Picture is from musicboxmix.net and comes from the result of google images search.
"He ate my heart
He ate my heart
That boy is a monster, m-m-monster"
"Monster"by Lady Gaga
In our contemporary culture, romantic partners have been metaphorically described as monsters, like in Lady Gaga’s song “monster”. In the song of “monster”, a boy engaging in a romantic relationship with the narrator is portrayed as a monster who “ate my heart”, which is a metaphorical way to describe the romantic relationship between the narrator and the boy. According to the lyrics, the boy first amazed the narrator—who apparently identifies herself as Lady Gaga as the lyrics describes—then reveals his true characters of monsters, whom the narrator describes as “a wolf in disguise”. Although the narrator clearly demonstrates her animosity towards the boy by saying that “boy now get your paws right of me”, she becomes vulnerable to the boy’s aggravation—“I wanna just dance but he took me home instead”—and could not get rid of the boy because “he ate my brain”. This whole scenario is a typical example of relationship abuse, in which monsters are labeled as ugly, brutal, and cruel. At the same time, in other literature works, such as the fair tale of “Beauty and Beast, monsters are portrayed as being friendly, loyal, and cordial despite their loathsome looks. How could these two kinds of totally different characters be associated with monsters in romantic relationships? Are there two kinds of monsters or do those characters co-exist?
Outrageous hair, outer space like makeup, and indescribable clothing, sums up how Lady Gaga looks like. Along with this she wears scandalous clothing that always shocks her audience. Her entire style is almost taboo; she wears what no one else would ever dare to wear which makes her even more monstrous. In a world where being different is hard to be accepted, and where looks mean a lot, how can Lady Gaga pull off looking like a monster but be idolized by so many? Is it because of her revealing clothing, or just the clothing styles that keep everyone entertained and wanting more?
Monsters are rude and ruthless. Monsters are incomprehensible and monsters are abnormal looking. This is probably the stereotype that most of us have. Still, we normally name fictional creatures monsters and it can be hard to find a real human being matching all those criteria. But there is one: Lady Gaga-the “fame monster”. There is no doubt that her costumes and make up make her look abnormal and there is also no doubt that some of her performances and statements can absolutely not be understood by most of us. And at least to what I think, she has a strong will to be famous and would probably do everything for the sake of it. So calling Lady Gaga a “fame monster” is not baseless but what remains is the question: Did Lady Gaga make herself a monster for the sake of being famous or does the fact that she became so incredibly famous gave her the title of a “fame monster”?
From a complete visual standpoint of the video, it opens with a statue of an angel; this could be relating God and religion into Lady Gaga’s “monster” theme. This scene follows with her wearing a mask, depicting that monsters should be hidden from plain view, that monsters are viewed as unpleasant. The video then changes scenery to a subway. Subways are located underground and I believe Lady Gaga is relating the subway to being closer to Hell, often where monsters are believed to come from. Gambling and money are also thrown into the mix, from some Christian views gambling is a sin and money is the source of greed. The dance choreography incorporated in the video resembles undead, or zombie comparable motions as well. The addition of dogs in the film could also communicate the relationship that monsters are viewed as part animal, part man. In a video that is so abstract, what detail is Lady Gaga using to attempt to best relate herself to being a monster?
Where I have the video underlined you should be able to link the video to it with the blogger. The link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uy_6du1lTY thanks dude.
In our contemporary culture, romantic partners have been metaphorically described as monsters, like in Lady Gaga’s song “monster”. In the song of “monster”, a boy engaging in a romantic relationship with the narrator is portrayed as a monster who “ate my heart”, which is a metaphorical way to describe the romantic relationship between the narrator and the boy. According to the lyrics, the boy first amazed the narrator—who apparently identifies herself as Lady Gaga as the lyrics describes—then reveals his true characters of monsters, whom the narrator describes as “a wolf in disguise”. Although the narrator clearly demonstrates her animosity towards the boy by saying that “boy now get your paws right of me”, she becomes vulnerable to the boy’s aggravation—“I wanna just dance but he took me home instead”—and could not get rid of the boy because “he ate my brain”. This whole scenario is a typical example of relationship abuse, in which monsters are labeled as ugly, brutal, and cruel. At the same time, in other literature works, such as the fair tale of “Beauty and Beast, monsters are portrayed as being friendly, loyal, and cordial despite their loathsome looks. How could these two kinds of totally different characters be associated with monsters in romantic relationships? Are there two kinds of monsters or do those characters co-exist?
