When it comes to controversy over Gaga, religion is a main concern in the public sphere at the moment. Within hours of the premier of her video for Alejandro, Gaga was one of the most tweeted individuals as usual. Living up to her outrageous adjectives, she again managed to shock viewers. Though Lady Gaga was raised Catholic, it seems that this time she has went over the edge. The video for Alejandro shows Catholic and Christian images with ideals of sexuality, such as S&M and homosexuality. She is dressed up in a sexy nuns outfit and even sucks on rosary beads which is quite blasphemous to Catholic individuals. As a lifelong Catholic, I must admit I was shocked and slightly disturbed by the long video the first time I saw it. Director Steven Klein stated: "The religious symbolism is not meant to denote anything negative, but represents the character's battle between the dark forces of this world and the spiritual salvation of the Soul, thus at the end of the film, she chooses to be a nun, and the reason her mouth and eyes disappear is because she is withdrawing her senses from the world of evil and going inward towards prayer and contemplation." He says that Gaga eats the rosary beads in attempt to soak in the holiness. I usually try to understand the singer from an artistic standpoint but this video truly makes it hard to see where she is coming from. I am glad that I could find director commentary on the purpose and meaning of the imagery and try to see her view. I think it could be interesting to look into future representations of religion and have an open mind to seeing how other artists view different denominations. I think above all, it is necessary to keep in mind that we should be respectful to culture and religions norms as to try to evade offending fans and viewers.
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