Sex and Music Lady Gaga: Essay

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The video's director explains that the intention was not to create racy content for its own sake, but rather that "the process was to express Lady Gaga's desire to reveal her heart and bear her soul" (Kreps). The provocative imagery thus serves to challenge the viewer over whether the video expresses bad taste or high art.

Equally important to lyrics are Gaga's overall image and the discussion she generates over her interests, including avant-garde fashion and gay rights. She is known for being scantily-clad; one magazine called her appearance "bizarre," stating that her style of dress is "archly futuristic…reveals a lot of skin but is never sexy" (Callahan and Stewart). The conflict inherent in her blatant sexuality also arises when one considers the discussion that her gender once generated, as "Is Lady Gaga a man?' 'was AskJeeves.com's thirdmost-asked question of 2009" (Juzwiak). Ever the provocateur, Lady Gaga addressed the question in her Alejandro video, in which she wears what appears to be a phallus (Alejandro). She toys with her audience: Both giving them what they expect and demanding that they ask themselves why they expect it.

Pop artists cannot be expected to be paragons of good taste and perfectly packaged messages.
What Gaga has over most is a cohesive identity and a commitment to challenging norms. She seems to be equally vested in generating fans and fomenting controversy with her frank public persona and her music's unconventional sexuality. If this interest is encouraged, perhaps she will help the millennial generation become as proud and fearless as she appears to be. Works Cited Alejandro. Dir. Steven Klein. Perf. Lady Gaga. YouTube. 08 June 2010. Web. 02 Apr. 2011. . Callahan, Maureen, and Sara Stewart. "Who's That Lady?" NYPost.com. 21 Jan. 2010. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. . Juzwiak, Rich. "Lady Gaga Approximately." The Village Voice Jan. 2010: 16. Print. Kreps, Daniel. "Alejandro Director Breaks Down Lady Gaga's Racy Video | Rolling Stone Music."Rolling Stone. 08 June 2010. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. . Lady Gaga and RedOne. "Bad Romance." The Fame Monster. Streamline Records, 2009. CD. Lady, Gaga and RedOne. "Poker Face." The Fame. Interscope Records, 2008. CD......

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