Gaga Feminism: Gender, Sex, and the End of Normal

Taking the outrageous self-presentation of shape-shifting, gender-bending pop icon Lady Gaga as a lodestar, University of Southern California English and gender studies professor Halberstam (Female Masculinity) defines a new kind of feminism based on a “maverick sense of bodily identity.” “Going gaga” is not about music, fashion, or celebrity; it describes a constellation of behaviors that reject the traditions and institutions that reinforce notions of sex difference and individual rights. Halberstam argues that feminists who embrace gender ambiguity and unconventional family and romantic arrangements are “unbecoming women,” or, in the lingo of the current political moment “occupying gender” in order to find true liberation. The book culminates in a “Gaga Manifesto,” which suggests that we embrace “funky forms of anarchy” and accept the fluidity of identity and sexuality for the happiness and betterment of all mankind. Halberstam’s discussion of authoritarian feminist mothers, pregnant men, and gay marriage incorporates both pop culture artifacts and academic theory, and the result is a satisfying but digressive romp through shifting contemporary conceptions of love, sex, and commitment. (Sept.)