Every decade has a pop culture phenomenon that has had a significant influence on their fans. Fans form clubs and conventions in honor of their idol, buy memorabilia, set up chat rooms to discuss their favorite celebs latest whereabouts, religiously attend concerts and mimic the style of their idol. In the 80s and 90s Madonna was at her peak. Her popularity and sexual appeal quickly stretched across the world. Through her multimillion-dollar deal, the “Material Girl” showed the world she offered more than just music with her record company, films, books, merchandise and several albums.
In the early 2000s after launching her recording career Britney
Spear’s quickly became an international pop culture icon. With her absence Lady
Gaga quickly climbed the charts with her catchy songs, outrageous hairdos and
innovative costumes. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta famously known for her
stage name Lady Gaga was born on March 28, 1986. Born and raised in New York
City, she attended a private Catholic school in the city (Covent of the Sacred
Heart) and briefly attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts
before dropping out to focus primarily on her music career. The debut of her
2008 album “The Fame” drew Gaga into the limelight. Her album was both a
critical and commercial success that topped charts around the world.
Gaga’s quirky personality and avante-garde sense of style have
her fans, commonly referred to as “little monsters,” dying to replicate her
over the top costumes and funky hairdos.
When thinking
about the Gaga phenomenon I can’t help but reflect on Gordan Lynch’s article, Why Should Theologians and Scholars of
Religion Study Popular Culture? In class we discussed his four approaches
to the study of popular culture and religion in light of Lady Gaga. When
thinking about the how Lady Gaga serves religious functions in society we
discussed her social function. In reference to her social function, Gaga formed
her own society or cult within popular culture. This cult is comprised of
followers (“little monsters”) who religiously attend concerts, engage in chat
room conversations and purchase Gaga memorabilia, and create over the top
explicit costumes in order to mimic their idol.
But is Lady Gaga really a good role model especially for
impressionable adolescents? Media role models often have a huge impact on young
children and teens. Adolescents are very conscious about the difference between
image and reality and desperately seek role models and ground rules to live by.
Although Lady Gaga is a common advocator for anti-bullying campaigns, such as
her efforts to fight homophobia with her “It Gets Better” videos, are her
explicit videos really sending positive messages? Gaga continually attempts to
push the boundaries of acceptable behavior.
Her videos often portray her naked or in very skimpy
outfits, depict bathhouses, sexual relations, prostitution and drugs. A lot of
the content portrayed is too sexually provocative and explicit
for children to view. This theme also puts into question are children and teens exposed to too much inappropriate material in the media?
Hey Jessica!
ReplyDeleteHere is the link to my response to your post "The Cult of Gaga"
http://smc305ohmyblog.blogspot.com/
I hope you like it :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLink to my response
ReplyDeletehttp://theinternetisthemessiah.blogspot.com/2012/01/comment-on-jessicas-cult-of-gaga.html
Here is a link to my response
ReplyDeletehttp://jc-and-pc.blogspot.com/2012/01/response-to-jessicas-post-cult-of-gaga.html
http://gospelaccordingtobuddychrist.blogspot.com/2012/01/response-to-cult-of-gaga.html
ReplyDeleteThere is no denying that Lady Gaga has a religious-like following. Her disciples, also referred to as her “Little Monsters”, submit to her mantra of peace, love, and respect. And really what is so bad about that? Gaga deserves credit for advocating on behalf of all individuals who have ever felt excluded, alienated, or simply… different. As a super pop icon, we have to commend her involvement in anti-bullying and anti-harassment movements. If we were measuring Lady Gaga’s ability to employ Christian-like doctrines to create her own religious community of inclusivity, she would get full points. She has created a religious community premised on Christian principles which many seek refuge within. Yet I have to agree with Jessica's questioning attitude of Gaga's use of Christianity in her music and videos.
Although I do not want to take away from this positive message, I want to evaluate how well Lady Gaga serves the Christian religion. I found it extremely interesting when Jessice brought up Gaga's often explicit videos. We cannot forget that Gaga is known for her theatrics and her ability to consistently reinvent herself. This makes her commitment to Christianity a little questionable. Jessica mentions the depictions of prostitution, drug use and violence juxtaposed with Christian images. I believe many would be suspicious of her reference to Christian narratives when she uses them in such a controversial way. Many religious individuals would see something fundamentally wrong with the depiction of religion in her videos. Although extremely creative and transcendental, her videos are over-sexualized, sometimes violent and a strong opposition to Christian values. I think Gaga toed the line between “artistic” and “shock value” in her video “Judas”, in a manner that many would find offensive to Christianity.
I believe Lady Gaga is a useful example of how pop culture can interact with religion in different ways. The Gaga community of Monsters is without a doubt its own religion. Yet Gaga herself appears to use religion in the same manner she employs eccentric disguises. How she deals with her followers and what she advocates to them is extremely Christian in nature. Yet her overt depictions of Christianity are often exploitive and done in manner that is similar to how she does product placements in her videos.
Link to my response:
ReplyDeletehttp://christandpopularculture.blogspot.com/2012/01/response-to-cult-of-gaga.html
Great post by the way