled?

  30. Tess says:

    lilo, nothing wrong with a little bickering about ideas. It’s probably a net positive because it helps us to think about the views we hold, the reasons we hold them, and maybe gives us insights into other ways of looking at things.

    All good.

  31. Ally says:

    Paglia nails it. For me, Gaga is the pinnacle of image over music. For months, I thought the songs I heard in stores were lame 90s Euro pop — turns out it was Lady Gaga! And yet her tracks and tours sell out like crazy. Gaga is the female Bieber.

  32. Fluffy Kitten Tail says:

    What artist, currently, is not drawing from acts from the past?

    Look, I am not a fan of Gaga, but I think she is a smart business woman, who is making money while she can, at the same time carving out a name for herself in music history.

    I don’t think Gaga is trying to be sexy, she is trying to make money, and she is just being Gaga.

  33. KellyBrynn says:

    Just gonna put this out there, Camila Paglia is a dissident feminist. Meaning, she calls herself a feminist but often clashes with some of the major tennant of feminism (ie some of her opinions regarding sexuality and pretty harmful IMO) from her wiki page :

    However, she criticized Clinton for not resigning after the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which she says led to America being “blindsided by 9/11.”Paglia has rejected the idea that homosexuality is an inborn trait and expressed skepticism about global warming.[7][8] Her views have led to accusations of neoconservatism; she described those making the accusations as “idiots.”

    so clinton’s cheating led us to be blindsided by 9/11? and people CHOOSE to be gay? and she calls people who label her (rightly so) a neo-conservative ‘idiots’? she reminds me of an ann coulter/sarah palin hybrid with some undeniably feminist ideas (albeit twisted), but yet who gives feminism a bad name.

    plus her article reads as one big jealous diatribe. i know i went a lkittle off topic here, but you have to understand the angle paglia is coming from. while i think her critique of gaga is warranted (no one should go without a good critique, it makes us think about ourselves and what we think we know about ourselves) i think it comes off as someone who desperately doesn’t want gaga to be famous, because she’s not doing it right in paglia’s eyes. WHO THE F*CK CARES? paglia is a writer, a critical thinker, gaga is a performer, an exhibitionist. paglia can say what she likes, but at the end of the day, gaga is gaga and some article isn’t going to change her.

    for the record, there are days when i am transfixed by gaga and other days i sigh and roll my eyes. but she keeps it interesting, she is unpredictable, she is young and it blows my mind to think we were born 6 months apart and i’m working at a film company and she’s creating art and music all day for herself and millions of fans. you can criticize gaga, but the fans remain regardless of how paglia sees them.

  34. longtall says:

    Ugh, no one pays attention to Paglia anymore, she’s so outdated. Paglia is not turned on by Gaga, therefore Gaga is akin to an asexual plasticized android? Hardly counts as good debate thesis. That’s a personal preference.

    Gaga’s sexuality is HERS, she owns it. She doesn’t bother with the male gaze or other people’s opinion of her screw-ability. This article was reported on, and discussed, 10 times better over at Jezebel. Reminds me of why I get my main celeb news there now.

  35. Sumodo1 says:

    I have been “over” Gaga for a few months.

  36. Sarah says:

    I’m team Camille on this one.

  37. im awful says:

    when people i know tell me shes amazing and they love her, my heart breaks because i know i can no longer associate with them.

    shes awful, theres nothing thought provoking or artistic about her. its manufactured garbage for your ears and eyes. like macdonalds is for your tummy.

  38. Rosanna says:

    Is Camille saying that a “real woman” is by default sexy? Whatever happened to accepting women the way they are? I don’t like Gaga and don’t find her sexy but I think she isn’t passing any other message then “be yourself” and “don’t follow a role” which is supposed to be a FEMINIST message.

    It’s funny to see how so many “feminists” have started to tell women how they “should” be in order to be “proper” women. Basically, oppressing them with their backward “feminism”.

  39. aenflex says:

    We are indeed perpetuating so many of the stereotypes against females. I would much rather play the instigator than the victim. That’s why I have tiny boobies and wrinkles between my eyes – I don’t give a rats ass if ‘this dude’ or ‘that dude’ thinks I’m sexy, or still youthful, or stacked.

  40. RhymesWithSilver says:

    I always thought Gaga was more interested in toying with the nature of celebrity than sexuality. She shellacks herself to a high gloss every time she leaves the house because her shtick is all about surface. The “acres of pallid skin” are part of the “celebrity” package more than a declaration of anything sexual. All celebrity is is a surface. She loves her crowds. She’ll go further and further each time to please them. Gaga ritualistically kills herself onstage in her shows, because that’s what people ultimately want from their celebrities. Gaga gives you the full act all at once, right down to public destruction. Because people do still think and feel in the digital age; it’s just that their attention spans are shorter. If you can give them a three-act opera (see “Paparazzi”) in six minutes, you’re onto something.

