HIGHLIGHTS

I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m a huge fan of Lady GaGa. Everything about her just screams “fabulous,” from her discotheque sound to her out-of-this world costumes to her unmistakable hairstyles. When I saw the hair bow atop her head in the “Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)” music video, I was overcome with a surge of greed: I wanted that hairpiece, and despite what my friends would think if I wore fake hair in the shape of a bow out in public, I was inspired.

I want to be able to pull off her short, bobbed hair and classic straight bangs from the “Paparazzi” music video. Then I watch the video for “Poker Face,” and I want her long, sleak locks. They have just enough curl to them to indicate they were styled, but at the same time, they’re messy and look like an easy style to copy. And don’t even get me started on her bangs. For someone who has consistently had bangs my entire life, Lady GaGa is just proof that I was quite ahead of my time and more fashion-forward than a lot of women I know. Currently, I’m going through the oh-so-typical debate of what path to take next. Do I let my hair grow out, or do I cut it, mimicking the bob GaGa sports in the video. I know my hair will never look like hers, but I like to imagine that if Lady GaGa can work with her hair, I can too.

Lady GaGa represents something to women everywhere. She is the inspiration behind women finally adopting the unique, unseen and even strange hairstyles they’ve wanted to show off. If she can strut down the red carpet with mind-blowing hairstyles, why can’t anyone else? Because of her, women are taking charge of their own hair and not finding themselves limited to traditional styles that have dominated the pop scene for so long. GaGa has proved that hair can be short and sprinkled with purple highlights, or long with thick and choppy bangs: it really doesn’t matter, so long as the wearer rocks their look. She’s taken creativity and entertainment to the next level and, in the process, has motivated countless other women to do the same. She is a driving force behind women abandoning hairstyles behind which they previously hid and a source of encouragement, convincing females to constantly style themselves in a way that manifests their personalities. What she’s done for the world of music is amazing; but what Lady GaGa has taught women about themselves and the freedom they have in expressing themselves is inspirational, moving and utterly incredible.