March 06, 2017

Empowering Women - Lady Gaga



Every month I am highlighting an empowering woman. This month it is:



LADY GAGA


Lady Gaga wasn’t always understood when she first rose to musical power. Her outfits were crazy and her performances and videos were controversial. I always liked her, though, because I appreciated her creativity and what she was doing.

Remember the legendary meat dress?
“If we don’t stand up for what we believe in, and if we don’t fight for our rights pretty soon, we’re going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones. And, I’m not a piece of meat.”
Then there’s her first MTV VMA performance for Paparazzi. At the end, she’s lifted into the air, bleeding and convulsing. 
“I just knew I had to bleed to death for four minutes on TV…I wanted to say something about how the celebrity sort of has this inevitable demise that we love to watch. But are we killing them or are they killing themselves?”
In 2011, she debuted her song “Born This Way,” a song about love and equality. From the beginning, she fought for LGBT rights. She wrote “Born This Way" in ten minutes and recorded it around the world on her tour bus. This song isn’t just for the LBGT community, though, but for people of all races.

 What about the video and that egg she journeyed in down the red carpet:
“…birthing a race within the race of already existing cultures of humanity—that bears no prejudice and no judgement.”
She started the Born This Way Foundation to help teens struggling with depression and to feel comfortable in their skin.

In recent years, she gained considerable recognition for her tribute to Julie Andrews, her National Anthem performance at Super Bowl 50, her tribute to David Bowie, and her role as the Countess in American Horror Story: Hotel, for which she won an Emmy.

This year she did the Halftime Show for Super Bowl 51, and in my opinion it was the best Halftime Show ever. She opened it by singing "This Land is Your Land" while a fleet of drones created the American flag behind her. And it was neat to see the dance moves from her music videos come back to the stage. 

At the 2016 Oscars, she performed “Till it Happens to You,” her song dedicated to victims of sexual abuse. Gaga was sexually assaulted when she young....
“I didn’t tell anyone for years because I didn’t tell myself for years. And my soul was burnt out until it was gone. And then you have to admit you were in pain, and that you died in a way, but you are in control to bring it back, and there are people in the world who’ll help you.”


69 comments:

  1. Not a fan, but she does do things her own way.

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    1. I figured there'd be a lot of people saying that, but I hope they take a look at the video, if they hadn't seen her perform "Till it Happens to You" yet. It's so moving.

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  2. Her Oscar performance always makes me cry, too. So incredibly moving.

    I missed her Superbowl show, though. I was too angry about how poorly my team was playing at the time, so I had to go walk it off before the second half. :)

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    1. LOL! I can understand needing to use the Halftime to vent.

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  3. You can't deny she has a presence about her. You have to pay attention when she's performing.

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    1. You really do. Her performances are always deep, I find.

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  4. More than her attention getting ability, is her musical ability. The woman has a fine voice and can sing ANYthing! Her collaboration with Tony Bennett is fantastic.

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    1. She is truly talented. There's nothing she can't sing.

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  5. I'm getting a message that the video has been removed due to a copyright claim.

    I don't particularly follow her musical career, though she certainly does things her own way and doesn't care what others think. It's better to be one of a million than one in a million.

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    1. Crude! It wasn't like that when I created this post. I'll look for another video or at least a link to add.

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  6. She killed it at the Superbowl, too. She has a great voice, and I admire the work she does for LGBTQ kids. It's wonderful.

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  7. I absolutely love Lady GaGa. Have for years. She got me to listen to pop when I thought of pop as a vast wasteland. Smart, creative, and with strong convictions. Plus, so much fun!

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    1. I've loved her for years, too. Actually, in the beginning I didn't pay attention to her. I thought she was like everyone else. It was when Paparazzi and Bad Romance came out when I became a fan.

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  8. She sure can bring enthusiasm to whatever she does and make a difference indeed

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  9. I'm glad you picked her because I have a lot of respect for this crazy gal:) She is intelligent and pushes the buttons. My mom called her Lady Ca-Ca because, well, that's my mom:) She has great lyrics and the videos are saying something even if they are sexual and towards a violent way....she is saying something so she is a visual artist. The egg thing at the grammy's always cracks me up....um ...sorry:) She has a great voice as indicated by her CD with Tony Bennett and her singing the melodies from the Sound of Music.

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    1. OMG! Your mom is funny. I can see where people who don't understand her or what she's about would call her that.

      The egg thing cracks me up, too. I thought it was strange, but her meaning behind it is beautiful. :)

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  10. I remember her Oscar performance--it was very moving. I do like her music but I wouldn't say I'm a giant fan or anything.

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  11. She's a good artist and I'm all for popstars being creative and out there. And I do think she puts across a good message that you should be yourself. That's good for youngsters to hear.

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    1. She's great at putting that message out there. :)

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  12. I didn't know any of the back stories - I've always enjoyed her music, but thought she was a bit out there in terms of her outfits etc. Having read this blog I'm not overstating when I say you have transformed my view of Lady Gaga.