  41. Novaraen says:

    I’m also team Camille…used to love gaga when she first came out with “just dance”. But this manufactured image she has created is just too over the top ridiculous.

    Bet she smelled horrid in that stupid meat dress.

    To me, she is one big eyeroll now.

  42. Me says:

    I think she found a gap which she’s filled more than well. I’d say a sucessfull business case right there.

  43. original kate says:

    camille paglia also write once that if it weren’t for men women would still be living in caves (or huts…i’m paraphrasing).

    as for gaga, i think it is odd that people comment on her passion; she seems more calculating than passionate.

  44. sluggo says:

    Paglia hasn’t “lost her touch”; she’s spot-on in this case. She enumerates, item by item, the very reasons why (try as I like — and I have tried) I cannot jump onto the Gaga bandwagon. I just plain will not, CAN not, respect or even like Lady Gaga.

    To me, she is not unlike Vanilla Ice: pale, manufactured, phony … she has based a career off of profitably “borrowing” other performers’ styles and music, and is slumming along from upscale luxury childhood through upscale luxury teenage years, to upscale luxury adulthood.

    I am a feminist myself, and have been for 40 years. I have two daughters who (I would like to think) are also feminists. I have taught them to think for themselves, and therefore have kept my anti-Gaga opinions to myself; believing perhaps that my problem with her is that I’m too old, and just don’t “get it,” and also that I oughtn’t to impose my own opinions on their personal musical choices.

    Guess what? Both my daughters cannot stand Lady Gaga either. The youngest started out liking her music, mainly because all her friends were listening to it, and gradually became turned off by Gaga’s nonsensical mysticism. This latest meat-wrapped joke got a HUGE laugh.

    And the oldest? Right from the start, her opinion was simple: “She’s a total phony.”

    So … Team Camille!!!!!

  45. lindsay says:

    minus the hat, this is the most gorgeous i’ve ever seen her look, makeup, hair, and face included. she looks avante garde but classy and pulled together, yet you can still sense her gaga-style. i like it. minus the hat.

  46. Kitten says:

    Definitely a successful business model/branding. Always manages to keep herself relevant by getting people to talk about her.
    Smart. I also think her image is more about androgeny and not in-your-face female sexuality.

  47. bizzy says:

    the part that gets me about paglia, she writes about popular culture so much, and yet always manages to convey the breathless shock of someone who staggered out of their time-machine to be confronted with times square Just This Second.

    another academic trying to be hip to the kids these days.

  48. Katie says:

    I think she makes some good points about Gaga. I genuinely like Gaga’s music…it’s catchy and fun to sing to. I’m not moved by it or her. I find her costumes and peformances midly amusing, but I don’t look for meaning in them. But I do know people who talk about how genius Gaga is and how important her message is…I think ultimately her real message is “buy my music, comes to my shows, I’ll entertain you.” That’s fine with me but I think it’s silly to place more importance on her than that.

  49. Cam says:

    As I said many many times, I love Gaga. And yes, she’s a perfectionist and calculates everything, that’s true… but that’s just who she is, I really get the energy her music produces, and I like it; I like the fact that it makes me feel different, and that’s why I think her music is different, not because it sounds different but because it makes ME feel different (it’s a personal opinion, and oh I just said the word ‘different’ too many times). She’s an artist with millions of fans around the world who LOVE her and her music, that’s what makes her happy, she loves her little monsters, you can tell. Of course I would also love the people who fill my pockets with money, but she loves what she does and she does it with PASSION, that’s something you cannot act. And yes, music sometimes is about lying, especially talking about this kind of music, there are a lot of artists who say that being on stage is like acting while playing a different character in every song. She also admitted that this record wasnt about her life, but now that people listens to what she has to say, her next record will be something else. No, she’s not sexy at all but I don’t think that’s the point, and I don’t think that’s what she’s trying to look like, either; her music (as her videos and costumes) is her art, she’s happy, her ‘little monsters’ are happy. SO WHAT’S WRONG WITH IT?. Besides, let’s face it, she can sing, she can dance… and her songs get stuck in ur head even though you don’t want them to.

    Again: I love Lady G, I think she’s an awesome artist and if you don’t like her, just dont go around saying she doesnt deserve all the attention she’s getting, everything happens for a reason, you know? That’s all I needed to say.

  50. Ron says:

    She’s a preformance artist per se. And let’s face it, if the songs were not catchy, they would be long gone by now. You have to have something to back up the sideshow or that’s all you are. It’s a brilliant manipulation of the media.

  51. Eleonor says:

    The curious thing is the comparison Camille does between Madonna and Gaga, in this comparison Madonna is (in what way I cannot say) more “real”. I find this absurd, and totally wrong.
    Madonna should teach classes on how manipulate your image,everything she’s done was planned because she is a perfectionist and also Gaga, who will not be so original, but she sure knows what she does, and it does not seem to me that she tries to be sexy.

