How Glee's "Theatricality" Episode is Proof of Lady Gaga's Importance

Last night, television phenomenon Glee dedicated an episode to Lady Gaga. As I wrote in my review, Gaga would be proud of how the show was executed, and not because of the spectacular costumes.

Gaga has said in interviews that one of the goals of her music was to provide asylum for the social outcasts, much like she was when she was a teenager. She wanted to free them from feeling like they weren't worth loving and allow them to be themselves, no matter how different from the social norm they are.

Watching Glee last night, that message was brought home. As Kurt and Tina walked around in Gaga's finest, and Finn, after initial apprehension, stood up for Kurt's right to be who he is publicly, it sent a message that many middle and high school students should be reading closely. Despite what decades, if not centuries, of teenage interaction have embedded in our psyches, it is not wrong to be an individual and express it however you choose.

She may or may not realize it, but Gaga is responsible for delivering that message, and making it stick.

While some may argue I'm giving her too much credit, it is not a farfetched theory. There is no doubt that, in less than two years, Lady Gaga has become a pop megastar. She has sold over 11 million copies worldwide of her first two albums, sold out a world tour well into 2011, and she has had six straight #1 singles on US pop radio. What makes her success all the more staggering is her status as one of the most excessively different, successful pop stars ever.

I italicize "successful" because there are Gaga detractors who argue that she has taken her iconic looks from a variety of artists, from Grace Jones to Roisin Murphy, which ultimately waters down her accomplishments. No disrespect intended to them, but when was the last time they had a global hit, or a successful tour, or a multi-platinum album? Sure, there are many artists who break from the mainstream mold with avant-garde style and music (Bjork comes to mind). What makes Gaga special is her ability to take her avant-garde style and music and break it into the mainstream mold. Not since David Bowie has someone completely shattered the typical image of what a pop singer was, and been truly successful doing it. I mean, no one else is wearing bubble dresses and lobster hats, are they?

And while some people will accuse Gaga of being a buch of gimmicks strung together, it's undeniable that her music and imagery are seamless. "Bad Romance", which may be her signature song, wouldn't be the same without her iconic music video. And that idea is what makes her success so important to the shifting social landscape, especially amongst her young fanbase. "Bad Romance" was a global smash, aided by her image, her completely out-there, never-been-done-like-this image. While an amazing pop song on its own, it was Gaga's visual masterpiece that catapulted it to the top of the charts around the world. The success of her combined musical and visual presentation have proven that conformity isn't always the best policy, if it has to be at all.

Gaga's style, whether it be hair bows or bubble dresses, is highly inaccessible to more conservative factions of society. You know what else is highly inaccessible to them? Differing religious or sexual preferences. As Glee's Finn aptly put it when describing Lima, Ohio, they aren't like New York or San Francisco or other places that don't fry their vegetables. Yet, Gaga's singles are almost guaranteed #1 hits. That wouldn't be possible if Gaga wasn't received in some way by Middle America, which is considerably more conservative than their eastern and western counterparts. If Gaga can reach these people, why can't LGBT or Muslims?

What Gaga has done is shown the world, and in particular America, that being different and showing it does not spell the end of civilization as we know it. While some outlets will accuse her videos of corrupting children, in reality, she has been freeing them of the social chains that have bogged them down for generations. In a world where people are literally killing themselves because they are tortured for trying to be themselves, Gaga has served as the poster woman for a more tolerant childhood experience.

Last night, Finn wore a Gaga-inspired red rubber dress when confronting Kurt's bullies, despite his own season-long fears of no longer being accepted by the popular crowd. What it appears he learned is that, no matter how popular you are, it doesn't matter if you can't be yourself and be happy.

Maybe it was the red rubber, but it seems like Gaga had a lot to do with that lesson.