Postmodernity and Lady Gaga - Essay Form

Postmodernism can be expressed through a wide variety of Media texts, one of which are music videos. However as in the case with many other outlets of postmodernism, it is not always clear which are and which are not postmodern. This is because there is no real consensus of to what postmodernism actually means. Therefore any postmodern labels attached to a text are merely a reflection of personal choice.

One example of a music video what I believe is postmodern or at least appears to be influenced by the subject is the video for “Telephone” by the artist Lady Gaga.

 Postmodernism can be expressed visually via the presence of postmodern techniques. These techniques can include many of the following: Parody, playfulness, pastiche, intertextuality, eclectism, hyper consciousness and narcissism. These postmodern techniques have been shown in Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” music video and therefore have attached a label to the text as ‘postmodern’.

 The first reason to why Lady Gaga is a postmodern artist comes from Baudrillard’s idea of hyper reality where he states that we cannot separate the images that we are shown from what is the reality. In relation to Gaga, her name is a clear symbol of hyper reality as it allows her to have two personalities as she is never referred to as Stefani Germanotta. This also allows her to keep her different lives separate; ultimately allowing her to control her image and get away with wearing outrageous outfits as this is the hyper reality presented to us for Lady Gaga. Furthermore, with the creation of a hyper – real version of herself, she is able to keep attention away from the reality of her everyday life.

 Intertextual referencing is another key aspect into the bravado of Lady Gaga and this factor is used in almost every one of her videos. In relation to the “Telephone” video, Gaga calls Beyonce “Honey Bee” which is indirectly a reference to “honey bunny” who is a character in Quintin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. Moreover, the label of “pussy wagon” on the car they drive is taken from “Kill Bill” where the same name is used. These intertextual references give the audience something to relate to, but also makes the original content and boosts her image.

 

To conclude, bricolage is another major influence on Lady Gaga’s persona and it could also be argued that the way she dresses alone is a bricolage due to the fact that it is so outrageous and creates a totally different image. Bricolage could also be denoted in her video “paparazzi” where she uses the iconic signifier of a cup and saucer and continues to style herself around that item. This has then become an iconic signifier of Lady Gaga, therefore highlighting a new image of an item has led to have a different meaning.