Response to "The Cult of Gaga"

This post is a response to “The Cult of Gaga” by Jessica Racanelli
Link: http://let-your-lightshine.blogspot.com/2012/01/v-behaviorurldefaultvmlo.html

There 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 Jessica 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.