Icon Series...Lady Gaga

Recently I had a new idea for my blog,basically over the next few weeks,months or however long I end up letting it run I am going to dedicate posts to some of my favourite style icons.It might not necessarily be there makeup I admire it could be their fashion sense or talent for instance.I`m going to kick my little 'series' off with someone who is inspirational to me in many ways.From her unique dress sense to her groundbreaking musical achievements and her honourable charity work,if you have read the title you will already know who I am talking about,it is of course...

Lady Gaga!

I want to start off by saying I am not somebody who has been a fan from the start in fact when Gaga first came on the scene I found her down right annoying,yeah she had 1 or 2 catchy tunes which I 'liked' at the time but I just couldn't`t get past the crazy outfits that screamed little short of attention seeker to me.I think for some time the outrageous outfits and bizarre stories I would hear seemed to outshine her actual talent and I never paid enough attention or took enough time to realise how much of an incredibly talented performer she actually is.

Slowly things began to change,Gaga released more material and performed at prestigious award ceremony's The Brits,The Grammys,The VMA's there was no escaping her and it seemed like everyone loved Gaga but me.This put me off even more,you see when someone becomes very hyped I tend to want to dislike them,I get tired of hearing the same name and in actual fact it puts me off them.The same thing happened with Cheryl Cole.

But this is Lady Gaga we are talking about and where Cheryl Cole lacks musical talent Gaga most definitely does not.As time passed I found myself becoming more and more interested in her as a musician,and as a person.I learned that she had began playing the piano age 4,written her first piano ballad at 14 and at age 17 was writing songs for artists such as The Pussycat dolls,already I was impressed but not as much as I was when I later read about how she literally worked her way from the bottom to the top.Gaga has certainly paid her dues when it comes to the level of fame she has achieved in such a short space of time having worked her way around the New York club circuit she is definitely not one of those picked from a reality TV singing contest,born into a famous family or pulled from a model casting stars.In her own words she 'did it the way you are supposed too'.

Over time I became hooked and although I of course loved her music (Telephone,Monster,Dance in the Dark and Paparazzi being my favourites to date) ,I also began to admire her for the once found 'annoying' outfits she is so well known for.I began to realise that it wasn`t a cry for attention it was a way of expression.I began to admire her for her unique dress sense and learned that she designed and created many of her outfits herself.Of course I would never pull of (or care too) 99% of the outrageous ensembles but that is my point.Lady Gaga does not care about being the prettiest girl in the room and I for one find that not only admirable but refreshing.

On the subject of being 'pretty' I for one think that despite that eccentric outfits,makeup and hair Lady Gaga is truly beautiful with a figure to die for.She may not present herself to be what men find typically attractive but to me that's what makes her just that.

What I have found through supporting and being a fan other celebrities for example Michael Jackson,is that the press are very quick to publish bad press about a star and not so fast to highlight the good.Of course reading about who`s cheating on who and who's taking what in Hollywood may be more exciting but I feel that alot of stars do not get the recognition they deserve for the amazing charity work that they do.Gaga falls into this category (although not so much as the late MJ did,however I`ll save that for another time.)

Gaga partnered with Virgin Mobile on her Monster Ball national tour offering premium VIP tickets to fans who volunteer their time to homeless youth organizations, which in turn more than $80,000 in proceeds to support homeless young people in the US.Gaga also donated 100% of proceeds from her January 24Th 2010 concert in wake of the Haiti earthquake,this included ticket sales and merchandise and came to a total of $500,000.

As makeup fans I am sure you are all well aware of Gaga's Mac Viva Glam Campaign which along side Cyndi Lauper has managed to raise over $160 million in the fight against HIV and Aids as well as bringing awareness of the diseases to millions of women all over the world.As Gaga has teamed up with Mac for a second year running who knows the greatness of awareness and money that can be raised.

Just last month Gaga was honoured for her LGBT work when she received the Randy Shilts Visibility Award by the Service members Legal Defense Network at a special event in Washington DC.Gaga has worked hard to end the 'Don`t ask,don`t tell' policy which prevents openly gay people serving in the US military.Under the policy it is forbidden for anyone who is openly gay to serve and they face expulsion if their sexuality is revealed.This law is something I was previously unaware of so it just goes to show the kind of impact and amount of exposure a star like Lady Gaga can achieve.

In December of last year I got the chance to see Gaga in concert and although I was happened to be really ill (trust me!) It was still one of the best nights of my life.I have never heard anyone sing so well live,I was truly impressed and came away with even more respect for her than I did before.I would and hopefully will see her in concert again however I think I will book a seat this time as I was in whats known as the 'golden circle' at the 02 Arena and let me tell you,I may have been right near the stage but there are some serious hardcore fans in that circle that you do not want to mess with.Thank god I was wearing heels is all I can say!

I hope you will enjoy these 'Icon posts' I know my blog is primarily beauty based but I think its nice to throw a few personal posts into the mix and although I do love Gaga for her musical talent her makeup and fashion sense also inspire me,primarily to have less inhibitions and to be myself!