  52. Crash2GO2 says:

    I find it so odd that she has so many fans, yet no one professes to be ‘moved’ by her so called ‘passion’ or her music.

    I look at photos of her and she looks utterly blank – nothing going on in her eyes, not a muscle moving in her face. It’s like looking at a manniken.

    I thought this was brilliant: “Gaga’s flat affect doesn’t bother them (the fans) because they’re not attuned to facial expressions.”

  53. sluggo says:

    longtall wrote: “Gaga’s sexuality is HERS, she owns it. She doesn’t bother with the male gaze or other people’s opinion of her screw-ability.” No, she just wants your cash.

    Your cash! As (inadvertantly) witnessed by LoveAngelina, who wrote: “When Gaga won Video of the Year last night and she started to sing and SHE TOLD US THE NAME OF HER LATEST ALBUM” (so, you know, we won’t forget to go out and BUY it — caps mine) “how anyone just couldn’t feel the passion and love radiating from her I don’t know.”

    longtail continues: “This article was reported on, and discussed, 10 times better over at Jezebel.” I went there and I can see why longtail prefers it 10x … it seems to fit her preferences 10x better: much hatred for Camille, blended with tons of frenzied dithyrambs (but INTELLECTUAL, don’t you know) about how Gagaisageniusyouareaphilistineifyoudonotagree.

    And finally: “Reminds me of why I get my main celeb news there now.” Then why are you here?

    This is a GOSSIP site. If I want philosophical, erudite discussion, there are a thousand other URLs available for that … but only one Celebitchy.

    PS: I certainly don’t want philosophical, erudite discussion about someone who walks around wearing raw meat.

  54. HotPockets says:

    Gaga is just another manufactured product of “the machine.”

    It’s all so true. Her meat get-up illustrates that…just a piece of meat to the industry.

  55. KsGirl says:

    Camille Paglia is a true badass. I wish I could high five her.

  56. mina says:

    team camille 1-0 team gaga

  57. Stephy2485 says:

    The vegetarian in me (so, really ALL of me) is totally offended by that dress…
    I’m obviously against killing and eating animals but this kind of waste is just upsetting….

  58. LOVE ANGELINA says:

    Thank you Cam you summed it up perfectly.

    It kills me to see other women TRY and take another woman down because she is SUCCESSFUL. At the core of everything, because some of you can’t see past the get up and crazy performances and harmless interviews Lady Gaga is an amazing talent. Just pure and simple. This woman who wrote this article is just another player hater with no clue about what she is talking about. What the hell is she talking about TRYING to be hip and avant garde and popular and universal. Lady Gaga IS hip and avant garde and universal. Stupid broad needs to get out more because if that woman hasn’t transfixed the world then show me someone who has. Not one soul on earth doesn’t know who she is.

  59. TaylorB says:

    GaGa always struck me as someone who makes fun dance club music as in ‘I’ll give it an 8, it’s got a good beat and you can really dance to it’; I never noticed any real meaning in the songs, granted I wasn’t really paying much attention to the lyrics she kinda lost my attention at ‘ra, ra, ra, ra, ra gaga o la la’ (or whatever she is saying).

  60. Bina says:

    Camille Paglia’s 15 minutes of fame are up. That’s what this article is really about: trying to be relevant to the kids these days. And failing miserably, I might add.

  61. wonderful says:

    I don’t know, I think Gaga’s nakedness is intended to be more about art than sexuality – she wants to portray her naked body as a canvas, not as a sexually active human. Although, to say she isnt sexy I think is wrong – she gives off the same sort of appeal that 70s hairy-armpit Madonna gave: raw (i.e.: unusual), a little masculine, and not a hint of self-conciousness.
    True, it is all contrived, however this is a musician/pop star we are talking about. If I were planning on releasing music, you bet I would construct a public version of myself – they are ALL contrived to some degree, how could they not be? Don’t like her? Who cares, it’s not like everyone forgot about the real music of the golden years.
    To all of you professing to be feminists: Why is this even necessary?? A feminist is someone who believes men and women should share equal rights and freedoms in society. It should be a given that you are a feminist! Sadly, I know this is not the case, but there seems to be some negative connotations attached to confessing to feminism that make me ANGRY – I know you’re all with me on this one.

  62. jayem says:

    I’m glad to see that Kaiser and some of the commenters aren’t on the “Lady Gaga is SO lame” bandwagon.

    I really find it kind of hilarious that people are always saying “Oh, she’s so manufactured” or “Whatever happened to REAL artists like Joni Mitchell”. First of all, EVERYONE’S image is manufactured a little. They all have stylists and managers and agents and they are all told what will sell and what their next move should be. Music IS a business, after all. Secondly, maybe some people want to listen to fun, upbeat music sometimes and not always music with a “message”. Florence (and the Machine) were amazing and that lady has some awesome pipes, but you are deluded if you don’t think her Janis-Joplin/Stevie-Nicks-esque way of dressing isn’t just as styled and used to exhibit her “weirdness” as Gaga’s is. But because she isn’t Pop, she’s to be taken more seriously? I have so much more respect for someone who can just admit that it isn’t their style, without making it seem like they are so enlightened in their choice of music.

