Rebecca says: No
I’m not trying to deny that Lady Gaga is a style icon in the literal sense of the word. She is most certainly recognised because of her unique fashion sense.
But I would also say that she is certainly not a style icon in the practical sense of the word. I mean you simply can’t imitate her style in the way you could with Emma Watson or Dannii Minogue. So I know that they buy designer clothes, have professional stylists and were born with fabulous figures (all of which I am without) but you can at least attempt to dress like them with similar high-street garments.
For me this is what a style icon is: someone you want to follow in the fashion stakes and that you look to for inspiration when you are getting dressed and shopping. This is exactly why I wouldn’t call Lady Gaga a fashion icon. You couldn’t hope to copy her style in any shape or form. Not only is it too unusual but it wouldn’t be practical.
Who could walk around with a massive sparkling lobster on their head? And surely wearing raw meat for an entire evening is not safe. As for those sticky tape outfits that literally cover what needs to be covered and that’s about all, would you not be freezing and arrested for indecent exposure?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all up for experimenting with outfits and applaud Lady Gaga for having such a brave and attention-grabbing style but for me that doesn’t make her a style icon. A style icon is not someone you look at and think, “Huh, that’s an interesting outfit choice…” before tumbleweed blows across your line of sight and you realise that yes it did fall off her dress!
So yes I’ll admit she has a unique fashion sense. But is she an enviable style icon? Me thinks not.
Michelle says: Yes
I’ll be the first to admit I’ve looked at pictures and thought ‘what in the name of God was she thinking?’ but to me Lady Gag is definitely more ‘fab’ than ‘freak’. Fashion is supposed to be fearless, and say what you like about Gaga, but she’s definitely up for anything, sartorially speaking…
You don’t have to be the biggest fan of her music to appreciate that since Lady Gaga became a worldwide name (is it really only four years ago?) she has sparked more debates about style than many models, designers or influential magazines could ever hope to.
Yes, she looks like an idiot sometimes, draped in a butcher’s finest or hatching from a giant egg in particular, but what those who criticise her forget is that fashion is an art form.
Look at any haute couture collection – it’s never meant to be worn by mere mortals, it’s there because it can be. Because there are so many incredible artists working in fashion who can sculpt and mould fabrics to create masterpieces every colour of the rainbow. They are as much a visual achievement as any painting you might visit a gallery to look at in awe.
For Lady Gaga, her image is her own masterpiece, and after all, it’s a character. I strongly suspect that when she’s safely behind closed doors Ms. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta gets into jeans and a t-shirt like the rest of us. But when she steps outside the front door as Gaga the world is her catwalk, and as far as I’m concerned long may her colourful show last.
