Scandals are mundane to Lady Gaga. After trotting onto the VMA stage in a carcass familiar to corn-fed carnivorous Americans with an edible clutch ready to be thrown on the grill, the meat dress stunt was only the tip of the iceberg of Lady Gaga‘s politically charged endeavors.
From observing the careers of Bono, Madonna, and Angelina Jolie among many, social and political consciousness is a character that has been quietly added to the rubric of judgement when it comes to celebrities.
Megastars who become larger than life actively evolve into ambassadors of a generation by encouraging progressive discourse regarding issues that are immediately reflective of the current cultural standpoint.
In addition to posing the question, ‘what is the purpose of meat?’ at the VMA’s adorned in the provocative fleshy wardrobe, Gaga was escorted by gay soldiers to advocate the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ making the appearance a double political whammy.
[pagebreak]
There could be no better proponent of sexual equality than Lady Gaga, a walking spectrum of variant sexualities with 13 VMA nominations endowing her with the cultural currency to influence a massive and captive audience.
Equal rights is a universal cause and celebrities have tackled various facets of equality whether it is race, gender, poverty, and it is no surprise that Gaga is drawn to the debate around discrimination based on sexuality.
What is surprising about her stunt is that despite her 6.3 million followers on Twitter, 18 million Facebook fans, 13 VMA nominations, and her undeniable media magnetism, she still can’t get in touch with her senator.
Gaga raises her concern about the infringement on civil liberties through anecdotes of soldiers whose rights have been crippled by this movement and urges listening constituents to raise their voices to senators.
She dials the number of her local senator to voice her concern and it is baffling to see the most influential artist of the generation be put on hold then be sent straight to voicemail like a victim of a one-night-stand with a jerk who is screening calls to avoid his responsibilities.
Her inability to get through the phone line is ironically what will resonate with the masses.
[pagebreak]
Political activism has been added to the menu of expectations when it comes to cultural icons and while many may be quick to write off Lady Gaga‘s extreme stunts as staged press opportunities, Gaga delivers a sense of candid sincerity in her video message.
Lady Gaga’s attempt to be like Madonna</s
