She may not seem like an obvious leader. She's certainly not conventional. And she has not been a leader for very long at all. However, Lady Gaga, although not a politician or even the lead singer of a band, is a powerful and influential leader in her own right.
Although nothing about Lady Gaga's over-the-top fashion choices and catchy, in-your-face pop hooks seem "laissez-faire," or hands-off, she is a completely laissez-faire leader. Rather than lobbying Congress in support of gay marriage, for example, she empowers her followers to believe in themselves and go out and make a difference, fight for gay marriage and not let anybody stand in their way. In addition, she is nondirective--rather than attacking society for being judgmental, she instead empowers her fans that identify themselves as weird, outcasts, or "freaks," and tells them it's ok, and to embrace being a "freak."
Gaga exerts her leadership power in the form of referent power. She empowers her fans, who come from all backgrounds and are extremely diverse, and she provides them with "self efficacy, worth, and approval" (Berko, Wolvin and Wolvin 293). Gaga achieves this by spreading her message to millions of fans, like when she said that "I want to create a space for my fans where they can feel free and they can celebrate" on the Ellen DeGeneres show. She went on to say that "I like to create this atmosphere for my fans where they feel like they have a freak in me to hang out with and they don't feel alone." Not only does Lady Gaga exert referent power, but she also exercises expert power to some extent. For example, Gaga, who has over 6.3 million followers on Twitter, Tweeted in late September, "Gay Veterans were my VMA dates. Repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell. CALL HARRY REID to Schedule Senate Vote." Senator Reid, who has only 4,700 Twitter followers, replied, "@ladygaga There is a vote on #DADT next week. Anyone qualified to serve this country should be allowed to do so." In this case, Gaga used her leadership and celebrity to spread the word about an issue important to her, and she was able to effectively reach at least 6.3 million followers rather than a mere 4,700.
Perhaps my favorite characteristic about Lady Gaga as a leader is that she is not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for what she believes in. Whereas many pop starts would shy away from making bold political statements and such calls to action as the "Repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell" Tweet, fearing losing their fan base, Gaga has no fear and doesn't care if the media or her viewers agree with her. However, this is not to say that she doesn't care about her fans or what they think--in fact, it is quite the opposite. Gaga is such a leader for her fans that she even became an ordained minister so that she can marry fans of all sexual orientations to each other. And of course, although it doesn't necessarily relate to her qualities as a leader, I love her music and her fashion chioces, too!
One of Lady Gaga's flaws is probably her need to shock. It is hard to say rather this constant need shock and surprise the public and the media stems from herself or from the pressure from the public to maintain her shocking image, but regardless, the elaborate outfits and controversial music videos can seem like they are all for attention or to get a rise out of the public. However, although this can definitely be a flaw, I believe it has also helped her in her role as a ldeader. With the public eye always on her, waiting to see what Gaga will do next, it draws attention to the issues that are important to her and to many of her fans, and it definitely gets people talking.
She shocks. She awes. She is one of a kind; there is no one else like her. And she is a leader of our generation. Champion of the underdogs, Lady Gaga is here to stay.
Picture:
http://stylesectionla.com/
Sources:
http://findtut.com/lady-gaga-senate-leader-tweet-agreement-5414622
http://mtv.com/news/articles/1627085/20091125/lady_gaga.jhtml
Communicating: A Social, Career and Cultural Focus by Berko, Wolvin, and Wolvin
It wouldn't let me post links or pictures in the post--hopefull this works!
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Lady Gaga is definitely a leader. Though I'm not among the hordes of worshiping 'little monsters', her music has certainly been very successful, and her actions and dress have generated much media coverage.
ReplyDeleteYour post is right on. I personally hate her style and manner but I admire her confidence and gall. There was a blog post by Tom and Lorenzo that sums up perfectly what I think Lady Gaga is:
ReplyDelete"She's not a celebrity, she's a mirror. Whatever meaning she has lies not within her but with whatever people are seeing in her. It's a pretty good gig once you learn how to master it."
(http://tomandlorenzo2.blogspot.com/2010/09/2010-mtv-video-awards-red-carpet.html)
LOVE Lady Gaga! I didn't have much respect for her when she first appeared on the music scene because I thought she would be another one of those dumb autotuned artists without much talent, but she has so much going for her. Not only does she speak out for issues that she cares about, but she also is quite musically talented. And I personally love her style and the way she presents herself... it's unique and a little refreshing.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Ambi, I like the quote you posted -- I hate do the obvious teacher thing but if you remember what we talked about in terms of the self and the self + others... that quote says something along those lines about Lady Gaga.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Gaga is what people see in her, how they perceive her. However it's interesting to hear her in interviews and ascertaining that she *is* Lady Gaga -- that she is not a character (think Stephen Colbert and the character he plays for the Colbert Report) but rather, her true self and her public self are one in the same. That usually is not the case.