Born This Way.

As a film student, I’ve always analysed films and music videos for their technical aspects and their aesthetics – the way they were shot and edited and how that affected the over all look of the film and its meaning. Rarely have I ever analysed a film or music video for its content from a sociological perspective – who made the video/film, for whom the video/film was made, and how the content of that video/film affected its audience.

The first music video that came to my mind was Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” The more I thought about it, the more I realized that any of Lady Gaga’s music videos could be analysed sociologically, as they have all had a massive impact on their viewers. “Born This Way,” which was released on May 2^nd, 2011, became an instant hit among her “Little Monsters.” It has also won major awards for its success.

The song and music video were intended for people who can be considered as being part of a minority group – people who are singled out from what the rest of society deems as “normal.” The message to this audience, then, is very clear: don’t be afraid of who you are – embrace it and don’t let it stop you from living your life to the fullest.  Not only do the lyrics emphasize this, but as does the content in the music video.

Lady Gaga is well known for breaking social norms in her videos – she pushes through all the socially constructed boundaries, not caring about the negative sanctions that may come with it. By doing this so in an excessively extreme manner, she shows her viewers and fans that it’s okay for them to be whoever they want to be – that they don’t have to care about what others say. She redefines the meaning of “beauty” and “normal” in her video, intentionally disfiguring her face to make herself look like a deviant.

Gaga’s success in affecting so many people can be credited to her achieved status – the fact that she was a “nobody” who fought to become somebody.  The fact that she used to be someone who was picked on and bullied in school and is now a “multi-platinum artist.” “Born This Way” and its music video have clearly positively impacted the lives of many. She has even inspired Campbell Kenneford, a transsexual teenage boy, to gather enough courage and live as a girl, disregarding and fighting off all bullying.

Through her actions, Gaga shows her viewers that society and the people in it define norms. She inspires people by letting them know they have the power to change and redefine their society’s norms.

Are You Gaga For Pop Culture?

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Lady GaGa. No introduction needed. Just hearing her name brings to any reader’s mind garish images of her outlandish fashion choices, “Raw meat anyone?” After your mind gets over those recollections you are probably also beginning to hear echoes of all her catchy hits in your ears. Well, having gone through that archive of memories you’re probably not going to be shocked that she has created a pop culture wave teeming with opportunities for so

ciological interpretations.

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Alone, she has created a massive subculture of what she calls her "Little Monsters". These loyal fans come take admiration up to the brink of worship (young people are prone to overdoing it with infatuations). This adoration is expressed outwardly through clothing, as many social phenomena tend to be. They show up to her concerts dressed like her and have every song memorized to the letter. When these fans, or "little monsters" attend Lady GaGa's events, they tend to mimic her way of dressing - which is, to say the least, eccentric and peculiar.

The way in which her fans dress can be seen as a cultural symbol, because it means that they belong to the same subculture which GaGa has created. Their fashion sense screams out "Hey! I'm a Little Monster too!" It is a symbol of rebellion and anti-conformity; an ironic notion since they are all uniform within the same subculture. However, individual fans persist on thinking that they are oh-so-daring just because people do not usually dress in this way.

For the subculture she created, dressing this way is a cultural norm. However, in the pre-GaGa days, which believe it or not was less than three years ago, it would be considered a negative sanction. Okay, maybe if you wore the things she wears now in the pre-GaGa days you won’t get punished, but people would definitely look at you weirdly and consider calling the local police to possibly send you to the looney bin.

Max Weber, who is a well-known and well-respected German sociologist, stated that people look up to prophets and philosophers because they have the power to influence people into behaving a certain way and thus creating a culture, or subculture. This is exactly what Lady GaGa’s fans have done, they look up to her and she herself, can be said to be a cultural symbol of freedom and resistance to dominant cultural values.