“Lady Gaga and the Death of Sex” Blog Response

Jenkins, Rachelle

Pf. Chris Brown

English 1B

2/7/13

“Lady Gaga and the Death of Sex” Blog Response

                The article “Lady Gaga and the Death of Sex”  by Camilla Paglia though insightful and honest neglects the notion that society may simply enjoy the escapism that Lady Gaga’s style provides, however unoriginal it may be. As Paglia accurately described, American culture has ‘blurred borderlines’ on topics from gender and sex to emotions and independence. This ambiguity cultivates a cultural environment of confusion and frustration where one is left to create their own rules, their own truth, even their own reality. Who to blame for this phenomenon is unclear. Could it be due to poor examples from celebrities like Gaga, with an appealingly radical independence and freedom from the cultural pressures, traditions, and restrictions of a conservative social heritage? Could the blame fall upon prior generations and their neglect to raise a grounded and level-headed generation?

The fact still stands that our culture is ambiguous and Lady Gaga represents this blur in many aspects of her persona, yet, none exhibit this obscurity so much as her sexuality. Paglia focuses on Gaga’s  ‘ intersex’ style and how it is sick, perverse, and confusing in regards to American cultures more conventional views of sexuality. However, it is within American culture that we find an over emphasis on sexuality, completely separate from Lady Gaga. Sex is in our music, our magazines, and our movies. It’s used to sell diamonds and Carl’s Jr.’s cheeseburgers; sex is something we can’t seem to escape. The more mainstream sex becomes the more erotic and diverse its portrayal must be in order to remain entertaining.  Unfortunately, there are only so many ways to sell the same thing while still being original. The problem here is that our culture has openly and subliminally force fed sexuality to the masses via the media, and now society is accustomed to this style of entertainment. Yet, as Paglia stated in her article this generation Gaga is also very insecure in their own beliefs, desires, and actions especially in regards to sexuality. Therefore, it is Lady Gaga’s ‘ inter-sexuality’ that serves as an escape and compromise to the ambiguousness. She can be both sexes and none at the same time. By viewing her work, our society can still be stimulated by the display of sexual entertainment while remaining undecided on our view of sexuality.