    No matter what the genre or image, these people do work really hard, something I realized while watching all of the cool ass performances on the VMA’s. They don’t deserve derision just because you’d rather listen to a girl with a guitar over the girl wearing the crazy outfit.

  63. coucou says:

    Longtall, that’s pretty crass of you dissing CB like that.

    Comment no. 60, Cammie’s 15 were up ages ago, it aint about that, the b!tch has got her props and has every right to express her opinion, just like Lady G in her steak suit – but wait –

    WTF is up with that? Wearing dead animal flesh? I don’t even think Marilyn Manson would do that. Fukcing grotesque.

    I am so glad my kids are too young to be into her shite, it’s all about age demographics. I’ll admit, i was blown away by her “Let’s Dance” video, when i saw it, i knew the girl was gonna be huge…

    but THIS kind of huge? It’s literally like she’s on a daily dose of LSD. Seriously, LSD is the only explanation i can come up with for wearing a freakin’ steak suit.

    Yeah, ok, so it’s a manipulation of the media, but it is so NOT brilliant, these days, it takes very, very little to manipulate the media, look at all the reality shows…Lady G is a walking freak show, and that doesn’t make her bad, but it sure the hell doesn’t make her genius either, come on now…

  64. Xx says:

    There’s meat on her head. LOL! Release the hounds!

  65. sluggo says:

    “A true feminist believes men and women should share equal rights and freedoms in society.” YES. And those equal rights include the right to be called out for pretentious nonsense, IRRESPECTIVE OF GENDER. And not to be given a free pass because she is a woman, and we are women, so we should be backing her schtick BECAUSE she is a woman.

    I’m thinking about the legions of women who have fought and sweated and bled, toured and performed in concert, played and sang their hearts out … with NO corporate bankroll, no publicity machine, no goofy outfits. And, in many cases, no glory. They were the innovators. They were the soldiers.

    And I am SO in agreement with Kaiser: I’m also awaiting Naomi Wolf’s take on Gaga. But I wonder — if Ms. Wolf also writes something uncomplimentary about LG, will there be the same cries of “She’s out of touch” or “She’s old and irrelevant” or even “She’s jealous”?

    My final and very unqualified word on the subject: Empress Gaga, all photos and video footage to the contrary, is wearing no real clothes.

  66. TaylorB says:

    To be fair I am not much of a music person, so I really have no opinion on GaGa… however, that meat dress is just awful. I have actually disected an entire cow in vanat and the thought of wearing that on my body and my head gives me the creeps, the weight, smell, texture… god I could go on for hours, but that is gross and a waste of food. That being said I am curious how they got that steak to stick to her head.

  67. TaylorB says:

    Dear lord! I can not spell worth a tinkers damn when I type fast, or slow for that matter, I meant dissected. I would ‘edit’ but that function will not work for some reason.

  68. Missy Aggravation says:

    Even though I love reading Pagila’s work, I think she’s trying to stay relevant by cashing in on pop culture – making her just as corporate as Gaga.

  69. Liana says:

    real women don’t wear meat. At least not without something protecting our ladybits.

  70. Serena says:

    I don’t get Camille. She completely championed Madonna as some sort of sexual libertine for the new world, while I see Madonna as a pimp who uses her body/style to cover up her bad voice and lack of musical talent.

    Now, she’s taking Gaga to task for NOT being sexy? Selling your body is just selling your body. Gaga makes it all a joke. She’s not sexy because she would be another version of Christina or Britney. When she sings about fame and the paparazzi, it shows a bit more self-awareness, or that it’s all a big joke. She tries for something more artistic and sometimes it works, while sometimes it falls flat. At least, she is trying for something more than being a piece of meat (even as she wears it). 😉

    And Camille, everyone has been copying everyone for a long time now. Madonna copied Blondie who copied Monroe who copied Harlow. Let’s stop with who’s the original fetish. No one has ever been original. It’s all imitation but with a different twist for a new generation.

  71. la_chica says:

    @Love Angelina: You are delusional.

    No one is trying to take Gaga down because she is successful. It’s because she is annoying and self-righteous. Additionally, just because someone is successful doesn’t mean they should be worshipped. Porn stars and pimps can become very successful, but it doesn’t make them untouchable.

    You wrote: “Not one soul on earth doesn’t know who she is.” Are you joking? Do you know that there are people in the world who don’t have TV’s and glossy mags? Have you ever been to a third world country before? Some people can’t read, don’t have electricity or running water, and yet you assume they know who lady gaga is?

