As her Little Monsters and most of the American public know, Lady Gaga is always one to ramp up the spectacle in her performances. However, the pop star quite literally gave her all onstage on Oct. 27 at London’s G-A-Y club.
Performing her recently released song “Venus” from her upcoming album “ARTPOP,” Gaga began by sporting a white gown accentuated by powdered makeup spread across her body, adding to her already pale complexion. To top the ensemble off, she wore a very frizzy blonde wig, creating a look which many have reported as “ghoulish.”
As Gaga continued to perform, she eventually pulled off her gown to reveal her completely nude body to the audience before leaving the stage. After the performance, comedian Matt Lewis tweeted, “Just saw Lady Gaga do a surprise set at G-A-Y…All agreed it was impressive, but we’re still staying gay.”
Of course, it’s worth wondering why any sort of fuss was made about the ordeal.
Mother Monster, as she is known to her fans, is never one to give a normal performance. While the idea of Gaga’s performing nude isn’t exactly shocking, some have called it the most “R-rated performance of all time.”
Fox News has compared this performance to the removal of Janet Jackson’s top during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, and the foam finger-rubbing performed by Miley Cyrus during this year’s VMA’s. All derogatory remarks about Miley aside, it is worth noting that Cyrus was, at one point in time, a Disney star and role-model to children, whereas Lady Gaga has always been one to push boundaries with her performances.
Racy performance or not, the real question is: Why is anyone shocked?
While this may be Gaga’s first live nude performance, the pop star is no stranger to baring her body for the sake of her art.
In the music videos for her songs “Marry the Night” and “Telephone,” respectively, Gaga shows off her fair share of skin, albeit with the aid of digital distortion and black censor bars to help block out any total nudity. It’s also worth mentioning that this performance was not televised. Had Gaga, like Cyrus, been a child star at one point in her life, this scantily-clad club conduct may have come across as more of a shock. However, Lady Gaga has been on the more daring side of performance since her rise to fame with her hit single “Just Dance” in 2008.
People have undoubtedly danced naked in night clubs before, and Gaga will likely not be the last to do so. By nearly all accounts, the audience present enjoyed the performance tremendously, regardless of the fact that Gaga revealed her own “Venus.” It’s safe to say that this “R-rated” performance wasn’t completely unexpected and that Mother Monster likely won’t be conforming to the modestly-dressed fashions of most mothers any time soon.