Without question, Gaga’s “assistants” in this video are amazing dancers however, save for a few seconds, viewers are not supposed to focus on them. No dance video would be complete without a heaping helping of skeevy racial issues, and “Paparazzi” certainly delivers. Are we supposed to pity her, since her disability has stemmed from her intimate partner’s actions? Should viewers side with one of the sensational newspaper headlines–“LADY NO MORE GAGA”–that appears right before the music begins, implying that she just isn’t as fabulous as she was before her dis-ablement? Her temporarily-disabled status has also been caused by someone else: at the beginning of the clip, she is pushed off of a ledge by her partner as paparazzi photograph the two together, and she exacts her revenge at the clip’s end by poisoning him (while wearing a very confusing outfit that seems to take its inspiration from the Bee Girl in that Blind Melon video, Mickey Mouse, and Bjork). The representation here lasts for less than a minute. However, there are some things with which I have issues, one of which is that Gaga’s disability in this video is temporary, and it’s clear that we as viewers are supposed to know that. Decorated wheelchairs (with the caveat that Lady Gaga’s wheelchair in this clip is not quite as bejewelled as her attire, or as fantastically bizarre as her hair)? Yes, please. As someone who uses a cane, witnessing Lady Gaga’s use of shiny silver arm crutches in this sequence makes me wonder if there might be a market for crunk canes (a la the Crunk Cup). There are a few things about these 50 seconds that are somewhat promising in terms of disability representation, not least of which is the fact that disability and persons with a wide variety of disabilities are sorely underrepresented in popular culture, particularly in music videos. This is intercut with more shots of dead-looking anonymous models. Lady Gaga uses the crutches during her dance routine, in which she moves in a rather stiff, avant-garde manner. One of the backup dancers delivers a sleek pair of arm crutches to her, and she gets up from her wheelchair with some difficulty as all of the dancers move around her. The male dancers outfit her with a very Metropolis-esque molded gold bathing-suit garment as female dancers, all outfitted in navy dresses, come into the frame and begin to dance. After Lady Gaga is wheeled into the mansion, her male backup dancers remove her clothing to reveal a black catsuit underneath. This sequence is intercut with shots of an apparently able-bodied Gaga lounging on a plush couch and lip-syncing, and shots of an anonymous model sprawled in an empty bathtub. Lady Gaga is then wheeled down a purple carpet and into a lavish mansion. Three other tux-clad male dancers–all men of color–break dance and “vogue” around her as they remove her from the limo and place her in a wheelchair that one of the dancers has rolled out as the music starts. She is dressed in a reliably over-the-top manner, complete with a bejewelled neck brace. The disability-related segment of this video starts at about three minutes in and lasts for about 50 seconds.įor those who need a description: Around the three-minute mark, Lady Gaga emerges from a limosine, the door of which is opened by a tuxedo-clad man. As a person with disabilities, however, I am left wondering about what, exactly, I should find at all progressive about Lady Gaga’s representation of (temporary) disability in the video for “Paparazzi.” Other bloggers–most notably Wheelchair Dancer–have covered the now-infamous 2009 MTV VMA performance of this song however, the promotional clip is also worth examining at length, particularly due to its messages about (temporary) disability, race, and the public/private binary. As a person who listens to a wide (and admittedly weird) variety of music, this is something that I would like to strive for. First, a confession: I want to like Lady Gaga and be able to enjoy her music, ideally as something of a pop confection: sweet, not very long-lasting, and ultimately disposable.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |