Newsweek’s Ramin Setoodeh apparently really likes controversial pop star Lady Gaga, enough to praise her for revolutionizing music vidoes while ignoring her controversial "artistic" decisions.
In a July 15 article, “I Want My Music Video,” Setoodeh gushed over Lady Gaga, as well as YouTube, for helping revitalize the dying art of the music video. But not once did Setoodeh point out how inappropriate her music videos truly are.
Setoodeh labeled Lady Gaga’s music videos as “theatrical.” He hyped the music videos as having, “the production values of an action movie with special effects, elaborate costumes, background dancers, and more bling than the Oscars.”
The praises didn’t stop there. Setoodeh wrote that the music video for “Telephone” was “a statement of female empowerment through murder and violence, set against a pastiche of singing, dancing, and cheesy acting, courtesy of Beyoncé.”
Setoodeh never mentioned that the music video for “Telephone” is also full of nudity and suggestive dancing. In one scene, prison guards stripped down Lady Gaga and one guard stated, “I told you she doesn’t have a d---,” a reference to rumors about the performer’s gender. Beyonce and Lady Gaga also drive away in a car that is clearly labeled “The P---- Wagon.”
The music video is so inappropriate that YouTube requires viewers to confirm they are 18 years old to view it. But it’s not just the music video for “Telephone” that is risqué either.
Setoodeh pointed out that “Bad Romance” is the most viewed video on YouTube. But what he didn’t point out it is that it also contains suggestive dancing and nudity.
The crude music video for “Love Game” was actually considered pornography in Australia. The video also featured nudity, extremely suggestive dancing, and women kissing. But perhaps the most offensive music video was for the single “Alejandro,” which featured strong anti-Catholic messages and sexual-bondage themes. Despite earning praises by some in the media, others actually labeled it “blasphemy.” Unsurprisingly, there is also nudity and suggestive dancing in the video as well.
Despite all the clearly inappropriate content in Lady Gaga’s music videos, Setoodeh simply didn’t mention any of it.
Newsweek isn’t the only one in the media who has been praising Lady Gaga and failing to mention any of her controversies. Only July 9, Lady Gaga performed on NBC’s “Today” show, but none of the hosts pointed out any of her controversies surrounding her.
