Gaga Creating Monsters?...

Recently, a little event by the name of "South By South West" graced Austin with traffic and celebrities.

Let me just say, I was not even in Austin, but I knew all the amazing, not so amazing, and downright messed up shit going on here.  However, one person was consistently popping up on my newsfeed on every single social media platform every single day of SXSW:  #LADY GAGA.

Can we just talk about this?  

I don't want to offend her "monsters" because her music is catchy and thats legit. 

However, I wonder how many of her fans are aware of the things she has done that are offensive.  This was brought to my attention by a former PFP-er and also a blog Titled "Your Fave is Problematic" (http://yourfaveisproblematic.tumblr.com/post/45739943624/lady-gaga) where a list of many times Lady Gaga was problematic lives.  On this list, she is shown in brown face appropriating Native American cultures, shown sexualizing a kimono, and so much more.  What wasn't on this list was her dread locks that she proudly wore through SXSW appearances.  This is also appropriation of black culture.  So why is this person so amazingly famous and looked up to in the Queer community?

"Gay people just latch on to anything gay." -Maggie Ball, co-pfp-er

When Gaga wrote "Born this Way," she was idolized for putting some kind of light on Queerness and legitimized and confirmed that being Queer is a real thing.  Many people in the LGBTQ community were grateful and grasped onto the song quickly considering it an anthem to Queer culture.  I remember hearing this song about a million times the year it came out at every Queer event.  She created PRIDE, and that was great...

-AND-

Since she is such an idol know, what she does, says, wears, and talks about is influential.  When she came out in drag at the 2011 Video Music Awards, as "Joe Calderone," she was spoken of as brave and supportive of trans identities.  And if it true that this picture floated around the internet-

She could have influenced some very unsafe binding techniques for trans men in the Queer community who idolize her.  She is displaying packaging tape over her chest which could create some serious damage to skin, blood circulation, etc.

Aside from this issue, Gaga is representing the Queer community in a way and still appropriating cultures and making it seem okay to people she influences.  This is all very capital "P"  Problematic.