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38 | Katharina Luise Merkert www.jrfm.eu 2020, 6/2, 34–39
conflict evident in the song, we can also identify, as I explore here, criticism
of society’s normative gender values. Lady Gaga is represented in Judas as an
inconsistent and contradictory woman. On the one hand, she appears strong
and independent, unwavering in her faith in Jesus. On the other hand, she
seems desperate and insecure, hesitant and doubtful when it comes to decid-
ing about Judas. The pistol scene shows this opposition very well (fig. 1 and
fig. 2).
This scene illustrates her inability to choose between Jesus and Judas. She
tries to accept both sides of her feelings and her personality but struggles to
overcome an inner conflict. At the end of the video, Jesus appears to forgive
Lady Gaga (fig. 3), yet she is still punished for her behavior and dies by being
stoned (fig. 4).
On one level we can identify a retelling of a biblical story as criticism of
religion and the Catholic Church.7 The Bible recounts the use of execution
by stoning as punishment for prostitution,8 and the depiction in the video
appears to challenge religious judgement of women’s sexuality. But on an-
other level, we find criticism of prevailing gender concepts. Judas portrays
only the death of Lady Gaga and not the crucifixion of Jesus. The woman is
made the scapegoat: her unfaithfulness to Jesus is the point of conflict, not
Judas’s betrayal. The video thus portrays the demonization of women, with
Lady Gaga deliberately criticizing the normative expectations of the female
role. The religious symbols are used only to contextualize the message of Ju-
das, to show that religion is significant in Lady Gaga’s life. The target of its
criticism is society – symbolized by the angry mob that executes Lady Gaga
in the end – and its insistence on women’s conformity to normative conven-
tions. The religious symbols in Judas are a medium for the communication
of a critical message and are aesthetic and illustrative elements in the story.
The song and the video are a platform on which the artist negotiates specific
political and personal values.
Bibliography
Daily Mail, 2011, Lady Gaga Dresses as Mary Magdalene and Takes a Bike Ride with Jesus
Christ in “Blasphemous” New Video for Judas Single, 6 May, www.dailymail.co.uk/tv-
showbiz/article-1384131/Lady-Gaga-Judas-video-Star-dresses-Mary-Magdalene-rides-
bike-Jesus-Christ.html [accessed 24 May 2020].
7 Daily Mail 2011.
8 See John 8:3–5.
JRFM
Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 06/02
- Title
- JRFM
- Subtitle
- Journal Religion Film Media
- Volume
- 06/02
- Authors
- Christian Wessely
- Daria Pezzoli-Olgiati
- Editor
- Uni-Graz
- Publisher
- SchĂĽren Verlag GmbH
- Location
- Graz
- Date
- 2020
- Language
- English
- License
- CC BY-NC 4.0
- Size
- 14.8 x 21.0 cm
- Pages
- 128
- Categories
- Zeitschriften JRFM