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    1. And that makes me so happy. :) I imagine there are many people who don't know the back stories and think she's a bit out there.

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  13. I'm not sure how I feel about her. Sometimes I've turned my nose up, like when she blatantly ripped off Madonna's music and refused to apologize or even admit it, but I had no idea how much she's done for others.

    Thanks for writing this post. You've opened my eyes.

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    1. I am glad to have opened your eyes. That's my goal with many of these posts. :) I love Gaga's Born This Way so I can't really comment about the Madonna thing.

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  14. I like her music. I appreciate what she's doing. I didn't see the Super Bowl or the Oscars (I don't watch sporting events, and I fast forward through the musical acts). Not my thing. I love that her name came from that Queen song (that song is a favorite of mine).

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    1. I only tuned it when the Halftime Show came on. Otherwise, I didn't watch the game at all.

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  15. I was surprised when I fell in love with Lady Gaga. I've never seen a bad performance from her. She radiates kindness and empathy. Her voice is amazing. I love it when she plays the piano.

    Love,
    Janie

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  16. I was really struck by her beautiful voice when she sang the Star Spangled Banner for the Super Bowl a couple of years ago.

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  17. Hi Chrys - I too wasn't too impressed with Lady G to start with - but you start to admire these strong people with important messages for us all to think about - we do need to be more open. She has an amazing voice ... cheers Hilary

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    1. And she is a strong person with an important message. :)

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  18. I really knew nothing about her and appreciate your post.

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  19. When I first saw her, I thought...not for me. Then I saw an interview and her singing with Tony Bennett and had to rethink my first impression. She has won me over! Definitely a woman that fits you empowering women posts.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    1. She's toned things down a lot and has become very classy in her looks. I think that has helped considerably, too.

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  20. Sadly, I haven't seen one of them. From what you've posted, she's a brave and strong soul. :-)

    Anna from elements of emaginette

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  21. Not a huge fan of Lady Gaga but do like some of her songs. Thought she was whacked out of her mind for wearing the meat dress. Keep wondering how she went to the bathroom wearing that thing. But that whole I'm not meat message, I get it. Still, a meat dress?

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    1. LOL! She's a visual, artistic person. And it sure got people to talk, didn't it? :P

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  22. Sadly we've reached a place where costume and outrageous presentation overshadow talent. I call it the Madonna effect. I know nothing about Lady Gaga, but I recently heard that she has been banned from China after meeting with the Dalai Lama. She now has my respect.

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    1. Oh, but despite her costumes and outrageous presentations she is extremely talented. For her, it's all a part of the package. She definitely could've rose to fame without all of that, though. Her voice is enough.

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  23. Good choice for an inspirational woman, Chrys. I admire her so much. She has done amazing work in a short period of time as well. I also love her jazz collaboration with Tony Bennett. But her social awareness and goal to help young people struggling is most admirable!

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    1. Her collaboration with Tony Bennett was definitely the smartest thing she's done in her amazing career. It helped to shine a different light on her for many music fans.

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  24. An artist that I've grown to admire. Strong relevant messages.

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  25. I can't say that I really listen to her music, but I did watch her performance at half time in this year's Super Bowl and she put on a great show.

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  26. Fantastic post!!! Thank you Chrys!

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  27. She is definitely a strong woman with a powerful way of getting her message out there. *thumbs up*

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  28. I'm not personally a fan of her music (just not my style), but she has an incredible voice and it's awesome that she's willing to make her music and her messages meaningful, especially in a genre of music that's known mostly for just dumbed down lyrics about sex and money.

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    1. I don't like those songs that are just about sex, drugs, or money. She has done some of those, but the rest are gold. :)

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  29. I admire her so much. She seems fearlesss, and she's so talented.

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  30. I've always enjoyed her performances and thought the Super Bowl was top notch.

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    1. Awesome! I had no idea you were a Lady Gaga "fan." ;)

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  31. Great post, Chrys. I like Lady Gaga too. She is an artist and I think many people expect her to just be a pop sensation. She is so much more than that.

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    1. She really is so much more than that. I've seen many of her interviews and have been blown away by her intelligence and passion.

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  32. I think she's incredibly talented and rather attractive under all the facades she uses. She was terrific at the Super Bowl and I was so extremely impressed with the interview she did the day before that I can't recall who she was with!

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    1. I only tuned in to see her perform the Halftime Show. I had high expectations, and she blew those out of the water!

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  33. She is not just an amazing artist but someone we can all look up to for her strength. Happy Women's Day to you and to all the awesome female beings here. :)

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  34. She is amazing. Every time I think I've figured her out, I haven't. She is outside of every stereotype and box invented.

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    1. She definitely keeps us guessing and steps boldly out of the box. :)

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  35. Lady Gaga is definitely inspirational. Not only does she have an amazing voice, but she knows who she is and she tries to help others through her music and actions. Thanks for sharing. :)
    ~Jess

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    1. And she motivates others, especially the younger generation, to embrace who they are, too. :)

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