Lady Gaga at the 2016 Golden Globe Awards Author: Erika Harwood
Date of Publication: December 11, 2017 Category: Fashion Lady Gaga, American singer-songwriter, has been known for her controversial, headline-making style. In recent years, however, Gaga has taken on a different persona reflected by her choices in clothing. Erika Harwood explores the factors relating to Gaga’s style evolution and describes a recent holiday costume, which mirrors the fashion that many people recognize her for. This brief article is primarily tailored to Lady Gaga’s fans (Little Monsters), since terms such as “Haus of Gaga,” would only likely be familiar to them. Harwood utilizes informal and neutral diction to create a colloquial, slightly mocking tone. Contractions, such as “she’s” or “can’t,” were often chosen over the formal wording of these phrases. Generic words, such as “made” or “help,” were also more present than elegant words. Harwood’s use of contractions and generic words creates the conversational/casual tone because people can relate to the more familiar, everyday language. The wording and structuring of some of the sentences displays the hints of ridiculing in this piece. For example, under the title of the article,“Lady Gaga Went Back to Being Full Gaga for Her Holiday Party,” the author wrote, “Elf ears and all.”Adding the “and all” part generates a sense of mocking towards Gaga’s choice in clothing for this holiday party. Both the diction and the tone of this article would imply that Harwood does not have a strong emotional attachment to the topic. There was never a sense of excitement or enthusiasm to suggest that she was passionate about Gaga’s recent holiday costume. On the other hand, there was also never a sense of disappointment or disapproval, which could have also shown her emotional devotion to this news. Although there was not a distinct level of emotional attachment to the topic, it was evident that Harwood was not shocked or surprised by this news. For example, after describing Gaga’s more “straightforward Hollywood glamour” look in recent years, Harwood states “Gaga still can’t seem to help herself when it comes to dressing for a holiday party.” By adding the “can’t seem to help herself,” the author implies that Gaga’s revert back to her notorious fashion was bound to happen. Harwood appeals to logos and uses complex syntactical techniques to help carry out her message. Appeals logos are constantly placed to provide information necessary in explaining the background behind this particular news. For instance, Harwood describes the off-the-shoulder black Atelier Versace gown Gaga wore at the 2016 Golden Globes to exemplify her recent choice in adopting a more classical style. The most common syntactical technique was the use of commas and dashes, which help add depth to the points being made. For example, Harwood explains Gaga’s recent preferences of stylists by stating, “She’s also relied on her old stylist, Brandon Maxwell, who left the Haus of Gaga to create his own fashion label—a surprisingly sleek and tailored line of gowns and pantsuits as seen on everyone from Gaga herself to Michelle Obama.” Harwood uses a comma to explain Maxwell’s connection to Gaga, and a dash to describe the fashion label he created. This additional information not only shows the relationship between Maxwell and Gaga, but it also exhibits an important factor in Gaga’s change in fashion. These two rhetorical devices further help display the significance of Gaga’s recent holiday costume. The purpose of this article was not only to explain a noticeable evolution in Lady Gaga’s fashion but to also explain the value and meaning behind a holiday costume recently worn by her.The purpose of this piece was clearly shown when Harwood states, “Gaga celebrated the holidays with her Haus of Gaga over the weekend and dressed for the occasion as only she could: as a nymphish elf named ‘Mistress Claus,’ wearing a green lace-up bodysuit and thigh-high striped socks.” Adding the “as only she could” suggests that this elf costume is one that would be typical in Gaga’s infamous collection of clothing. This part emphasizes the importance of this costume because it greatly differs from the elegant style she has embraced in recent years. I believe that the goal of this article was to demonstrate a broader message: change and growth in a person does not undermine or diminish the roots in which the growth sprouted from. Lady Gaga has greatly changed her style, but it does not mean that she won’t ever revert back to her old fashion- the fashion that made her a household name, and the fashion that has contributed to the person she is today.
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