Why does Gaga say she wasn't wealthy?

[KrisFromMars 9]

She wanted dem sells

[SpadesToStart 3,460]

In terms of absolute dollars Gaga's family was wealthy, however because the cost of everything in NYC is so inflated, in terms of quality of life, gaga only lived a middle class to upper middle class lifestyle. For example, if you lived in suburban Minnesota, a kid could have everything Gaga had (nice house, private school, summer camp, music lessons) and the family would only need to pull in 90k a year.

[Willy Wonka 4]

Excuse me? I was kicked out of the house at 14 years old after being abused my entire life and you dare speak of privilege? My mom may have money to burn by now, I don't have a penny, nor my sanity. 

And yes, children who haven't known hunger or homelessness don't understand either, because they are CHILDREN

They will understand later in life, but a child is a child, they understand things on their own level

the bare necessities aren't even in question for them unless they've personally been deprived. Thank heavens for that because kids should be kids, not little worried adults.

AHHHH. I see what you've been saying. You've been approaching this topic from a VERY different perspective than I was ever expecting. You were approaching it from a child's perspective of perceived relative wealth rather than actual economic differences. I'm sorry. There was never a clear perspective where you were coming from, so I just assumed you were approaching the same way that everyone else was.

What you're saying is that while middle and lower class families utilize their excess money on non-durable goods and entertainment, while upper middle class families may be more inclined to save their excess money, thus contributing to a inaccurate perception of relative wealth based on tangible objects rather than actual financial status.

I'm sorry for attacking you based on my incorrect assumptions.

[Rainbowgynous 0]

AHHHH. I see what you've been saying. You've been approaching this topic from a VERY different perspective than I was ever expecting. You were approaching it from a child's perspective of perceived relative wealth rather than actual economic differences. I'm sorry. There was never a clear perspective where you were coming from, so I just assumed you were approaching the same way that everyone else was.

What you're saying is that while middle and lower class families utilize their excess money on non-durable goods and entertainment, while upper middle class families may be more inclined to save their excess money, thus contributing to a inaccurate perception of relative wealth based on tangible objects rather than actual financial status.

I'm sorry for attacking you based on my incorrect assumptions.

 

Exactly :-) like I said "to a child it feels like". Gaga was a child when the wealthy part happened, she moved downtown at an age where you just start to understand the value of money and the fact that it isn't just used for 'wants' but mainly for needs. Therefor I don't think she ever felt rich, even if statistically she (her family) was.

[Celina 118]

She never said her family wasn't rich: she said that her parents have worked their asses off and put all the money they had in her education and her sister's.

 

What she usually says is that her family doesn't come from a wealthy background, and that the money her parents have earned was earned by the sweat of their brows.

 

She refused her parent's assistance when she left home to live on the Lower East Side and worked three jobs. That's her story, so maybe that's what she means. 

 

Other than that, she mentioned that kids at her school were much more wealthier than her and she claims to have been teased about it.

 

I think she meant that her parents weren't wealthy to begin with, but they worked their asses off to get to a place where they could do these things for her. They were fairly wealthy when Gaga was born, but they weren't always like that. I think she just meant her parents were very hard workers that always did what they could to provide for the family, and that's where her hard work comes from.

 

I think these posts get the point across well. I'm pretty sure she's acknowledged that she and her sister had great opportunities b/c of their parents, but she always points out that it's all thanks to her family's work ethic.

She was just trying to come across as relatable, edgy, and market-friendly. GP don't usually like pop stars to have come from money. 

That's why I take 99.99% of what she says about her past with a grain of salt.

 

She never lied about it though... She didn't say she was poor - just that she (and her parents) had to work hard for what they had, and that things weren't just handed to her/them.

[tiffa 169]

People also like to question whether or not she was bullied or if she was a popular kid in school too.

We know how odd and mentally disturbed Gaga is. Now think about that for a moment. Even mama g said she was concerned at one point and thought maybe something was wrong with Gaga.

I wish people didn't automatically assume that her life was perfect and glamorous due to the money she was born into. Or worse, that she's a liar.

Maybe she dramatizes sometimes and maybe things didn't happen exactly the way she said... And I think this can be the case at times. Not necessarily proud of that but I do think there truth to most of it.

[Rainbowgynous 0]

People also like to question whether or not she was bullied or if she was a popular kid in school too.

We know how odd and mentally disturbed Gaga is. Now think about that for a moment. Even mama g said she was concerned at one point and thought maybe something was wrong with Gaga.

I wish people didn't automatically assume that her life was perfect and glamorous due to the money she was born into. Or worse, that she's a liar.

Maybe she dramatizes sometimes and maybe things didn't happen exactly the way she said... And I think this can be the case at times. Not necessarily proud of that but I do think there truth to most of it.

 

Gaga is fabulous. End of.

 

And it's very noticeable that she hasn't had an easy life. The signs are so clear and plentiful :(

[rivingtonreject 2]

People also like to question whether or not she was bullied or if she was a popular kid in school too.

We know how odd and mentally disturbed Gaga is. Now think about that for a moment. Even mama g said she was concerned at one point and thought maybe something was wrong with Gaga.

I wish people didn't automatically assume that her life was perfect and glamorous due to the money she was born into. Or worse, that she's a liar.

Maybe she dramatizes sometimes and maybe things didn't happen exactly the way she said... And I think this can be the case at times. Not necessarily proud of that but I do think there truth to most of it.

I truly wasnt implying anything like that, I mean its very obvious that she has really overcome a lot in life that nobody should have to deal with. I was just wondering why she specifically said middle class. It was an inquiry, not an accusation.

[Katie14 4,828]

One reason is the fact that wealth is really all relative. Gaga went to an extremely prestigious and expensive school and was surrounded by girls who, "had real picassos in their living rooms". She lived on the Upper West Side which isn't as expensive as the Upper East side where her school is located. Her parents have a lot of money. I mean, her dad owns guest wifi. But, in comparison to everyone else she was surrounded by growing up, she probably felt like one of the poorer ones.

 

Another reason is the high cost of living in NYC. If Gaga grew up some random state in the South or midwest, her parent's money would have stretched way farther and she would have felt rich. For the same amount of money for their nice but relatively small NYC apartment, her parents could have bought a mansion in South Carolina for example. You just don't get very much bang for your buck in NYC. You are paying mostly for location.

 

Also, I think Gaga is trying to make the point that her parents worked really hard to get to where they are. Nothing was handed to them and nothing was handed to her. She doesn't want people thinking the reason she got to where she is now is because of the wealth of her parents. This idea invalidates her talents and makes it seem like she didn't have to work hard.. She did receive a lot of opportunities such as voice lessons, piano lessons, meetings with producers, ect because of her parent's money. But, that doesn't mean she had an automatic shoe in with the music industry.

[Katie14 4,828]

We know how odd and mentally disturbed Gaga is. Now think about that for a moment. Even mama g said she was concerned at one point and thought maybe something was wrong with Gaga.

 

 

Gaga definitely has some issues and baggage from past traumatic events in her life but I don't think i'd say she is mentally disturbed. She seems pretty stable for the most part. Then again, she said in interviews that she heard voices in her head as a child. I'm still not quite sure what she means by that.

[VforVendetta 2,024]

I think she meant that her parents weren't wealthy to begin with, but they worked their asses off to get to a place where they could do these things for her. They were fairly wealthy when Gaga was born, but they weren't always like that. I think she just meant her parents were very hard workers that always did what they could to provide for the family, and that's where her hard work comes from.

[Ambrosia 3,775]

I can imagine how she may have been teased by other girls at a prestigious school.  Some of them have more money than money.  Wealth implies your money works for you, but Gaga's family worked for their money.  And yes, the idea of money and wealth is very relative, not to mention what part of the world you dwell and how talented you are at stretching your dollar. 

 

But did she choose not to accept any help from her parents?  I thought I remember her saying her dad would only help her for a certain amt. of time if she didn't go back to school and the rest was on her?    Anyway, she certainly succeeded and has seen all sides of the coin when it comes to money - forgive the lame joke.  :roll:

[grenziel 538]

She just said she was broke when MONSTER BALL was just starting because she use her money to buy props and other materials for the ball. Hollywood knows that she is kinda rich, i even saw list of celebrities that were rich before they became famous and Gaga was on it even Lana del Rey.

[Rainbowgynous 0]

Gaga definitely has some issues and baggage from past traumatic events in her life but I don't think i'd say she is mentally disturbed. She seems pretty stable for the most part. Then again, she said in interviews that she heard voices in her head as a child. I'm still not quite sure what she means by that.

 

Can't have been that bad. I think quite a lot of people hear 'voices', but for some they are just thoughts, inspiration or imaginary friends. It's just kind of a taboo because of the relation to mental health issues, making people afraid to discuss it and leaving others feel like no one else has it.

[grenziel 538]

People also like to question whether or not she was bullied or if she was a popular kid in school too.

We know how odd and mentally disturbed Gaga is. Now think about that for a moment. Even mama g said she was concerned at one point and thought maybe something was wrong with Gaga.

I wish people didn't automatically assume that her life was perfect and glamorous due to the money she was born into. Or worse, that she's a liar.

Maybe she dramatizes sometimes and maybe things didn't happen exactly the way she said... And I think this can be the case at times. Not necessarily proud of that but I do think there truth to most of it.

Maybe this is the answer to your thoughts:

"When I look back on my life, it's not that i don't wanna see things exactly what happened, it's just that i want it to remember in an artistic way .."

"It's not that i've been dishonest, it's just that i loathe reality."

-MARRY THE NIGHT