| Lady GaGa – Dance in the Dark Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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The lines at the beginning are pretty telling when you think about it. 'Silicon, saline, poison, inject me baby' refer to the chemicals used in plastic surgery and cosmetics--industries that target primarily women. While the mention of them first conjures images of oppressive beauty standards, she tempers it by saying 'I'm a free bitch', perhaps to point out that today we legitimize the mutilation of bodies in pursuit of beauty by labeling it a choice, without acknowledging the sometimes internalized standards that drive us to make these 'choices.' She might be mocking the idea of 'freedom' here when it comes to existing in a society that narrowly defines beauty. The use of cultural icons like Jean-Benet Ramsey, Marilyn Monroe, and Sylvia Plath lends itself to this idea because they all in some way struggled or became entangled in this culture, and it ultimately led to tragic ends for all of them. Gaga's dance in the dark is that liberation from the heavy burden of being attractive and also attaining personhood, and the boyfriend is the historically 'male gaze' that's defined how women should be, to such terrific detriment for centuries--even now. One of her most powerful songs, IMO. |
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