“I’m a feminist!” says Lady Gags

by Debbie Stoller

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, our favorite recent pop culture phenom, Lady Gaga, finally admitted to being a feminist, a term which she has rejected in the past. Speaking with music critic Ann Powers, Gaga said, “”I’m getting the sense that you’re a little bit of a feminist, like I am, which is good. I find that men get away with saying a lot in this business, and that women get away with saying very little . . . In my opinion, women need and want someone to look up to that they feel have the full sense of who they are, and says, ‘I’m great.’ “

Of course, Ann Powers is more than a “bit of a feminist,” as she’s been tracing the trajectory of women in music since at least the 80s, but it sure is nice to hear Lady GG, who gave up one of our favorite quote this year (you’ll see it in the Feb/March issue of BUST) own up to what’s long been obvious to anyone who pays attention to how women represent themselves in the media. And if she didn’t realize she was a feminist, her fans sure have. Like Madonna and so many empowered female pop culture icons before her, the Gags is beloved by women and gays. Straight men? Not so much.

And the content of her music proves the point even further. In discussing her latest song, “Dance in the Dark,” LGG explains: “The record is about a girl who likes to have sex with the lights off, because she’s embarrassed about her body. She doesn’t want her man to see her naked. She will be free, and she will let her inner animal out, but only when the lights are out. She doesn’t feel free without the moon. These lyrics are a way for me to talk about how I believe women and some men feel innately insecure about themselves all the time. It’s not sometimes, it’s not in adolescence, it’s always”

And continues:

“Also, I’m working with Viva Glam on MAC AIDS Fund stuff and the more I learn about AIDS and HIV…. most of the new infections are in women my age, and in women ages 53 to 64, older women who haven’t had sex in a long time, and in a moment of passion are irresponsible and contract HIV, and women my age who think their boyfriend won’t love them if they speak up. Condoms aren’t female. They’re making female condoms, but right now it’s, “buy a Trojan” – it’s for men. So everything’s in a man’s power, and women are taught to be receivers… It’s just a very deluded way of looking at sex.”

Okay Gaga! Welcome to the dark side!. Thanks for finally dropping  your Poker Face and revealing your true nature. We always knew you were playing for our etam, but so happy to see you finally admitting it too.

 

 

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Founded in 1993, BUST is the inclusive feminist lifestyle trailblazer offering a unique mix of humor, female-focused entertainment, uncensored personal stories, and candid reporting that tells the truth about women’s lives.

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