Gaga for Lady Gaga, “a little bit of a feminist”

While Lady Gaga has shied away from identifying herself as a feminist in the past, this new LA Times interview with the artist reveals not only some feminist admittances, but also her general insight of feminist issues and how it’s expressed in her work:

During nearly two hours of conversation, she not only reiterates her assertion of total originality but also finesses it until it’s both a philosophical stance about how constructing a persona from pop-cultural sources can be an expression of a person’s truth — à la those drag queens Gaga sincerely admires — and a bit of a feminist act.

‘I’m getting the sense that you’re a little bit of a feminist, like I am, which is good,’ she said. ‘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.’ ‘

Gaga’s casual use of the term ‘feminist’ was interesting; like many female pop stars, she’s rejected the term in the past. But she’s evolving. She is growing ‘more compassionate,’ she says, and focusing more on ideas of community, especially the one formed by her core fan base, a mix of gay men, bohemian kids and young women attracted by Gaga’s style and her singable melodies.

She also divulged how many of her new songs address body image issues and how much of her style aims to critique notions of the “feminine ideal” and how “unnatural” it actually is. (A latest example is her kick-ass music video for “Bad Romance” which was intended to show “how the entertainment industry can, in a metaphorical way, simulate human trafficking — products being sold, the woman perceived as a commodity.”)

To top it off, much of her statement-makin’ (specifically this “unnatural” nature of the feminine ideal) was partly inspired by her admiration for Cindy Sherman. That’s right; she’s a Cindy Sherman fan too. Swoon!