Bad Romance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACm9yECwSso

Lady Gaga is constantly pushing the boundaries through her music, style, dance and behavior. Her newest video for the single, “Bad Romance” is yet another example of how this pop-star has proven herself yet again to be controversial. If I remember correctly, it was James who said in class that this particular quality about Lady Gaga, her ability to “stir things up” and to act as an individual, were a main part of her appeal to the gay community. However, in this new music video, Gaga does nothing more than objectify herself. Yes, she is doing so in a way that is meant to be sarcastic and satirical, however, there are too many correlations between herself in the video and her every day behavior. In the video, Gaga is sold, truly commoditified, to a male suitor presumably for a night of passionate love making. He pays $1,000,000 (a fair price for an international superstar). She resists being “sold,” until she puts on a seductive little dance show, which ultimately leads to her being purchased; not to mention being dressed to an absolute bare minimum so that her video might be shown on cable television.

Well, Gaga is shown enduring a great deal of emotional hardship on the road to having sex with a good looking stranger, and when she finally meets him in the bedroom, she torches the mattress with him in it. This was her way of saying f*** you to men who view women as an object, something that can be purchased. For this, thank you Lady Gaga. However, I must ask the question: what did she do to not objectify herself? Lady Gaga is surely aware of the fact that she has become a brand, that she herself is a product that is being sold on a daily basis across the globe. If you pay attention to the main dance scene, around the time she is bid on, you’ll notice Vitamin Water bottles strategically placed on the tables, and Vodka bottles with brand names plastered on the side. This video is a contradiction in itself. Lady Gaga appears to be rejecting the idea of objectifying women, commoditizing, by her final message, setting the bed ablaze. But the very way Lady Gaga presents herself both in the video and to the public eye in general helps reinforce the very objectification she claims to be fighting. I’m not going to probe this topic TOO much deeper, but my question now is how does this message effect the homosexual community’s feelings towards Lady Gaga? How do they relate to such a message, when ultimately, it concerns women and not men? Do they feel that Lady Gaga objectifies herself or women? This is all generally speaking, but I am curious to know what others might think.