Lady Gaga has long been known for her eccentric style and fearless approach to artistry, but there are moments when her public actions have sparked deeper questions about unconsciousness, hypocrisy, and a lack of alignment between her values and actions.
One of the most infamous moments in her career was when she wore a raw meat dress to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, an event that is often revisited in discussions of ethical boundaries in art. Gaga defended the dress as a statement about anti-oppression, arguing that it symbolized standing up for human rights, particularly against the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. However, the decision to use animal flesh to promote a message about liberation raised significant ethical concerns and revealed an ironic contradiction.
By donning animal products to talk about human oppression, Gaga inadvertently contributed to the very cycle of exploitation she claimed to stand against. The meat dress, intended to shock and provoke, also showcased a glaring lack of awareness about the oppression of animals, who suffer immensely within the meat industry. In a world where intersectional understanding of oppression – whether toward humans or animals – is increasingly important, her decision came across as tone-deaf and hypocritical. Despite widespread criticism, Gaga has never apologized for the symbolic violence that the meat dress represented, choosing instead to continue with her defiant stance on it.
This disconnect between Gaga’s advocacy for human rights and her indifference toward animal rights is further exemplified by her contradictory behaviour. Despite launching a vegan beauty brand, she is often seen wearing fur and consuming animal products, which casts a shadow over her supposed ethical commitments. It is particularly troubling given her collaboration with vegan co-star Joaquin Phoenix on Joker 2. Phoenix has long been an outspoken animal rights activist, and for Gaga to use dairy imagery to promote the soundtrack of the film – a film about Harlequin, a symbol of twisted fantasy – is directly gaslighting and undermining the values Phoenix champions. This lack of sensitivity, even toward those working closely with her, reflects a deeper pattern of thoughtlessness and performative ethics.
Beyond the realm of animal exploitation, Gaga’s new single, titled Disease, adds to the narrative of negative and dark themes that permeate much of her work. Titles like Disease and her previous single Die with a Smile demonstrate a consistent focus on morbidity and suffering. While artists have the right to explore complex emotional landscapes, the emphasis on such themes raises questions about her awareness of the power of words and manifestation. In an era where the language we use, in songs and beyond, is understood to have deep psychological and emotional impact, especially in terms of manifestation and positive thinking, the focus on such dark, death-centered imagery feels irresponsible and misaligned with the broader cultural moment that values empowerment.
Adding another layer to this critique is Gaga’s conspicuous silence on urgent global issues like the plight of Palestinians. Despite her status as a major cultural influencer with the ability to impact global conversations, Gaga has not used her platform to speak up about the ongoing human rights violations in Palestine. This silence is particularly notable given her history of supporting marginalized communities. Her selective advocacy raises important questions about the consistency of her political engagement and what causes she chooses to align herself with.
Ultimately, Lady Gaga’s career has been one of bold artistic choices, but these choices often reveal a lack of cohesion between her values and her actions. Her disregard for animal welfare, obsession with dark imagery, failure to use her platform for pressing issues like Palestine, and her contradictory behaviors surrounding veganism suggest an unconsciousness that undermines her status as a socially progressive figure. For an artist who prides herself on pushing boundaries with her art and her ethos of kindness with the Born This Way Foundation, it may be time for her to reflect on the power of her platform and the hypocrisies that prevent her from embodying the values she often espouses in her art.