Lady Gaga, Little Monsters and the YOU and I/HAUS of U Communications: Mobilizing New Media to Transgress Hegemonic Identities
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Lady Gaga, Little Monsters and the YOU AND I/HAUS OF U Communications: Mobilizing New Media to Transgress Hegemonic Identities by Courtney Constable A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Post Doctoral Affairs partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario ©2013 Courtney Constable Library and Archives Bibliotheque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du 1+1Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-94610-7 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-94610-7 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distrbute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. 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Canada Abstract Lady Gaga is known for her catchy music, outrageous fashion, and shocking performances, but her activist involvement and close relationship with her fans is also pivotal. Elements of her career are enabled by new media websites, such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and her own website, LittleMonsters.com. The music video for her 2011single YouAND I and corresponding H a u s OF U films exemplify the unique ability of online networking capabilities to facilitate individual participation in activism, community interaction that transcends real world barriers, and the dissemination of transgressive activist images. I investigate Gaga’s embodiment of ‘othered’ gender and sexuality identities through five transgressive personas and how these constitute activism through their distribution as new media phenomena. I explore the implications of fan participation in convergence culture through the creation of reception texts, using new media to transform passive consumers of Gaga’s original materials into active producers of new activist texts. Acknowledgments This thesis would not have been possible without the enthusiasm and support of Lori Bums, who kept me on the ‘Glitter Way’ when expectations lead me away from what I really wanted. I am so grateful for the opportunities she gave me to combine academia and creativity. I would also like to thank Anna Hoefhagels for bringing a new perspective to my writing. Her attention to detail helped transform my thesis into a much more enjoyable read. My thanks also go to Debra Graham, whose positivity kept me passionate about my work. I am so lucky to have been able to work with such inspiring women— who else’s professors would get excited about underwear presentations, drag king beards, and mermaid gills? Caden Brown, thank you so much for your support through the excitement, anger, tears, and sickness. I wouldn’t have survived without you always reminding me that I’m a ‘master’. Thank you for loving me even though I dress like a man sometimes. I love you! Jill Thayer, you’re the light of my life! Thank you for constant therapy through good food, online shopping, brightly coloured hair dye, and karaoke. Your support means the world to me, and I’m so proud of you! Mom, thank you for deciphering my incoherent text messages at all hours of the day and night. Thank you for care packages and amazing thrift shop finds. Thank you for being the world’s best example o f what a strong woman is. I can’t wait to go into business with you and open our animal shelter that is also a consignment store that also supports human rights. I love you. Thank you to my dad, brother, family and friends. I love you all. Finally, thank you to Lady Gaga for creating materials so special than I can analyze every second of them for two full years and still enjoy them in my spare time. You’re an inspiration. Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................iii Table of Contents..................................................................................................................iv Chapter I: Lady Gaga, New Media, and Activism ........................................................... 1 1.1 Introducing Lady Gaga and Her Little Monsters.................................................1 1.1.1 Lady Gaga and Identity Activism .........................................................5 1.1.1.2 Using New Media in Activism ........................................... 5 1.2 Research Process: Investigating Lady Gaga’s New Media Usage and Activism...........................................................................................................8 1.2.1 Research Objectives ...............................................................................8 1.2.2 Contexts for the Music Video Youa n d 1............................................9 1.2.3 Key Themes and Categories of Analysis.......................................... 15 1.2.4 Putting Gaga’s Activism in the Context of New Media................. 17 1.2.4.1 The Architecture of Lady Gaga’s New Media Usage 17 1.2.4.2 Fan Reception Texts and Gaga’s New Media Usage 22 1.2.4.2.1 Maria Aragon........................................................23 1.2.4.2.2 Helen Green ..........................................................24 1.2.5 New Media Extensions of Yoii a n d 1................................................. 26 1.2.6 The Ha u s OF U Videos....................................................................... 28 1.3 Organization of the Thesis..................................................................................29 Chapter II: Building A Theoretical Foundation: Situating Lady Gaga’s GLBTQ Activism in Theory.................................................................................................. 33 2.1 Theories of Gender, Sexuality, and Subjectivity.............................................. 33 2.1.1 Judith Butler......................................................................................... 34 2.1.2 Susan Bordo......................................................................................... 36 2.1.3 Iris Marion Young................................................................................38 2.1.4 Positioning Gender, Sexuality, and Subjectivity Theory in Gaga’s Work................................................................................................. 40 2.2 Theories of New Media and Participatory Culture...........................................40 2.2.1 Convergence Culture.......................................................................... 40 2.2.2 The Developing Phenomenon of Online Activism........................... 47 2.2.3 Convergences of Online and Offline Activism................................. 50 2.2.4 Community Building Through Participatory Culture....................... 52 2.2.5 The Role of the Celebrity in Activism ............................................... 55 2.3 Symbolic Interaction Theory..............................................................................62 2.3.1 Situating Youa n d I and H a u s of U in Symbolic Interaction Theory............................................................................................... 63 2.4 Reception of Lady Gaga’s Work: Emergent Themes.......................................64 2.4.1 Interpreting Gaga’s Work Through the Lens of Empowerment...................................................................................64 2.4.2 Receiving Gaga’s Work as Raunch Culture and Hyper- Sexualization.....................................................................................65 2.4.3 Seeing Beyond the Performativity of Gaga’s Work......................... 66 v 2.4.4 Integration of Reception Themes with Theories of Gender and Sexuality........................................................................................... 67 2.5 Methodology......................................................................................................70 2.5.1 Method ................................................................................................