Love, Love, Love, I Want Your Love Lady Gaga, born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, was raised in a truly Catholic household in New York, 1986. She was taught to believe firmly in her religion, but also to practice tolerance and love for everyone she would come in contact with. When she broke onto the music scene in 2008 with “Just Dance,” she immediately caught the public eye with her outlandish wardrobe, catchy lyrics, and bizarre music videos. When the public heard the life behind the lyrics, however, they were infatuated with her message as well.
Gaga is here to perform and spread joy, in the form of music, to her “Little Monsters,” but also to break down the walls of normality and promote acceptance of self and others. With an, “I’m here, I’m queer, get used to it” attitude, she has captured the hearts of many teens and adults alike, and keep us all striving to be a bit more like her. Germanotta, preferring her star name of Lady Gaga, was raised to believe that getting what you want means working hard to make it happen. At each chance she can get, she tries to make this apparent by telling her story.
In an interview with New York Entertainment, she states: “I left my entire family, got the cheapest apartment I could find, and ate [crap] until somebody would listen. ” She was determined to be a star and to share her dreams with the world. In her words, “I am a feminist and I want to change the way people view women,” (Larry King Live, 2010). Later in the interview, she goes on to say: “I’m not interested, Larry, in being a perfect, placid, pop singer that looks great in bikinis and is on the cover of every magazine.
I am more interested in helping my fans to love who they are and helping them reject prejudice and reject those things they are taught from society to not like about themselves. To feel like freaks. ” Raised in a Catholic home and taught to love and respect God, Lady Gaga has grown into a very spiritual woman. “I am very religious. I was raised Catholic. I believe in Jesus, I believe in God, I’m very spiritual, I pray very much. But at the same time, there is no religion that doesn’t hate or speak against or be prejudiced another racial group or religious group – or sexual group. So for that, I think that religion is also bogus. Lady Gaga goes on to discuss her belief in Heaven, and that everyone, regardless of religion, sins or sexuality, will end up there. “So, I suppose you could say I’m a quite religious woman that is quite confused about religion. I envision a world where we have a more peaceful religion or a more peaceful world – more peaceful state of mind for the younger generation. That’s what I dream for. ” Being a declared bisexual, yet also a devout Catholic, can seem backwards to most people; however, to Lady Gaga, it is just life. One’s personal sexuality is their business and theirs alone, and nobody should feel superior enough to judge others.
Acceptance is a big part of her life, and her tour, for which she was quoted saying, “The show is a rejection of insecurity. The Monster Ball is, in essence, an exorcism for my fans and for myself, where we sort of put everything out on the table and reject it. ” Gaga strongly believes in being one’s self, not the self society wants you to be. To some, Lady Gaga is a menace or a bad influence. These people judge her based on her out-there clothing, bizarre dance moves, and strange personality, and never listen to what she actually has to say.
I, personally, have become infatuated with her style, music, and her political stances. We may differ in our religious beliefs, as she believes in the Bible and I do not, but we are able to connect in many other ways. Being bisexual myself, I agree with her thoughts on sexuality in our society, and that too many must hide who they really are. This is the true plague in our country, not homosexuality. In a country where everyone is raised with pre-determined values and morals, passed down through generation to generation, a voice like Gaga’s is necessary to undo the wrongs.
After hearing Lady Gaga’s concerns and ideals, I am one of many who are very proud to call ourselves Little Monsters. References Grigoriadis, V, (March 28, 2010), Growing Up Gaga, retrieved July 7, 2010 from: http://nymag. com/arts/popmusic/features/65127/ Helminiak, D, (N. D. ), Frequently Asked Questions – Catholicism and Homosexuality, retrieved July 7, 2010 from: http://www. dignityusa. org/faq. html Hopko, T, (N. D. ), The Homosexual Christian, retrieved July 7, 2010 from: http://www. orthodoxresearchinstitute. org/articles/ethics/hopko_homosexual_christian. htm
Hunt, M, (August 13, 1999), Despite Silencing, Holy Spirit prevails – U. S. Catholics accept homosexuals – Brief Article, retrieved July 7, 2010 from: http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_36_35/ai_55553290/ Lady Gaga on Larry King: Monsters, Freaks, Lupus, Cocaine, Michael Jackson, Gay Fans, ‘Alejandro,’ and More (VIDEO), (N. D. ), retrieved July 7, 2010 from: http://www. huffingtonpost. com/2010/06/01/lady-gaga-larry-king-interview_n_597087. html Lady Gaga on Twitter, (N. D. ), retrieved July 7, 2010 from: http://twitter. com/Ladygaga Lady Gaga, (N. D. ), retrieved July 7, 2010 from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Lady_Gaga
