Public body shaming of Lady Gaga proves just how hard it is to be a woman

I'm proud of my body, and you should be proud of yours too.

New York native superstar Lady Gaga is a singer, songwriter, actress and benefactress. At only 30 years old, Gaga has received over 200 awards for her music alone.  Most recently, she has scored her fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with ‘Joanne.’ She has also won numerous awards for her fashion, television, and philanthropic contributions. The woman is undeniably talented, but during her performance at Super Bowl 51, her talent and art were unduly ignored by some viewers.  

After a 12 minute performance complete with lights, smoke, and backup dancers, many people took to Twitter to make comments about something completely extraneous to her act: her stomach.  Gaga adorned shorts and glittery football gear that exposed her midriff, which triggered a wave of vile abuse.

“@ladygaga, that was the worst halftime show, don’t wear outfits that show your flabby abs. Way bad,” wrote Twitter user @Nickbob2283.  “Tried to enjoy @ladygaga’s performance, was distracted by the flab on her stomach swinging around #SuperBowl,” wrote @negans_swing.  “I can see why Lady Gaga was breathing so heavy, her stomach was protesting her #SuperBowl performance.  #LULZ,” twittered @PoliticsGhost.  There were thousands of other tweets dedicated to Gaga’s midsection, accentuating society's obsession with the way women look.  

According to Mental Health America, approximately 12 million women in the United States experience clinical depression, and about one in every eight women will experience clinical depression in her lifetime.  The main causes of these cases are self-consciousness and poor body image.  Mirror-Mirror.org, an expert website on eating disorders, reveals that the “ideal body type,” often held by runway models, is around 5’10” at 120 pounds.  The average woman in America is 5’4” and around 169 pounds.  This discrepancy creates self-doubt and low self-esteem, potentially leading to eating and mental disorders, especially if women are constantly reminded that they do not look as they “should.”

It is a shame that Gaga’s body was ridiculed and disrespected.  It is a shame that this happens every day to millions of girls.  It is a shame that putting women in a box is a trend and applauded on the internet.  It is often questioned why women struggle through life, when the answer is blatantly obvious.  It is high time that we put an end to body shaming.  Gaga said it best in one of her most recent Instagram posts: “I am proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too.  No matter who you are or what you do.”

       =

References

[1] Brown, V. (2017, February 06). Social media trolls fat shame Lady Gaga during SuperBowl

performance. Retrieved February 10, 2017, from http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/

beauty/face-body/social-media-trolls-fat-shame-lady-gaga-duri ng-superbowl-

performance/news-story/ead7e7402b7015f9e99080edb918693c

[2] Caulfield, K. (2016, October 30). Lady Gaga Scores Her Fourth No. 1 Album on Billboard

200 Chart With 'Joanne'. Retrieved from http://www.billboard.com/articles/

columns/chart- beat/7557828/lady-gaga-scores-her-fourth-no-1-album-on-

billboard-200-chart-joanne

[3] Depression In Women. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2017, from http://

www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/depression-women

[4] Hosie, R. (2017, February 6). Lady Gaga's Super Bowl performance splits the internet 

because of her 'belly' Retrieved February 10, 2017, from http://www.independent.co.uk/

life-style/health-and-families/lady-gaga-super-bowl-half-time-perf ormance-belly-body-

image-internet-reaction-social-media-a7565666.html

[5] Lady Gaga. (2017, February 07). Retrieved February 11, 2017, from http://

www.biography.com/people/lady-gaga-481598#synopsis

[6] Perfect Body Image. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2017, from http://www.mirror-mirror.org/

perfect-body-image.htm

[7] Shenton, Z. (2017, February 08). Lady Gaga fires back at Super Bowl body shamers. 

Retrieved February 12, 2017, from http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/lady-

gaga-responds-super-bowl-9776931

[8] Xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) • Instagram. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2017, from https://

www.instagram.com/ladygaga/?hl=en

Author's Note

It seems that the subscripts for the citations were deleted from this....ignore that.