Tuesday Top Ten… reasons I would never hang up on Lady Gaga.
Say what you want about Lady Gaga – and many, many people have – but there’s something intoxicating about her. I remember the first time I heard of her, when she performed Just Dance at the NewNowNext Awards, way back when in 2008. I was hooked – I played and replayed that performance as loud as my speakers would allow, and I’m pretty sure I drove all my flatmates crazy. Oh Lady Gaga. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
1. She is the gayest thing on two legs.
Want proof? Watch one of her videos. Each one looks like a mini Pride parade or float. There are gay cops, mardi gras beads and trans dancers. It’s amazing.
2. Her shoes.
Listen, it’s no secret that I’m obsessed with shoes, to the point that my dad once described it as a fetish (there’s a word I never wanted to hear him say). To wit:
…and that’s just what she wore in Bad Romance.
3. She’s bisexual.
And not just in that lame Katy Perry way. Actually, properly B, as opposed to the way many aspiring fame-mongers clamour for the gay vote or bi-curious appeal. It’s more important than many people realise for celebrities to come out – these are role models for so many of us. And she wrote a song about it. Poker Face is an awesome song, and it gives me a bigger thrill than you know to hear people singing it and unknowingly proclaiming their own sexual fluidity.
4. She didn’t give a shit when people were clamouring about whether she was a woman, a man, trans, a hermaphrodite or anything else.
Her reaction? “I love the rumour I’ve a penis” and “I’m not offended, but my vagina might be a little bit upset”.
5. She doesn’t wear fur.
How many self-proclaimed mad fashionistas do that AND make a crazy-awesome statement about it? No, I’m not talking about naked Peta ads (I have a major problem with Peta’s modus operandi). I’m talking about that genius Kermit outfit.
Awesome.
6. She has LGBT people in, like, every video she’s ever made.
From the dancers in the Bad Romance video to the awesome butch from the Telephone video, Lady Gaga’s spreading the gay like it’s in the water.
Take a big sip, world.
7. She writes her own music.
How rare is that in today’s musical world? When so much of today’s music is performed but not created by the artists who make it famous, Lady Gaga is like a beacon, a breath of fresh air. And she writes for so many other people too. God help me, I love a talented, ambitious lady.
8. Bad Romance was on Glee!
…which maybe doesn’t count so much because there have been a trillion other songs on Glee. But listen – the costumes. are. amazing. I want my mom to make me a Gaga get-up.
9. She marches for gay rights
Apathy is a silent choker, so it’s heartening to see someone maintain a commitment to engaging in and for gay rights. It’s all well and good to say you’re supportive of equal rights for LGBT people, but it’s another thing entirely to actually do something.
Can you hear that?
10. She’s a feminist.
It pisses me off to no end to hear people say ridiculous things like ‘I’m not a feminist’ or ‘feminism annoys me’. So you can imagine how happy it makes me to know that Gaga’s a feminist. And what a one! Unashamedly in-your-face, Lady Gaga’s spoken up repeatedly about issues affecting women, from the double standards of the music industry to the ridiculous moral codes that are applied to what a woman can (or should) do. She’s a great role model. And even better? She’s not afraid to use the F word to describe herself. Fuck yeah.
my bisexual hero. I’ve got into several arguments over whether Gaga is a feminist or not. my straight friends are like “no! because she wears a bikini in Telephone”. i don’t get it. She is my feminist icon.
i hate hate HATE it when people say things like that. like what, feminists can’t be sexy? or make choices to wear something revealing? how closed-minded. and, you know, erroneous.
GaGa used to be reluctant to call herself a feminist. She was feminist in ideology, but she didn’t want to use the label for the same reasons so many other people also don’t want to use it: the stereotype, the stigma, etc. But then she realized her error. She learned something, accepted she was wrong, and changed her thinking accordingly. How many people with her level of fame and exposure would do the same and recognize that they’re only human, rather than let it all go to their heads and ignore their own mistakes? This is just one reason why I fucking love Lady GaGa.
(I’m sorry if this comment doesn’t make much sense. I’m tired and my head hurts.)
Lady Gay Gay!
I wonder how gay is she. . .
So you like her because she doesnt wear fur, but you like her because she wears shoes, which are made from, leather. Which is oh hey, guess what honey, a cow.
You can’t pick and choose your arguments. If you wanna be all ‘anti-fur’ then maybe you should go the whole hog.
Gaga wears makeup that will be tested on animals, leather, blah blah blah. All you anti fur people piss me off. Not because you are anti-fur, but because you just go along with this fluffy attitude that poor little fwuffy things shouldn’t be killed. I got news for you love, cow hides have hair on and its treated in an acid bath to remove it.
Oh and ‘it’s a bi-product’ isn’t really and excuse. is it.
Wow, ACTUALLY, the reason I’m anti-fur is because the way fur is harvested is impossibly cruel. Breaking an animal’s neck or shocking it halfway then skinning it alive is incredibly cruel, and though leather isn’t exactly fab, the way leather is harvested isn’t the same, not at all. Also, there’s no excuse for wearing the skin of an animal that’s endangered.
FYI – not all shoes are made of leather, so that argument kind of sinks. AND the by-product argument is valid, because if you’re going to kill an animal for food purposes, then you might as well use the entire animal. And, shocker of shockers, there’s nothing that says that the make-up Lady Gaga wears is tested on animals – though I know for a fact that she advocates for MAC which does not test on animals.
You do have her number do you? Or is it her calling you aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall the time?
Basically the biggest loads of bullshit ever. How can you condone the death of an animal one way and disapprove of it another?
It’s people like you that really annoy me, with your rediculous ideas about whats right and wrong. And if you wanna go into it, the meat from fur is a by product. Its sold on for glue/petfood/meat. Do you really think that the people in these poor countries that fur is from is just chucked? When they are doing what they can for money?
