My interpretation of CBT

[Sneaky Oliver 21,353]

Hey guys! I'd like to share some of my views on Chromatica Ball. Considering Gaga talked about how the tour documents the “manic stages of grief” and how the stage represents her "museum of brutality",  it's pretty clear that the message of the show is about trauma and pain in an abstract way, through dance, fashion and visual art. 

1. The stage

I think the brutalist architecture of the stage is already a metaphor. I found this article that says "brutalism doesn't get its name from its aggressively confrontational toughness or unapologetic lack of concern for comfort. The term is simply taken from béton brut, French for “raw concrete.”  One of the main characteristics of Brutalism is that the construction materials don't get covered up. So it represents both Gaga's mind facing her pain internally and expressing her pain to the world in the most raw way as possible. She's addressing the trauma without the overly fantastical and metaphorical imagery. Sometimes acknowledging you have a trauma, it's a trauma on its own.

2. Isolation and Objectification

Isolation is the first brutality she's presenting at the show. Bad Romance portrays the isolation she has struggled with since she became famous. The harsh outfit represents how fame is a prison and she feels imprisoned. During Just Dance, she's still alone up there but at some point during choreography her dancers point at her and try to climb the walls. She's in a position of an idol who's being objectified. Gaga talked about it back in 2020 during Chromatica promo: “Most of the time, it is triggered by objectification. [...] Just total panic, full-body pain. It’s like I’m an object, I’m not a person.”

3. Radical Acceptance

During the interlude, we can see some brain images. It's a known fact that damage caused by trauma can be perceived by neuroimaging. It looks like Gaga is being analysed by some kind of clinical technology. I think the whole ACT I is about the pain of acknowledging you have demons/monsters/scars. It's the moment you take a look inside of yourself and you're not happy about what you see. But she has to accept it in order to move on. Gaga tweeted "[The nightmare] only stops when YOU keep going" just a moment before the show. Back in 2020, Gaga has spoken about how Radical acceptance has helped her to overcome her mental health issues. The see-through, bloody outfit represents the vulnerability, the humanity of battling the pain.

4. Finding Balance

During ACT II Interlude, we see a White, Soft Gaga-esque silhuotte and the Black/Spike Gaga silhuotte. During ACT III interlude, the Light and Dark duality is presented again. I think both segments portray the struggle with findind balance in your life. In Gaga's case, she struggles with chronic pain and 911 is all about craving the relief only drugs can bring and how this relief can go away if the drugs are not there. It's a tough balance to sustain but somehow she did it! 

5. Freedom

The golden temple + outfits might represent self worth. Maybe Gaga used to feel like less-worthy of the love from the fans and the positive light of the fame because she was mentally and physically ill. But she's now free from those misconceptions. Note that Free Woman performance is the complete opposite of Bad Romance. She's free, she's surrounded by people, her outfit is loose, golden and shiny, unlike the gray, opaque, restraining suit she wore during Bad Romance. The interlude prior to the piano segment is all about finding her grace again, her power, her femininity. All of that leads to the final celebration during Stupid Love and ROM. Life is not about avoiding the pain (or the rain) is accepting that you're alive even though the storms have reached you.

[Sneaky Oliver 21,353]

Okay guys this sh*t is quite long but I had a good time writing it in my job (while pretending I don't have anything else to do). Hope you enjoy reading it! 

[Lava 3,201]

She really told us she wants us to interpret it the way we want and now we’re all writing thesis papers I love it