    You, by the way, are the perfect Lady Gaga fan. Worshipping the cult of celebrity and dismissing anyone who dares to disagree as a “player hater” and “stupid broad”. Like so many posters on other blogs have told you: GET LOST

  72. Alarmjaguar says:

    I, too, consider myself a feminist, and while Paglia may have one or two points in there, they are drown out by the ‘I miss the good old days/our generation did it better’ musings. I also really like your point about girl fights not helping anyone.

  73. Alarmjaguar says:

    And now having read the comments, I’d add that I’m impressed by the level of conversation on what is ‘just a gossip site’ and that I’m not sure what being ‘sexy’ has to do with being a feminist and that as someone who teaches women’s history, there are a lot of people out there who reject that label for themselves even though, as wonderful points out: “A feminist is someone who believes men and women should share equal rights and freedoms in society. It should be a given that you are a feminist!” (though I’d add not everyone believes that either). Anyhoo, lots of food for thought here.

  74. Camille says:

    I agree with Camille as well. Nothing else to add really.

    Nice name too! 😆

  75. betteboo says:

    I think Gaga took her original cue from Andy Warhol. Its always seemed to me that the manufactured persona, the wigs and disguises, all about the ‘surface’ of things, appearing in interviews wearing sunglasses and making provocative or obscure statements, exaggerations and out-right lies, all delivered in a flat voice, the ambivalent asexuality, the Factory-like production and entourage are pure Warhol. As an art student she would be well versed in how he became a superstar artist and has clearly understood the long-term value of ambiguity, of neither confirm not deny, exaggerate. And like him, she appropriates from current popular sources out there. Ambitious, yes. Original, no. And she ain’t going away anytime soon.

  76. LOVE ANGELINA says:

    La_Chica

    *yawn*

    As far as I am concerned recent criticism of Lady Gaga is purely because she is extremely successful and she chooses to not follow the norm, mainly because she chooses not to follow the norm.

    I also don’t recall saying that success means you should be worshiped. You thought of that all by yourself, love.

    Ok if someone doesn’t have a TV or magazine, never goes to places where there is a TV or magazine, or is an undiscovered tribe in some remote Jungle then yea, they don’t about Lady Gaga. However Gaga is well known all over the world, Lady Gaga is an international star. Not to many people don’t know who she is. Deal with it.

    LOL I only support things and people I am passionate about because there is something genuine there. I love the entertainment world and celebrity culture. I wish I had a job in it, I would be good at it. However I am in no cult, I only support what I truly love.

    I will dismiss someone who clearly has no clue what they are talking about and just being mean to be mean.

  77. Kim says:

    one woman ripping another woman apart. spoken like a “true” feminist. jesus, enough already.

  78. Taya says:

    I agree with Camille too. I cannot stand Lady Gaga. She is just an entitled brat who is considered different and artistic. No, she just has money for a stylist and voice lessons. Lady Gaga is just a calculated and manufactured robot. She is just the same as rich college students who purposely shop at the Goodwill to look like poor hippies. It is all a specific direction of mainstream artistic choices to make people think you are different. LG just looks like a club kid from the 90’s. Not much originality there.

  79. belle Epoch says:

    Madonna shrewdly would re-invent herself for every album/tour, and that would be her theme for awhile. She always kept people on edge, wondering what theme she would come up with next time.

    Lady Gaga re-invents herself literally every 15 minutes. How interesting is this constant changing of clothes and hats? Since her face is always blank, it’s like changing the clothes on a Barbie doll.

    I honestly don’t think Gaga got the connection between wearing meat and being a piece of meat. I don’t even like Madonna, but you know she would have had something to say about women being treated like meat.

    #52 I was really struck by that sentence too. I’m not positive it’s true – in fact, I hope it isn’t. But with today’s celebrities unable to move their faces because of Botox – or because they have the flat affect of Gaga, or because they are so jaded they just don’t care – Camille could be predicting the future. A scary future.

  80. Sally says:

    The way I see it, Gaga dresses the way she does and she doesn’t care whether or not anyone think it’s sexy. Whether you are a man, or a woman, or whatever you may be. Compared to other recording artists who seem to be pandering to certain ideals.

    While some of her costumes etc may be a bit over the top and she’s a bit overexposed atm, I personally don’t have a problem with encouraging people who may (or may not) feel a bit at odds in respect to mainstream society to love and be themselves.

  81. LOVE ANGELINA says:

    Belle Epoch there is a huge difference in changing outfits and dressing the same way for months and having a new philosophy on life like Madonna did with her re-inventions then what Lady Gaga does which is just change costumes and find new avant grade wear. Lady Gaga’s philosophy on life stays the same. I am so happy she changes her looks and fashion and you can always expect something new from her. Lady Gaga has excitement all around her.

    I mean goodness some of these comments bore me to tears. I feel like alot of you if you were colors you be the neutrals in a color palette. Drab browns and toupes. Blah. There is like zero imagination in some of you.