Soz, forgot you knew Lady G in person.
@meat filled fur covered cake – Honestly, I’m not sure what you’re saying exactly – your argument isn’t very clear.
There is a huge difference between food, which is a necessity for life, and fur, which is a luxury. That idea isn’t ridiculous – it’s a fact. I don’t know what the “these poor people” argument is, and can’t respond to it as a result. If you’re talking about the harvesting of fur for money, then I’m not sure what you’re arguing for. I agree that fur is a bad thing: it is a needless luxury in most places. Also not sure what the knowing her in person reference is about. I guess you’re making a dig, but as it makes no sense, it’s kind of ineffective.
Positively 4th street. Could Ga Ga make a cover? I’d be brill!
@Meat Filled Fur Covered Cake
I’m a little late in the day but, dude. I did my thesis on how internet-based communication allowed people to vent and provoke people in a way that would never be allowed in ‘real life’. You are a case study. There’s no need to be so inflamatory and personal. Are you attacking the person, or their argument? We’re all friends here at TMC. I can see you’re angry at DFC’s stance on this, but would you ever walk up to someone in a bar who was discussing this and say they were talking “bulshit”?
The condescending use of “honey” and “love” in your posts isn’t going to make anyone want to entertain your point of view. Next time you have beef with a point on here, it may be more beneficial to everyone concerned if you were a bit more empathic with your response. Your argument is completely valid, but your approach is off-putting.
@ Devil’s Food Cake – I think if you re-read meat filled fur covered cake’s posts, it’s pretty clear what she is trying to say…
For someone who is a writer for this webzine, I think maybe reading wouldn’t go a miss…
Although you have been polite in your responses to fur covered cake, you do contradict yourself…
@ Fairy Cake – I don’t think there was anything personal thrown about and agree that if an argument is to be made one should have full facts.
It’s just funny that as soon as someone mentions someting that probably doesn’t conform to the views of the writer, that person is branded as being rude.
You guys must know that if you’re going to put something out in the public sphere, there may be criticisms and you just have to accept that.
It’s fair to have a debate on matters and people’s opinions should be accepted, as long as their arguments make sense.
Also, shocking an animal does not keep them “half alive”. Oh and breaking an animal’s neck kills them instantly.
@ meat filled fur cake – Kudos on expressing your opinions. I know lots of people that wouldn’t because they don’t want to be lashed out at :)
thanks Duchess… I’m not sure weather its my struggle with words/expressing them or what you said able the writer not taking the critism, but i was really riled up when i wrote it because some lesbian had the cheek to come up to me and demand why I had a fur coat on and that I was wrong and a murderer.
I think what I’m trying to point out is that so much of what we use is derived from animals – and you shouldn’t agree with one thing and disagree with the other. I didn’t see that girl in the bar marching up to all the east london (i mean really. did she know where she was? east london! hello!) lesbians wearing their leather jackets, shoes, belts, bags, wallets, demanding why they were wearing an animal!
Of course I told her to jog the fuck on. If she wants to have a debate with me shes more than welcome to do it but not at a bar when I’m trying to enjoy myself. Its not the first argument I have had with someone over something I’m wearing on a night out – i think people should keep the debating to online, or maybe in the day time over a coffee! Not in a bar where there is alcohol and everyone is a tad heated.
I made my choice working in the leather industry, and I had a fantastic lecture on using animal skin from this little old man who taught Jimmy Choo. He taught me that to wear the animal, you first must appreciate it. Whatever we take from animals, we should aim to take it in the most environmentally friendly way possible. I was shown snake, lizard, frog, shark, even an elephants ear. and even some deer leather that had been retrieved from the bottom of the sea from a sunken leathergoods ship, still perfect to use despite being well over 200 years old.
The way i like to think of it is, I’ll make something out of an animal if I’m happy to eat it and do whatnot with the rest. Stuff like tigers, elephants, endangered animals etc, no. Its about protecting what we have, and making sure they way its taken is ok for the environment. i made my choice – for me, you either take what animals have or you dont. You shouldnt pick and choose in between the lines. As someone who wasn’t happy with the idea of being a vegan, it wasnt for me.
I could go on about this for ages and ages as you see. I’m happy with my choice and decision. And i can understand that people will always be a little bit ‘meg’ about fur – but you just need to understand that the word ‘fur’ covered any animal that has skin. Not something thats actually ‘furry.’
Hope this is better explained. I’m sorry if i caused any upset, i just need to defend my industry!
*’meh’ not meg. x
Although I can rarely ever be arsed to add comments to online articles, I came across this one being a big fan of Lady Gaga and thought; what a nice light fun positive article about the Ga, and was feeling slightly entertained and amused by Devil’s Food Cake’s top ten list until…oh no, some bitter and twisted dyke had to come along and spoil it!
There’s always one isn’t there…how f**king annoying. You know what Meat filled bollock cake, your argument sucks, nearly as much as your username! Why don’t you take your little selfish fur wearing attitude away from this enjoyable fun loving Gaga list and go and p!ss on someone else’s fire…in fact why don’t you set fire to your own coat, as I’m sure the least the animal deserves is a cremation, and then p!ss on that instead.
And yes, before you retort, I could do much more than just rant and swear, I could reel a list of objectifications as to why I think your argument is invalid because, guess what ‘Duchess’ I’m a writer too! But I fear my insight, knowledge and understanding would simply be wasted on you. And annoyingly you’ve already taken up enough of my headspace, by forcing me to write this agitated reply.
For my own peace of mind, I will end this comment on a positive note by saying thank you to Devil’s Food Cake for posting this top ten list and fighting your corner. Nice bit of backing from Fairy Cake too, well supported sista :)