Lady Gaga, and her beyond-categorization persona, can represent a new form of feminism, says J. Jack Halberstam in the book "Gaga Feminism: Sex, Gender, and the End of Normal." In this excerpt, Halberstam refutes other feminists' critiques of the pop singer's impact.
Taking the outrageous self-presentation of shape-shifting, gender-bending pop icon Lady Gaga as a lodestar, University of Southern California English and gender studies professor Halberstam (Female Masculinity) defines a new kind of feminism based on a “maverick sense of bodily identity.” “Going gaga” is not about music, fashion, or celebrity; it describes a constellation of behaviors that reject the traditions and institutions that reinforce notions of sex difference and individual rights. Halberstam argues that feminists who embrace gender ambiguity and unconventional family and romantic arrangements are “unbecoming women,” or, in the lingo of the current political moment “occupying gender” in order to find true liberation. The book culminates in a “Gaga Manifesto,” which suggests that we embrace “funky forms of anarchy” and accept the fluidity of identity and sexuality for the happiness and betterment of all mankind. Halberstam’s discussion of authoritarian feminist mothers, pregnant men, and gay marriage incorporates both pop culture artifacts and academic theory, and the result is a satisfying but digressive romp through shifting contemporary conceptions of love, sex, and commitment.
I don't know. The idea of Gaga as a new type of feminist doesn't quite jibe with me. I don't see her brand of artistry as being much different from what Madonna and Grace Jones were serving in their prime.
I used her (and Madonna) in one of my group presentations in a Women's Studies course I took a few years ago and received the highest score in the class. My professor was living for it.
I STAN for her.