Outrageous hair, outer space like makeup, and indescribable clothing, sums up how Lady Gaga looks like. Along with this she wears scandalous clothing that always shocks her audience. Her entire style is almost taboo; she wears what no one else would ever dare to wear which makes her even more monstrous. In a world where being different is hard to be accepted, and where looks mean a lot, how can Lady Gaga pull off looking like a monster but be idolized by so many? Is it because of her revealing clothing, or just the clothing styles that keep everyone entertained and wanting more?
Monsters are rude and ruthless. Monsters are incomprehensible and monsters are abnormal looking. This is probably the stereotype that most of us have. Still, we normally name fictional creatures monsters and it can be hard to find a real human being matching all those criteria. But there is one: Lady Gaga-the “fame monster”. There is no doubt that her costumes and make up make her look abnormal and there is also no doubt that some of her performances and statements can absolutely not be understood by most of us. And at least to what I think, she has a strong will to be famous and would probably do everything for the sake of it. So calling Lady Gaga a “fame monster” is not baseless but what remains is the question: Did Lady Gaga make herself a monster for the sake of being famous or does the fact that she became so incredibly famous gave her the title of a “fame monster”?
From a complete visual standpoint of the video, it opens with a statue of an angel; this could be relating God and religion into Lady Gaga’s “monster” theme. This scene follows with her wearing a mask, depicting that monsters should be hidden from plain view, that monsters are viewed as unpleasant. The video then changes scenery to a subway. Subways are located underground and I believe Lady Gaga is relating the subway to being closer to Hell, often where monsters are believed to come from. Gambling and money are also thrown into the mix, from some Christian views gambling is a sin and money is the source of greed. The dance choreography incorporated in the video resembles undead, or zombie comparable motions as well. The addition of dogs in the film could also communicate the relationship that monsters are viewed as part animal, part man. In a video that is so abstract, what detail is Lady Gaga using to attempt to best relate herself to being a monster?
Where I have the video underlined you should be able to link the video to it with the blogger. The link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uy_6du1lTY thanks dude.
I think her-self is really can be consider as a monster. Lol. Not only in her song "monster", her dress is really wired!! I will never put raw meat on myself. Here is the picture (http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanager/_photos/lifeline-live/2010/09/13/gagax-large.jpg)
ReplyDeleteAnd i just heard the news that she is now actually preparing a monster tour in Europe. (http://www.suite101.com/content/lady-gaga-monster-ball-in-europe-as-lady-gaga-wedding-rumors-fly-a292496)
But one thing that she impressive me is that she full of confidence showing herself!
By Yiwei Liu(Lisa)
I think that it's obvious why Lady Gaga dresses strangely and why her music is so different. Similar to Michal Jackson's publicity stunts, sleeping in an oxygen chamber, myths about a secret love child, and even the plastic surgeries, Lady Gaga thinks those kind of actions bring in fame more than traditional means. The strangest thing about her is not her clothing, the way she acts as if she isn't the elephant in the room. Acting so nonchalant about the ordeals she puts herself in is almost frightening. In short, I believe Lady Gaga's wardrobe is something to grab the public's attention. Her latest dress constructed from meat may have been a touch monstrous, but it is just a gimmick in the end. Well, that's my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if Group #1 knew this or not, but the video you posted is not an official Lady Gaga music video. It was fan made, so I don't think there was as much thought put into it as was made out. In her real videos, I am sure she puts forth effort to relay some ulterior meanings, but I can't say the same for the maker of that fan-made video.
