Lady GaGa

Lady Gaga is one of my favorite people in the world right now and I have absolutely no shame in admitting that. She doesn't, in any way, fall within the parameters of things I usually like, but everything about her just sort of comes together in a way that I find interesting. She's exciting and I really can't think of the last time any artist had me waiting to see what they'd do next.

First, her music. It's very glossy and shiny and dance-y and at times pretty Euro. There are few things that I dislike more than shiny, European dance songs. But Gaga's music has a dark side that I appreciate. I can't say I've done much research on any music of hers other than her singles/what's uploaded on YouTube, but the minor chords in "Poker Face" and the lyrics in "Paparazzi" drive me crazy. I'm pretty sure it's guaranteed I'll fall in love with any song that says, "I'll follow you until you love me."

It's also very much about the way she dresses and her attitude. It would be hard to acknowledge Gaga and not talk about her sartorial choices. I love everything about the way she chooses to dress and think the whole concept behind it is brilliant. It's completely outrageous and again, leaves me wondering what she's going to come up with next. I've never seen this woman dressed in anything bordering on casual and I think it's great. She toes that line between being pretentious and being in on the joke--I believe anyone who dresses in an outfits made entirely of Kermit the Frog heads has their tongue firmly in the their cheek. Sometimes she misses (her outfit at today's Billboard Women in Music brunch...long hair on clothes never really does it for me) but at least 90% of the time I'm on board with whatever she wears.

Sometimes the things she says make me believe she's more on the pretentious side, but every time that happens she seems to make up for it by leaning the opposite direction again. There are times when she talks about her art and how she's an artist and my initial reaction is always to shut that down. That kind of talk drives me nuts. But I really believe that Gaga is doing something new. Can you tell someone that what they're doing is not art when no one else is doing what they do?

One of my favorite things about the way Gaga chooses to dress is that she has publicly acknowledged that she is not trying to be sexy or physically attractive to men (or women). Her look is aggressive and decidedly unsexy. I think I just like the fact that she is committed to a look that she refuses to stray from and it doesn't matter to her whether it's beautiful or hot or pretty or even accessible. Besides all of the grander statements, I like seeing high, high fashion worn day to day. I find many of those looks threatening and intrusive and many people are offended by it.

I'm undeniably attracted to spectacle. I like things that are grandiose, that are epic and huge and over-the-top. Lady Gaga is all these things. She's doing something different and even though she's a pop singer slathered all over Top 40 radio, I'm can't wait to see what she has in store next.