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Here's a quick pop culture quiz for you: Lady Gaga is which of the following?
a. A pop star and musician.
b. A fashion and beauty icon.
c. A social media-savvy business woman.
d. All of the above.
According to Advertising Age's recent article, "Gaga, Oooh La La: Why the Lady Is the Ultimate Social Climber," it's all of the above, and it's all about @ladygaga:
How did a 23-year-old singer/songwriter achieve so much in so little time? Two words: social media. Sure, Gaga had a fair share of old-school artist development -- radio play -- to become the first artist to score four consecutive No. 1 singles from a debut album. But she's also put a new-media spin on her distribution strategy. The November premiere of her video for "Bad Romance," for example, debuted on LadyGaga.com before MTV or any other outlet could play it -- resulting in a Universal Music server crash, a Twitter trending topic that lasted all week and a cumulative 110 million (and counting) views on YouTube to date, more than any viral music video of yore (OK Go, anyone?) could ever claim.
Because of her ability to interact with and inspire her fans -- by posting Twitpics of her with the late Alexander McQueen or sharing little interludes from touring life -- Lady Gaga reveals more about herself via Twitter than she does in person, despite her near-constant lack of pants. Jezebel contributor Irin sums it up this way, in a post aptly titled "Lady Gaga is the Business": "So what is everyone responding to? Ironically for a pop star so obviously engaged in self-creation and costuming, it's authenticity."
And she is everywhere -- online and offline. We're all captivated by seeing what she'll wear next, and how far she will push fashion into performance art. The New York Times is crediting her with bringing back fun and wild clubwear in New York City. Her newly-launched MAC Cosmetics lipstick, the perfect-for-spring bubblegum pink Viva Glam Gaga, is completely sold out online. In fact, when I bought mine from the downtown San Francisco Nordstrom, not even a full week after the launch, there were only two left; the sales assistant said one woman had bought at least ten "Gagas." Women may not be rushing to glue pearls to their faces, but clearly, they are buying in to Gaga's glamour. Literally.
It makes sense that we gravitate towards Lady Gaga's make-up; I may not be able to wear a dress of bubbles and pearls or a gold lightning bolt down my face on a regular basis, but I can (and do!) wear Viva Glam Gaga lipstick, I can wear a silver-smoky "Pokerface" eye, and I can definitely wear a bold nail. It's no wonder that she's inspired many of the web's most popular make-up artists to recreate her looks.
Want to do a Lady Gaga on yourself? These video tutorials will make it a breeze. But remember, pants are not optional.
Lauren Luke has recreated the "Minnie Mouse robot" look from "Paparazzi" in two videos, including painting her lips black with liquid lip liner.
Michelle Phan, Lancome's new video make-up artist, has two Lady Gaga looks with some hardcore accessories -- the aforementioned gold lightning bolt for "Pokerface", and some (literally) eye-popping tech for one of the "Bad Romance" looks.
Christine of Temptalia also took on inspiration from another "Bad Romance" look, the one towards the end of the video.
And if you were curious about the manicures in "Bad Romance", Gaga Daily has the answer -- with screenshots! -- from celebrity manicurist Kimmie Kyees.
Finally, of course, Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir has been paying his homage to Lady Gaga; his exhibition skate to "Pokerface" features some bold, Gaga-esque make-up. And the admiration runs both ways, it seems: in the kind of gesture that makes her, as Jezebel's Irin said, truly authentic, Lady Gaga has promised to show up if Weir skates at the Olympics exhibition gala on Saturday. Classy, truly.
What do you think of Lady Gaga's make-up looks? Would you try