Lady Gaga certainly has a unique style, but I do not think she is much different from other performers who received so much attention by shocking the public with scandalous clothing or stunts. Madonna certainly had her share of scandalous outfits and Michael Jackson as well as KISS all had shocking stunts as well. So, I think part of it is just the act of grabbing attention for the sake of fame.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I wanted to respond to the group's question about whether or not there or two kinds of monsters especially with the reference to the beast in "Beauty and the Beast." I was and still am a fan of Disney movies, and Quasimodo in the "Hunchback of Notre Dame" was labeled a monster based upon his appearance. Quasimodo was judged based upon his looks, which is something still so important in our society. Quasimodo may have looked like a monster, but certainly was far from it. Dr. Hannibal Lecter from "Silence of the Lambs" did not have any physical deformities that made him look like a monster (Anthony Hopkins), but he was a cannibalistic serial killer. So, I think there are two different kinds of monsters, and we need to continue to work on not judging people by looks because "looks can be deceiving".
I think Lady Gaga enjoys being in the spotlight. And if you have to act monsterous to get there, so be it. Alice Cooper said "So, I found a niche in rock ‘n’ roll that nobody had covered, which was the villain of rock ‘n’ roll." (http://www.risenmagazine.com/node/310) I believe Lady Gaga is borrowing a page from Alice Cooper and becoming Modern Pop Villain. Villains often appear as monsterous, hidious creatures.
ReplyDeleteI too wanted to comment on the question about whether or not there are two kinds of monsters. Personally I believe that there are two if not three different kinds of monsters. You have the ones that look like monsters but on the inside are as sweet as can be, the kind that look all nice and sweet on the outside but on the inside there is something evil going on and no one knows it till it's too late and the third kind of monsters that I think there is, is celebrities that do strange, weird, outrageous things just to get noticed. I believe they are monsters too because the things that they do to themselves just to get that extra kick. It’s monstrous. No person should do that to themselves and the biggest culprit of that stuff is Lady Gaga. The outfits that she wears are not a good influence for the young people that listen to her music or watch her videos. They see that she is doing it and some think that it’s alright for them to do it too and it’s not. Then again Lady Gaga could be the nicest person outside of all of her outfits. So it yet again comes to the point, “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” You have to get to know the person or character before you can make a 100 percent informed decision about them.
ReplyDelete-Megan Iverson
It seems to me that Lady Gaga uses her monstrosity as a means to show her true self and the ideals in which she believes. Her unconventional costumes seem to be the main focal point of criticism against Lady Gaga. She wears what she wants, and she is comfortable doing it yet we label her as a monster. Is that really so monstrous. In today's society, we condemn difference; no matter how much we may feing to accept difference, it is continually frowned upon. Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress was unconventional, peculiar, and an act for gay rights movement for which she has been campaigning(here is the link that provided this info http://www.popeater.com/2010/09/21/lady-gaga-meat-dress-gay-rights-dadt/). The more I think about this "fame monster," I cannot help but wonder who is the real monster? Is she really a monster for being an individual and expressing herself as she sees fit? Or is it those who are condemning individuality and difference?
ReplyDeleteLady Gaga is a monster. No matter how you picture her or her music it's just a fact. While some of her music may be described as monstrous, the way she acts and carries herself are definitely the most "scary" things about her. She has a confidence that is uncommon to a lot of people, and that might come off as "creepy" when it's really just what makes her unique.
ReplyDeleteNot only is Lady Gaga's personality very unique but her song lyrics also are. She has a way of taking something very simple such as a "poker face" and making a whole song devoted to its details. Here's a website where you can find the lyrics of the song Pokerface and see Lady Gaga in action: http://www.metrolyrics.com/pokerface-lyrics-lady-gaga.html Enjoy!
To some extend, Lady Gaga can be regarded as "Monster". But she is not a monster in traditional sense. People think she is a monster because her styles preeminent all above her rivals. I think in the entertainment circle, if someone wants to succeed, they need to have an exploring point to attract people from massive information. Super stars like Elvis Aron Presley and Britney Jean Spears led and influenced the mainstream by using their own styles. At present, the theme of it is a luminous point of her. Therefore, Lady Gagais definitely an icon of our generation and she continues surprising the pubic with her "Monster" style.