    If you don’t like how she dresses fine but I am so grateful she doesn’t wanna be like every bitch on the street.

  82. jc126 says:

    See, I always thought Madonna was pretty contrived. Not by some corporate person, but by herself; she never would show a bad angle in her videos; her expressions of sexuality have always been crass and rather unsexy, not spontaneous, etc.

  83. TG says:

    Aren’t most of the singers or performers, as many of them prefer to be called, since that is all they really are, manufactured products?

  84. Confuzzle says:

    Translated:

    “BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW IN MY DAY WAAA WAAAA WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”.

  85. Diva says:

    She’s a POP star, FFS… where have things gone in this overly-celebutized world that Camille frickin’ Paglia would waste so much negative energy on a motherf%&king POP STAR????

    I read the article yesterday. I finished it, but I finished it thinking Paglia is full of self-righteous shit.

    And I’m not even a huge Gaga fan.

  86. rocky says:

    do your fucking homework, paglia.

  87. cutelittlehappything says:

    What I don’t understand is: why does this matter? Gaga is a popstar. I don’t view her style as “shocking” but rather interesting. She’s an entertainer. If you like her, you like her, if you don’t, you don’t. She shouldn’t even be the subject of a feminist treatise. There are plenty of politicians, writers, etc. that deserve it more. Sure, Gaga can be over the top, and I can certainly see how she can be annoying. But to take it as a feminist assault is asinine.

  88. moodswinger says:

    Whoot!! Thank God. Are Gaga’s 15 minutes finally over? If Paglia’s the shark then Gaga’s jumping it… You know, that telephone song always sounded just like Bonnie M’s Rah Rah Rasputin – lover of the russian queen…. every time i hear it…

  89. Lushus L. says:

    I have a vague memory of some feminist wearing a real meat dress to protest the Miss California Pageant that used to be held in Santa Cruz. After that, they moved the pageant somewhere else. They said that they needed a larger venue but I think the meat dress was the final straw.

  90. vibius says:

    I was starting to wonder if our parents were right, and our generation really is just a fluke. Could people cheer and love someone that admiitedly lies to them? Who admits that their music is a joke (a lie). That her fashion is a joke (a lie). But then I watched a video of the Glen Beck rally and most of them had no idea he had said the exact same thing that the NY Imam said back in April. A guy got upset when the reporter asked if he agreed with GB that Obama was a racist and he was upset that he would even suggest that GB would say such a thing.

    Gaga is just another symptom of a society trying to relive parts swan song. Corporations have destroyed almost all forms of art lately. A friend of mine from HS went to comic con and he said it was basically a Hollywood whorehouse now.

    Until the record industry goes broke, crap like gaga and her idiotic monsters will continue to exist. Maddona, Spears, Boy Bands, every TV show on Disney now, and that idiot Bieber represent the mess you idiots made out of this country.

    If she was really a part of the sexual revolution I might be cheering her on.

  91. Sans says:

    Love lady gaga. Girl can sing. I love her esoteric style. The performance art. I’m happy her next album is going to be more serious. I can’t wait till she delves more into her classical side. Messes with melodies….gets all in depth lyrically and shows her voice off like she did at the award show. I was born this way……God makes no mistakes! Mess with that piano.

  92. Sans says:

    WTF is up with that? Wearing dead animal flesh? I don’t even think Marilyn Manson would do that. Fukcing grotesque.

    Manson just throws feces at people. I respect his stuff but he took it too far with that.

    Gaga has a true voice and is classicly trained.
    She loves her fans and people.

    I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING

    @ LOVE ANGELINA SAYS ON GAGA.

    Watch an hour interview of her and soak up her love for her fans and people period.

  93. Budda DeCat says:

    As Molly Ivins (a REAL) feminist said: Camille Paglia is an asshole. Paglia adores Madonna (really like it’s almost stalkerish) as some great feminist icon when Madge has achieved her success based on the image of women as sex toys. Madge is entertaining but she isn’t the feminist icon Paglia wants her to be — she is the patriarchy with a pink bow wrapped around it. While some of Paglia’s critique of Gaga ring true (even a broken clock is right twice a day) especially about Gaga being wholly manufactured and today’s youth being unable to differentiate between style over substance, (and btw the exact same criticism can be said of Madonna and her fans) the real reason she doesn’t like Gaga is because unlike Madge, Gaga isn’t patriarchy compliant (that is she isn’t being the f*ck doll that Paglis thinks she should be). I’m not saying Gaga is a feminist by any stretch of the imagination (I don’t know enough about her to judge) but she is definitely rocking the boat re: the typical “sexy porn star” image that women are expected to project.

  94. Budda DeCat says:

    PS @Serena #70 — SPOT ON!

  95. Sans says:

    Madonna said she was conducting a social experiment . Wanting to understand whyy a woman can do or say something then she’s a whore. A guy can do the same thing yet he’s revered and not thought down upon. She said she saw that women men are different… give different energy. We are tied to an extent to our gender roles and it’s okay.

    Madonna spoke on racism, violence against women, racial profiling, homophobia among other things…. abortion. Her first few albums she did this. She’s covered Marvin Gaye beautifully. Done every form of music from dance, r&b, country, techno, and pop.

    She is an icon and Lady Gaga will be one too.
    All my love to the talented women in this male dominated industry…. who have love for others and want to speak the hate that exists in the world. Lady G said her next album will be more serious. You’ve gotta get the folks attention than you can really do what you want. You’ve gotta sale units first….cause the labels want that money. They are sailing units to Tweens … Gotta get their attention then they’ll listen to what you have to say. Show business. Lord it’s the Romans first album. Most people who have serious deep first albums don’t get popular. Get their attention…catchy tunes… then sit down and talk with them…. in depth album.

  96. Bina says:

    Serena and BudCat, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Paglia doesn’t impress me with her “theories” – I still can’t understand what she was trying to say in Sexual Personae. And all that adoration of Madonna? Her attempt to climb into the world of Hollywood and pop culture that she could only critique from afar. Paglia is no feminist and I think this latest attempt to analyze Lady Gaga is just lame. Paglia has a sizeable gay following; maybe she’s jealous that the new generation of gays loves Lady Gaga more than they love Madonna, and, by extension, her.

  97. jemshoes says:

    Paglia is 100% correct.

    And being a woman who critiques other women in an intelligent, analytical and critical way isn’t “girl-on-girl” crime. “Feminism” isn’t about unquestioning blanket support just because you have a uterus. 🙂 In my opinion, Paglia just wants her readers to think about what Gaga represents.

  98. Eleonor says:

    But Camille made the wrong choice in the comparison with Madonna (Madonna not manufactured? Is she serious?), and accusing Gaga of not being sexy,like a female performer must be sexy.

  99. Chris says:

    “Gaga isn’t sexy at all – she’s like a gangly marionette or plasticised android. How could a figure so calculated and artificial, so clinical and strangely antiseptic, so stripped of genuine eroticism have become the icon of her generation?”

    Ugh, I’m so over fans of mainstream pop culture thinking that the art (and I use the term loosely) they follow represents the collective voice of the youth of the day. Most mainstream stars are icons to the philistines but carry no weight with people who have taste, therefore I doubt teenagers who like all that emo and metal stuff etc would rate Lady Gaga as “the” icon of their generation. But I guess, like politics, the entertainment industry is a battle for the middle ground not the fringes. I think Paglia is basically saying that Lady Gaga is a phoney, because she tries to act like she’s avant guard when actual fact she craves mainstream success and the trappings that go with it.

  100. Liana says:

    Isn’t what we do here every day, ragging on celebs, often “girl-on-girl” crime? Camille Paglia, like her or not (I don’t), think she’s relevant or not (I think she’s less relevant than she thinks she is), is entitled to rag on whoever she wants. She makes some salient points, but loses me on other points, especially with her Madonna love. Madonna is one of the most calculatingly contrived “icons” out there. But Lady Gaga isn’t far behind her in being calculating and contrived.

  101. bb says:

    @Pennylane I agree entirely. Gaga’s music is entirely emotionally sterile. There is no real passion or soul in her and that is why she cannot be sexy however much flesh she constantly shows off. Her ‘music’ doesn’t cause anything in your soul to move- it’s not art, it’s just mind numbing NOISE. I’m not therefore saying it isn’t catchy and fun to dance to at the club; but what Gaga is offering you is the sound equivalent of booze to drown away your troubles for 3:46 minutes rather than establishing any real connection with her ‘little monsters’. Her constant attention seeking get ups every time she crosses the road to buy a hotdog just reinforce the fact that it’s all about taking your attention and giving you nothing in return.

    I agree with Paglia that for this reason she can’t be compared to Madonna and I also think there is no real comparision between Gaga and David Bowie. Yes, Bowie’s IMAGE during the Ziggy Stardust and Thin White Duke era was alien and isolationist; an anachronism. But his music at this time also conveys how FEELS to experience this isolation(“oh, no love, you’re not alone”), this inability to relate to the human mass consciousness of one’s era. He may have worn ‘outrageous’ clothes, but never to the point of uglifying the human body, like Gaga’s meat dress. If you watch any of his interviews, Bowie may err on the side of being a little evasive, but at least you can tell there is a real person underneath the image.

  102. fizXgirl314 says:

    you know one of these days people are going to get sick of this stupid lady dumb fuck… just watch, it’ll happen…

  103. original kate says:

    “Not one soul on earth doesn’t know who she is.”

    i cannot stop laughing at this.

  104. BrownGreen says:

    I think this article pretty much hit the nail on the head.

    I don’t doubt that Stefani Germanotta has a passion for music and loves her fans but her persona as Lady Gaga is contrived and soulless.

  105. lukie says:

    I do not get the lady Gaga hype.

