“I want to liberate them, I want to free them of their fears and make them feel that they can create their own space in the world"- Lady Gaga
If Lady Gaga were a state, the state would be seen in the eyes of the rest of the world as controversial and have its own set of norms, unique to those that are followed by all other nations. It would be a democracy that closely resembles the United States. Lady Gaga herself is the self-proclaimed embodiment for all that is misunderstood. For this reason, this state would be criticized by most other societies for its acceptance, and even encouragement of practices that are considered taboo in other parts of the globe such as feminism, transexuality, and freedom of speech. Even now in all of her ubiquity, she is cast off as that singer who dresses outlandishly and dedicates all her awards to the gays. This is because more often than not, the general public makes the mistake of taking Gaga at face value. While she may seem like she is doing it all for the attention, all of Lady Gaga’s outfits and behavior are a strategic plan to make a very specific statement. Gaga’s nation would be created in an act of rebellion because Gaga and her “monsters” would be criticized and not taken seriously by a previous empire or other form of government. She would then create a land that would be known for hundreds years to come as a place where people could come with nothing, and through shear determination achieve everything. This is what Gaga truly stands for, despite the freak façade that often overshadows her words.
Aditi,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying. I think it is obvious to those who follow Lady Gaga closely that there is an intention behind her image. However, one of the things I have been wondering about is this idea of internal v. external identity. While a Lady Gaga state might view itself as an advocate against societal norms, the international community could view the state as outlandish and unnecessarily antagonistic towards the status quo. What is the state's true identity then? While I want to say that the identity is given by the state itself, external perception certainly holds a lot of weight.
Aubrey, I understand your concern. However, I also believe that for a state like the one Gaga might have would be completely unconcerned with external identity, as long as those who follow her understand what she stands for. While I believe that a state's identity does in fact have a lot do with external perception, I think that in this case it isn't a factor with an attitude like Gaga's, which might be part of the reason this state might not work in the grand scheme of things.
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