Despite all the mixed reviews about Lady Gaga performing for the Super Bowl Halftime Show, I have to admit, I was pretty stoked when the blonde beauty posted on Instagram a few months ago that she was going to be headlining the show.
But Lady Gaga is popular (and sometimes criticized) for many things.
Is she eccentric? Maybe, a little. Is she unique? Definitely. Is she beautiful? She’s absolutely ga-ga-gorgeous (or I think so). Is she a great performer? Absolutely.
Am I a fan? Hell yes! But not just because of her music.
Just like me, Lady Gaga has opened up about her experiences living with PTSD and how her mental health issue have affected her life.
And over the last couple of years, through her activism and her music, Lady Gaga has renewed a fire in me that has not only helped me accept my PTSD, her fight for the LBGTQ2S (the Canadian acronym) has helped me come to terms with my bisexuality.
Because while my own experiences are different from Lady Gaga’s, we are both fighting the same battle. We are both trying to make a difference for someone, for that one person who listens to her music (or reads my blog) to help remind them, “Everything is ok.”
And for me, whether you liked her Halftime performance or not, I believe she sent a powerful messages to many people around the globe last night, reminding them to have faith. Reminding them they matter. To remind them they are not alone.
Not to mention, her singing “Born This Way” was like raising a huge middle finger to Mike Pence, and for that I couldn’t be prouder!
So when she sat down at her piano and said, “We want to make you feel good!” There was no stopping the tears from streaming down my face. I cried because I knew how bad the pain could be. I cried because, through points in my life, I had “a million reasons to quit the show.”
But I also cried because I am so proud of myself to see how far I have come. I aspire to be a lot of things in life, maybe not a Halftime Show performer, but I aspire to help make a difference, whether it’s through my blog or my writing, I want to help someone who once felt like me, or who still feels like me, and show them that despite the darkest of days, there is a break in the storm; the good days do win sometimes.
Like Lady Gaga, I have overcome hardships that I have been both mocked and criticized for, I have felt a pain so hurtful that I tried to end my life, and I felt a loneliness so deep that I thought I would never feel happy again. Our circumstances are different, but we both fought the same war, and while I’m still coming to terms with both my mental illness and my sexuality, I have hope that one day, like her, I can continue to be brave and help make my mark on the world.
I may not be a singer, even though I know how powerful music can be, but I am a writer. And the written word can bring a lot of hope and inspiration to even the loneliest of people.
And while many of you may not have liked or appreciated her performance last night, I can respect those opinions. But for me, I didn’t see an eccentric individual swinging around on ropes wearing a glitter shoulder-pad outfit. I saw one of my favourite idols, a woman whom I greatly admire send a message to the world.
I saw a message of hope, inspiration, and love.
And since we live in a world that seems more divided than ever, a message of love is what we need right now.
I saw love last night. And I saw a woman, who is struggling with her own battles, continues to smile.
And if Lady Gaga can remain brave, then so can I.
That is why Lady Gaga’s Halftime Show performance is important to me!
And as always,
Fight the good fight.
-A
authoramandawilson.com 