    She is a good song writer. She has a prewtty good voice. She is not avant garde. You have to be original to be avant garde. I am sorry. There are just too many before her that have done it better and with more feeling…

  106. becca says:

    Wait a second –

    Who the h*ll is everyone here that agreed with Paglia to say she is right?!

    One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, remember that old saying?

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is subjective. Sexiness is a matter of prospective. There have been outfits were I think Gaga was sexy wearing them – there were other outfits of hers that I raised my eyebrows at, and others that I’ve recoiled at. It’s ALL a MATTER of PERSPECTIVE.

    This article is absolutely a case of girl-on-girl crime, and it definitely hurts.

  107. coup de grazia says:

    i don’t think paglia really says anything original or interesting or non-obvious in the article. i also don’t think it’s really a “feminist” piece. i don’t see her trying to connect Gaga’s manufactured image to the state of women in some way – she’s just saying Gaga is manufactured and she doesn’t like it. And?

    p.s. i think gaga’s meat outfit is riff/statement about women being viewed as “pieces of meat” – which is something she brings upon herself, so it’s a hypocritical statement, but there it is.

    and how is gaga the first big star of “the digital age”??? haven’t we been digital for quite some time now?

    i see paglia’s article as a grumpy rant on the decayed state of music/pop culture, but not really a piece on feminism. if “gaga = the exhausted end of the sexual revolution” was her thesis, she did nothing to make her point, all she did was bitch about pop music, basically.

  108. Majosha says:

    “Ok if someone doesn’t have a TV or magazine … or is an undiscovered tribe in some remote Jungle then yea, they don’t about Lady Gaga.”

    This statement is so ignorant and offensive on so many levels, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. For your own sake, I hope you decide to pursue educational avenues outside of the tabloids and gossip blogs. Your horizons are in dire need of an expansion.

  109. crazydaisy says:

    a dress made of meat? i’ve heard of a hair shirt, but this is ridiculous.

    why is lady gaga wearing dead cow bodies – WHY? is it supposed to be some insightful, deep statement, like “you wear what you eat”?

    is she just trying to be different? extra scandalous? get attention?

    BIG YUCK.

  110. MSat says:

    Gaga is “classically trained,” everyone likes to say that. B.F.D.! Take a walk by Emerson College in Boston- you can’t throw a pebble without hitting someone who is classically trained. So she plays the piano. So what? So does my kid.

    Gaga’s overrated, an attention-whore and her music sucks. She owes her entire career to Grace Jones and Madonna. Can’t wait for her to be over. NEXT.

  111. Suzy Q says:

    I stopped reading when I saw the “feminist” being cited is Camille Paglia. Please. She’s not exactly what I’d call a feminist.

  112. ALAHNALAH says:

    LADY GAGA IS A GENIUS !!!! what she is doing stands out in people minds, to be remembered ! She will be a historic icon !! she is completely changing the face of artists….I agree with the above it’s a feeling she puts out. YOU HAVE TO ADMIT THE GIRL CAN SING ! she makes you question… what is sexy ?? what is normal?? what is beautiful???

  113. Jane says:

    she’s certainly not a global feminist, unless her silly costumes somehow benefit rape victims in Darfur or the abused, ignored women of Juarez, Mexico.

  114. dahlia6 says:

    Is it just me or do all the Gaga haters keep throwing Madonna up in comparison? I like Gaga. I don’t think she’s some brilliant wunderkind who’s going to change the world, but her music is catchy and far less annoying than most of the other crap on the radio these days, at least to my ears. What gets me is how everyone keeps screaming Madonna is the artist, the brilliant soulful songstress, when lets be real. She came out in the 80’s. Was there anything about that decade that was genuine? Pop music in and of its self is manufactured, boiled down to the lowest common denominator and chucked out wholesale.

    To me, it seems like all the people who taut Madonna as being the original visionary are like the old people who can’t deal with kids and their new-fangled music, and it just ends up as so much screeching about the kids getting off their damned lawn.

  115. Jae says:

    Calling Camille Paglia a feminist is a travesty itself. If anything she is a misogynist. She hates women, I mean she really really hates women. I would hardly call Naomi Wolf a feminist either. I think they are both exhibitionist and I don’t take either of them seriously.

  116. Holly says:

    Camille Paglia said everything that I’ve felt about Gaga in a very eloquent way. Bravo.

  117. MSat says:

    Crazydaisy: Gaga told Ellen she did it for the gays. She said, “If you don’t fight for your rights all you’ll have left is the meat on your bones. And also, I am not a piece of meat.”

    Whatevs. Have another bong hit, gaga.

  118. Liana says:

    Who the h*ll is everyone here that agreed with Paglia to say she is right?!

    One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, remember that old saying?
    ********************

    Because if people think she’s right, then she’s right, to those who agree with her.

    And one man’s treasure is another man’s trash. Goes both ways.