What is your understanding of Gaga as a "persona"?

[Katie14 4,828]

To me, there are three different potential theories about the Gaganess of Gaga and I believe all of them have solid merit.

1. Lady Gaga is a persona developed by her manager and team to cover up her non conventional beauty. Gaga even said herself in a recent interview that she was originally a songwriter for "other prettier girls" and she initially wasn't given a chance. She had to prove that she had a strong fanbase before she was allowed to become an individual artist. In a book that was written by a former personal assistant (i think) she said that Gaga was part of conversations with her team when they were trying to think of ways to make her appear more attractive. 

2. Lady Gaga truly is herself and a form of self expression. She didn't dress "crazily" when she was younger because she didn't have the confidence or the resources to do so. 

3. Stefani created Gaga as a way to escape from her past after being bullied and sexually assaulted. She wanted to ignore all her traumas and essentially birth herself again as a new person. Gaga definitely admitted that this was true during the ARTPOP era. 

I honestly think its a combination of all 3. I think Gaga always was and always will be eccentric and insanely creative. I believe her Gaganess is a way for her to channel her creativity and she enjoys it. But I do think that she knew that being different would help people to pay attention to her so she may have exaggerated what was already there to become more popular ( and i don't think there is anything wrong with that). She also went through some awful things that she didn't have time to work through and becoming this exaggerated form of herself was a way of coping. 

[DeanWinchester 41,390]

Whatever she wants it to be. Literally N-E-thinga.

[The Surrealist 27,470]

5 minutes ago, Katie14 said:

2. Lady Gaga truly is herself and a form of self expression. She didn't dress "crazily" when she was younger because she didn't have the confidence or the resources to do so. 

3. Stefani created Gaga as a way to escape from her past after being bullied and sexually assaulted. She wanted to ignore all her traumas and essentially birth herself again as a new person. Gaga definitely admitted that this was true during the ARTPOP era. 

These. 

Gaga is Stefani but with an armor. She is stronger and a persona, but it's not entirely different to Gaga.

[weed 73,736]

Gaga is.... every persona. 

She's... the whole personaverse

[Swan Heart 7,382]

In the beggining, I would say she created it to escape her broken self.

Then everying just kind of blended.

[The Fame Joanne 5,985]

I think it's how she wanted to be as a popstar. It's what she wanted to be when she's on stage and then I think it was really her. But it's not how she was in private I think. She probably didn't wear insanely high heels while washing the dishes etc

Right now I guess it's her true self, also on stage

[MonsterOfSpain 8,318]

I honestly don't know what to think anymore. I always thought there wasn't a difference between her normal self and her stage persona, but after all these contradictory interviews I'm starting to think it was just a made-up self. I'd like to think it wasn't though, it would be very disappointing after all of these years.

[weed 73,736]

I voted 1, 2, and 3, with more saturation on 2 and 3. Before Just Dance she was still performing in bars with disco bras and wigs and stuff, and then she got more money and more doors opened and she could elaborate on her extravagant costumes, and we loved them and they created buzz so she continued to do so. She not only dressed crazy but she was political and spoke her mind from the very beginning. She was always smart, deep meaning behind songs.

[Katie14 4,828]

Only 7 out of 17 of us think that Gaga is at least partially her true self?? Seriously?

[Benji 20,113]

"Lady Gaga" is first and foremost a character. Obviously Stefani has honest moments through Lady Gaga but nothing is exactly what it seems to be. This applies to most pop artists but it goes a little further with Lady Gaga.

Just for reference, here's Lady Gaga speaking about Lady Gaga in the third person. Lady Gaga is basically a concept.

Out of the poll options, Lady Gaga is a "Full on marketing strategy"

[Lippoutou 4,569]

1 minute ago, Katie14 said:

Only 7 out of 17 of us think that Gaga is at least partially her true self?? Seriously?

Well I think back in 2011 everyobody thought so, but now no one can't really tell after all of these confusing interviews...

[Kanye West 1,676]

Pretty sure her label and team invented the character unfortunately.

[PunkTheFunk 124,404]

Stefani is a regular girl from New York City with dreams of being a superstar. She's over-the-top and passionate about music and acting but everyone around her thinks she's weird and crazy and bully her as a result. Even her own parents don't understand her completely. As a result she feels disenfranchised and insecure and her self esteem is in the pits.

Stefani thinks being famous will fill the void within her, so she begins to chase it voraciously. She wants to escape her old life -- her friends, her school, her family, everyone who doesn't understand her -- and prove herself to everyone that doubted her. She starts go-go dancing in seedy underground clubs. She wears fishnet stockings and struts down sidewalks. In order to fully escape her old life she subconsciously assumes the character of this super-confident, fame-hungry, "beautiful, dirty, rich", Paris-Hilton-meets-David-Bowie-meets-Madonna. She just happens to call this character Lady Gaga.

Lady Gaga was Stefani's chance at the life she always dreamed of. And like some have said, Lady Gaga serves as armor for Stefani. People can taunt Gaga, they can Do What They Want With Her Body, but they'll never have (Stefani's) heart. Her fame skyrockets, the whole world loves her, etc. etc. But when her career takes a turn downward turn she realizes that not even Lady Gaga could save her now. And so she does some serious soul searching and discovers a strength and self-confidence within herself that she never knew before. And she starts doing things on her own terms, etc. etc. And "Lady Gaga" becomes more of a formality. 

If it were really up to her I think she would just prefer to be called Stefani  

TL;DR: It's a mixture of all three  She harnessed that passionate, hungry artistic energy in her true self, turned it into a character so that she could escape her past and simultaneously used it as a marketing strategy to become famous.

[Oriane 20,932]

I don't like the "it's just a marketing strategy" thing. I think it's a mix of 2 and 3, she just decided to express her creativity and put it on her clothes, behaviour, performances... I'm not sure she even realized part of this was to "protect" herself and create another self who could be stronger and express what she had inside, before at least ARTPOP. 

But it's obvious she loved it and put her heart into it, she wouldn't have done it just for marketing purposes. 

[Squeeshy Keety 9,908]

She has gone places (metaphorically) and said some things that took me back a bit, but I have not once considered it fake or fabricated. Exaggerated, surely, but she was never presenting a false persona. 

Coming from an extreme introvert, dying my hair is basically the only way I can express how I feel, so I get using "absurdity" as an outlet.

So I chose 2 and 3