by Sarah Case

Hot Bodies.

These two words catch the eyes of everyone, male and female alike. So when I saw my friend surveying an Us magazine article about Lady Gaga’s physique, I examined it with curiosity before I could reject the article’s superficiality or destructive influence on the self-image of readers like me.

The large color photograph showed the pop star singing on stage in a red bra, panties, and fishnet tights, her chiseled features exaggerated by the harsh stage lighting. The magazine’s commentary was printed next to each of her envied parts: face, breasts, abs, thighs.

Having seen enough, I said, “But she’s so thin.” My friend looked up at me, surprised. “What do you mean?” I suggested that she look up photographs of the singer in her pre-galactic days. “Wow,” she breathed, ”She looks so healthy.”

I was not surprised or bothered by the article’s report that Lady Gaga puts in large amounts of time and effort to maintain a lean, muscular figure (she does muscle training for 35 minutes five times a week). In fact, this article might encourage some of her fans that they, too, can get into shape–which, in a country where one-third of adults are obese, might not be such a bad thing.

However, its superficial portrayal of Lady Gaga seemed incongruous with her philosophy that we should not be ashamed to be who we are. In her hit song “Born This Way,” she sings, “There’s nothing wrong with loving who you are…So hold your head up and you’ll go far.” Yet despite this mantra of self-acceptance, Lady Gaga has, over the past two years, adapted to the American ideal of ultra-thinness, or at least been portrayed by the media as doing so.

In New York Magazine, she was quoted saying, “Pop stars should not eat”–a belief held by many stars. This is an alarming statement given that as many as 10 million American women are struggling with eating disorders.

Yet can we blame our celebrities for wanting to conform to an image that brings them success? Is it more upsetting that Lady Gaga does not openly question our obsession with thinness, or that the media hold up her body as a specimen to be dissected and analyzed?

It is encouraging to see creative, outspoken iconoclasts like Lady Gaga rise to fame in a genre often considered bland or predictable. But with privilege comes responsibility. I hope that Lady Gaga uses her strong voice to shake up our understanding of not only popularity, sexuality, and religion, but also body image. Perhaps in the future, girls will admire her not for her picture-perfect body, but for her ability to be so successful while defying a strict, unhealthy ideal.