Back in 2013, Lady Gaga released her third studio album, Artpop. While the album received negative reviews from both critics and listeners alike, the album hit home in discussing several complex issues, ranging from drug abuse to sexual harassment. As a Lady Gaga fan, however, I found the album to be creatively liberating in that Lady Gaga used her platform to go out on a limb and produce the type of music that isn’t meant to be a top ten hit on iTunes, but instead, is meant to evoke feeling.
A song that I listened to quite frequently at the time of the album’s release was, “Do What U Want,” featuring R. Kelly. The song, co-written by Gaga herself, centers on the media’s constant scrutiny of celebrities and the magnifying glass through which celebrities are viewed. The main line of the song, “so do what you want, what you want with my body,” may come off as controversial to inappropriate audiences at first. Through this line, however, Gaga rebels against the concept of public scrutiny, saying that the media may have the power to make cruel remarks about her body, her image, and her fame in its entirety, but they do not have the power to change what’s on the inside, as cheesy as that may sound. Through her lyrics, Gaga writes she will safeguard her artistry and only reveal it to those who deserve it, should she solely be defined by superficial elements like her weight. If all the media wants to make of Gaga is what’s on the outside, then she’ll opt not to give them her creative, intelligent mind and the work it produces.
So why talk about a song that came out roughly five years ago, today? Throughout our four years of college, we embark on a journey to find the subject matters we’re passionate about and the careers we’re interested in pursuing. For some of us, this means identifying the certain skills we already have and finding a career to which they can be applied. These skills, in a sense, act as our safe havens throughout our college careers. Regardless of the actions performed by those around us and the opinions others may have of us, the skills we possess- ranging from creative pursuits to admirable personality traits- are untouchable. These skills work in part to define who we are and cannot be taken away from us at the hands of others. Should we find ourselves in environments- whether they be academic or social- where our skills are not appreciated, then those around us should not be able to have them.
While college students may not face the same type or amount of public scrutiny Lady Gaga experiences, we can say that through her song, “Do What U Want,” they’re told that it’s what’s on the inside that cannot be changed by others. It’s important for college students to remember that others can “Do What [They] Want,” but it’s the internal traits and skills we have that ultimately define us.