Monday, October 1, 2012

Body Image and Lady Gaga

"There's nothing wrong with loving who you are, she said, cause He made you perfect babe;" these are the lyrics Lady Gaga sings in her popular song Born this Way, but it turns out that she hasn't necessarily always felt this way. In the last week the singer turned her personal website into something Hollywood has never seen before, a forum on eating disorders and other self-harm. It all began when she started to post pictures of her current body, with the headline "Bulimia and anorexia since I was 15." Many would ask what would spark a celebrity to post photos of themselves in such a vulnerable state, but it was all due to the influence of the media. Websites like Celebitchy began to post photos of Gaga claiming she was fat and gaining endless pounds; of course when she responded they called it "somewhat inspiring." This raises the question: was they way Lady Gaga responded to the criticism appropriate, or did her Body Revolution take it too far?

 

There has been much controversy about the pictures, which show the singer in her undergarments. But many people think that the photos are inspiring and a good example for individuals struggling with such mental illnesses. The Body Revolution allowed for fans of her website to post their own struggles and help each other to work at and conquer their issues together. For someone that has so much media attention, it was extremely brave to post these photos, especially since she had been receiving such negative attention over her weight gain.

Personally I think that this was a huge step in the right direction for not only Lady Gaga, but also for society as a whole. There has been extreme amounts of pressure on individuals to be skinny, especially  those who are in the public eye. By showing the world that she is able to fight the haters, she shows everyone that it is possible to love yourself for who you are, and not worry about what others have to say about your body. It seems that Lady Gaga is on the track to living her life through her lyrics, "I'm beautiful in my way, cause God makes no mistakes, I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way." What do you think, was her move inspiring to others or just out of line?

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2 comments:

  1. leanna dang October 2, 2012 at 6:07 AM

    I think Lady Gaga's move was to inspire others. I think there are a lot of people in this world who struggle with how they look and struggle with eating disorders. Society and media play a big role in individuals feeling the need to be "skinny" because everyone just wants to look good, feel good, and have people look at them like they're good enough. I think it's inspiring that Lady Gaga did what she did and it takes a lot for a celebrity to do something like that.

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  2. UnknownOctober 5, 2012 at 3:45 PM

    I agree, I think it shows huge of her personality. She doesn't care what the media says and who judges her, she cares about her fans and being a good role model. She is an icon and for her to do something like that proves she isn't in this business for the money, she does it because she loves it and she loves her fans. I read some of the posts on the site she posted the picture and it looks like she made quite an impact. So many girls are saying that she helped them with their eating disorders and helped them to become more confident. I think that is amazing and this has honestly changed my opinion of Lady Gaga. I didn't care for her took much or her style, but I definitely have more respect for her now.
    She knows her influence on society and decided to use that power for the better.

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