Words by: Ava Toon 

Everyone’s watched female celebrities (think Amy Winehouse or Britney Spears) face public hate campaigns. The fear and uncertainty that permeates existing as an aging, feeling, breathing woman in the public eye is inescapable.

In order to maintain relevance, there is immense pressure to change oneself to be more accepted by others. 

The dilemma of reinvention – walking a tightrope between commodifying yourself for the public while staying true to your personal values and image – is something that Lady Gaga has navigated incredibly well. 

With that being said, here are four of Lady Gaga’s most career re-defining eras. 

The ‘Fame (Monster)’ Era: establishing icon status

TIMELINE: 2008—2010 

DEFINING QUALITIES: Inspired by icons such as David Bowie, Madonna and Freddie Mercury, Gaga wanted to create a unique, shocking and theatrical performance persona. In 2008, she debuted her signature sound and look: avant-garde makeup, wigs, and futuristic costumes. Her debut album, ‘The Fame’, catapulted her to stardom, resulting in a collaboration with Beyoncé on her sophomore album ‘The Fame Monster’. Her boldness and individuality gained her a cult following, the self-proclaimed Little Monsters.  

FASHION MOMENT: In her nearly ten-minute music video for ‘Telephone’, the singer dressed as an exaggerated 1980s yellow-haired Madonna. The music video also featured her famous blue telephone-shaped hat, which became a popular Halloween costume for fans.

HIGHLIGHT: Her most controversial moment and most famous fashion ensemble were at the 2010 VMAs. Her iconic meat dress, made from raw beef, sparked outrage on the internet. The polarizing dress was actually a protest against the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, which was the American military’s way of silencing LGBTQI+ service members.

The ‘Born This Way’ Era: rebirth, religion and LGBTQI+ rights

TIMELINE: 2011—2012

DEFINING QUALITIES: After establishing herself and her recognizable style, Gaga decided to pivot her image and sound. ‘Born This Way’ surrounds self-expression and sexual empowerment. The single and music video became a gay rights anthem, and Gaga started the Born This Way Foundation, which aims to support LGBTQI+ youth.

HIGHLIGHT: At the 2011 Grammy Awards, she performed ‘Born This Way’. In the iconic performance, she had a literal ‘re-birth’ where she stepped out of a gigantic, glowing egg, that she claimed was actually a ‘vessel’ designed by Hussein Chalayan. Before performing, she stayed inside the vessel for three days straight.

CONTROVERSY: Gaga combined religious iconography and baptism with overt sexuality and violence in her song and music video ‘Judas’. Some people loved it, others found it disrespectful or blasphemous.

The ‘Joanne’ Era: feminine Americana

TIMELINE: 2016—2017

DEFINING QUALITIES: After her fourth album ‘Artpop’, Lady Gaga completely switched her electronic and synth-pop sound to a pop, country, and rock combination in her album ‘Joanne’. Although ‘Joanne’ didn’t go as viral as her previous albums, it was still a dramatic change from her older work. Delicate, romantic, emotionally charged, and in her words, “a raw American vibe,” fans saw a more relatable side of Gaga that had never been seen before.

FASHION MOMENT: She switched out her bold makeup looks and wigs for her baby-pink cowboy hat and blonde hair, creating a perfect transitional period into her more commercially “serious” role in ‘A Star is Born’.

SURPRISE: To promote ‘Joanne’ and further immerse herself into her work, Gaga had a string of performances in different dive bars across the US, which were live-streamed and a shock to fans. Just like whenever she enters a new era, Gaga was fully committed to this transition from a religious theme to an Americana theme.

The Starlet Era: from song to screen

TIMELINE: 2018—Present

DEFINING QUALITIES: Arguably her most ambitious reinvention of all, Lady Gaga went from being only known as a musician to being known as both a singer and a critically acclaimed actress. Her intimate and heartbreaking lead role in ‘A Star is Born’ garnered respect from an internationally wide audience.

CONTROVERSY: Fan and tabloid speculation of her relationship with co-star Bradley Cooper was in every crevice of the internet, particularly in 2018-19. Later proven to be false, some fans were even convinced that Gaga was pregnant with Cooper’s baby.

STYLE MOMENT: Gaga was one of the few celebrities who nailed the theme at the 2019 ‘Camp’ Met Gala. With a total of four outfits worn that night, Gaga reminded the public that despite her recent mainstream looks throughout the ‘A Star is Born’ press tour, she hadn’t forgotten her roots in flamboyant and extravagant fashion.