It seemed almost inevitable that someone would vomit on Lady Gaga eventually, the only shocking part about was that she orchestrated the projectile herself. Gaga enlisted vomit painter Millie Brown to spew up some art for her performance ‘Swine’ at South By South West.
Brown drank down a bottle of bright green liquid, before hurling it back up on Gaga, who was manning a drum kit at the time. The two – both covered in spew – then embraced. Later on, Gaga told the audience: “I love my fans because they always let me be myself and they don’t care what anybody says… It’s so much easier to be yourself than it is to be somebody else.”
Mother Monster’s decision to blend finger-down-the-throat action with self-affirmation didn’t sit right with American Idol judge and former eating disorder sufferer Demi Lovato, who accused Gags of glamourising eating disorders in a series of tweets.
Sad… As if we didn’t have enough people glamorizing eat disorders already.
Would you let someone bring a needle and shoot up on you? Addiction is addiction.
— demetria lovato (@ddlovato) March 14, 2014
It’s not “shade” and it’s not “hate”. But someone has to come forward and say it and I’ll take the heat for it. ✌️
— demetria lovato (@ddlovato) March 14, 2014
So it’s cool if I do a speech about self-harm and then proceed to watch someone cut themselves on my stage? … http://t.co/XE4CWEYtDE
— demetria lovato (@ddlovato) March 14, 2014
Putting the word ART in it isn’t a free card to do whatever you want without consequences. RT … http://t.co/M9mjtOD5Sa
— demetria lovato (@ddlovato) March 14, 2014
She then took to TwitLonger to clarify:
“All I’m saying is, artists in pop culture have influence on people.. Some of which are people who aren’t capable of understanding the art that is that is expressed by their idols. Young people who are struggling to figure out their identities are seriously influenced by the things they see their idols do. Whether we intend to or not, artists influence people of ALL ages and unfortunately what people see, people do. Hair, clothes and sometimes misinterpreting things, therefore using the excuse of art to engage in self-destructive behaviors. I’ve been through a shit ton.. More than any of you know, and I sympathize for everyone’s struggle. But people emulate what they see celebrities do or let happen. And that’s why I had to say something.. to let the people who don’t understand the art in it, that bulimia isn’t cool, and it won’t get you on stage with your favorite artist. I can’t NOT say anything because I stand up for what I believe in and speak out about mental illnesses. You’re right, nobody asked my opinion but pop culture is a huge part in leading our generation, we have to continue to strive to change the world. No hate, no shade, just love.”
It might shock Demi to learn that artists with far edgier credentials than Gaga have both shot up and self-harmed on stage in the name of self-expression, and probably encouraged a few teens in the process, however, I’d argue that this particular incidence isn’t the call to bulimia Demi thinks it is. It was an extreme stunt designed to grab headlines, but it’s unlikely to send girls rushing to the bathroom.
People aren’t influenced by extreme, silly stunts. What hits them is the valorisation of extreme thinness in more insidious ways, like the time Gaga said “Pop stars should not eat,” or the time she gained 12 kilos, came out on the record about having struggled with eating disorders in the past then promptly lost the weight again.
It could be argued that by hiring Millie Brown, Gaga is making the statement that “who she is” is a person who likes to make herself throw up, and that this is okay. That’s certainly Lovato’s stance.
However it’s more likely that, just as when she lit up a spliff in front of an ELLE journalist, this is another attempt from an artist so commercial she may as well have been made by Mattel to retain some of the edge that won her Little Monsters in the first place.
But here’s the rule of rock and ‘role’ – role models aren’t ‘cool’, cool musicians aren’t role models, and you can’t have it both ways.
If eating disorders affect you or a friend, get in touch with The Butterfly Foundation.
Top Comments
Performance artists have been doing this kind of thing at least since the 60's - Karen Finlay, G G Allin...I'm kind of stunned that people think it's totally outrageous. It would be nice if life came with trigger warnings, but it doesn't, and it's at least partly up to us as survivors to not engage, to not look for triggers in everything. Yes of course they're there - but part of survival is learning to deal with them.
@pavement_frippery:disqus, thanks for that input. I canvassed a couple of ED survivors before I wrote the piece, and they told me they found her "Pop stars don't eat" statement far more problematic than this, which was so OTT it didn't really mean anything to them. However, I've also reached out to a counsellor from The Butterfly Foundation for comment, and will update the post when they get back to me. By the way, it's great to be back on a platform where you comment, I've missed you!
And I've missed reading your writing (I'm too poor for fashion mags. Huzzah for the internet!).