ReplyDeleteCompared to other singers and choreographers, I think Lady Gaga's MV is a creation that lead the development of MV to a new era. In the past, most people would consider that Gaga's topless clothing and scary "monster" plays are forbidden by the moral goodness. However, everything is changing, people are tired of seeing only beautiful women and Ferrari in the scene. They would like to experience something totally new, something fits the contemporary society. Perhaps, Gaga's appearance is what we have been looking for years. Her MV is not a hilarious play, but a creation that can help people relieve our pressure as some people are becoming more sick and tired of this competitive society during their work. We should highly praise her eagerness of devoting herself in art. To my perspective, that might be one of the reasons that there is a large number of people prefer her "monster" creation. (Zuoqi Sun)
ReplyDeleteLady Gaga is a really interesting celebrity. Does she have that crazy personality and wear those insane costumes just for the fame, or she really expressing how she feels and who she is? More importantly, does that even matter? Surely one could see how she could be considered monstrous for acting strangely just for fame and money, but if this monster that calls itself Lady Gaga really expresses who she feels she is, does that make her even more of a monster? I'm curious to see what anyone else thinks makes Lady Gaga the "fame monster," or even if you think she deserves the title at all?
ReplyDeleteLady Gaga is considered a monster because she is different and monsters are different. The costumes she wears in her videos are just a way to show her unique style and how she doesn’t restrain herself to have the same styles as all these other singers. Like when she wears cigarette glasses in her music video to the song Telephone, no one would ever think of doing that. I think that because of her rare style she became more famous and eventually a “fame monster” because there are plenty of people who don’t act or dress like monsters and they are famous.
ReplyDeleteIt's my belief that Lady Gaga dresses and acts the way she does for fame. Clearly, she has a self-confidence that is needed to behave as she does, but all of the attention and fans that follow her every move have only reinforced her behavior. She wasn't this fame monster when she first came out, but when people continually respond and talk it's only more incentive for her to continue her outrageous stunts. (and the $$ she's getting from everything is an even greater incentive.)
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article I believe that people are taking the monster then to an extreme. Before Lady Gaga there was Madonna that acted this way and others and they was never refered to as a monster. I think it's the way for some one to exspress themselves with creativity.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I am a big fan of Lady Gaga, because I like her uniqueness and oddness that no one would dare to try once in a lifetime. In my opinion, if a normal person was dressed like Lady Gaga, then she would have been issued as a crazy moster, but since Lady Gaga is a musician and more like a performer, she is forgiven to be dressed like that. If she dressed oddly only once for her performance, then that would have been a performance, and that was it, but she keeps her own dress code, so I think that is kind of why people calls her a monster.
ReplyDeletei wouldl also like to comment on Lady Gaga's outrageous outfits and how much her fans idolize her because of it. Lady Gaga represents people that stray from the norm and aren't afraid to be themselves whether that be how they dress, act, or what their interests are. A lot of people in society refer to people like that as monsters, people they don't understand. Which is why I think Lady Gaga refers to her fans as her 'little monsters'. They are the people that she's pushing for and representing.
ReplyDeleteI think that this group has a good point when it comes to this song. The fact that her album is name Fame Monster seems to signify to me that she is trying to become famous by being different. As we have said in class monsters are described as being something out of the ordinary that cannot be fit in a group of human norms. I feel that Lady Gaga goes out of her way to be different and portray herself not only as an unpredictable person but as unique. I believe most of this could be a cry for help or some fear that no one will like her or pay attention to her songs if she doesn’t stick out in more ways than singing. If she is a fame monster then she feeds off of people listening to her songs, saying her name, and wanting to be like her.
ReplyDeletePut simply, weird is different, and different is interesting. When things are strange, they are frequently appreciated and loved as well. But I can't say that Lady Gaga's persona here is a new concept at all, I mean is this any more outlandish that Ziggy Stardust; is it any spacier than George Clinton's P-Funk Mothership and Dr. Funkenstein character? I think not. It's the same type of thing, just new weirdness by new people with a new sound.
ReplyDelete