I’m trying to create a new meme to compete with OMG = Oh my God!
OMGG = Oh my Gaga!
What do you think? Help me spread it around cyberspace? Drop it casually in conversation while standing in line at the local hipster coffee shop? Cool, thanks.
Here’s the thing: Have you ever been to a concert—a massive sold-out stadium show—during which the artist spent ten minutes on stage talking about self-esteem, loving yourself, expressing every ounce of your YOUness, being fierce and fabulous, and never, ever being ashamed of who you are?
I hadn’t before Friday. So I found Gaga’s mid-concert speech inspiring. Impressive. And she’s not just talking the talk; she’s walking the walk. She’s donating $20,000 every night of her tour to LGBT youth. Now that’s what I call using fame for a positive purpose.
I got to attend the Lady Gaga concert in Las Vegas on August 13. To say I was excited is not Gaga-worthy hyperbole. I hadn’t been so thrilled about a concert since I was 16 and my dad got me 7th row center tickets to see INXS, and during the show Michael Hutchence sweat on me. For real.
On Friday, four of my best girlfriends, one straight guy friend, and two gay male friends got totally decked out in full Gaga attire, inspired by her fantastical fashion creations and outrageous videos. We strutted our stuff around the stadium for over an hour before the show began, enjoying our own Paparazzi: hordes of fans eager to snap photos with us.
The show itself was twice as long as it should’ve been. Gaga doesn’t have the body of work to warrant a three-hour performance, with lots of long pauses for set and costume changes. However, she wowed us with the 40-foot train and towering wings to her fairy costume, her energetic dancing, and most of all, her commitment to her cause.
Gaga calls her fans “monsters,” just another way of embracing those who aren’t afraid to fly their freak flag. She makes being who you are—whether fat or thin, gay or straight, pretty or quirky—more than okay; she makes it a badge of honor.
So here’s to the Champion of the Outcasts. The Crusader for Queers. The Queen of Creativity. I hope you continue to shock, surprise, and challenge us. Go go, Gaga!
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