Is lana del ray gay
Lana del Rey, unexpected gay icon
The Tulane Hullabaloo is a nonprofit newsroom that receives no funding from Tulane University. Consider subscribing today to support our mission.
Lana Del Rey is known for her edgy, entrancing alternative music. Her sound, though often categorized as indie, also fits comfortably into the mainstream music scene. Many know her punch “Summertime Sadness,” which dominated radio stations in the summer of
In bridging the pop-alt divide, her music often appeals to an audience of individuals who feel like they are on the outside and want to be accepted within society’s standards. Del Rey has become a representation, a muse, for those who possess been misunderstood — she even penned a anthem called “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” Del Rey’s music, in particular, speaksto the LGBTQ individuals in a way that makes her an icon in the community.
But what is it about Del Rey that makes her popular? Her lyrics tell stories of love and verb the feeling of belonging, or desiring to. And while certain facets of LGBTQ+ culture have been thanklessly co-opted by th
5 Reasons Lana Del Rey Is a Muse To Gay Fans
Put on a plant crown, grab your diamonds and pearls, and crack open a Pabst Sky Ribbon on ice. Ever since her debut album Born to Die was released in , Lana Del Rey has acquired a cult following of vivacious fans. But what is it about the dreamy singer that has the gays screaming “icon” at her concert? We’ve broken it down to the five reasons why Lana Del Rey is literally everything to the gays.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
1. The Queen of Being Misunderstood
Just like the LGBTQ community, Lana Del Rey is no stranger to struggle. Although her first album Born to Die debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard , its critical reception was overwhelmingly negative. Pitchfork called the album an “ultimate disappointment,” while a two-star review from Rolling Stone questioned her “dull” and “dreary” sound. After a couple shaky album promo performances in including her sleepy Saturday Evening Live appearance, the future of the queen of me
Lana Del Rey explains heterosexuality to me
Today, many of us still wait in anticipation for Del Rey’s satisfying ‘I don’t want a man’ moment. Personally, I hope it never comes. Unlike any other popstar, Lana Del Rey explains heterosexuality to me, at a time when loving men and being straight has never been more unfashionable. We desire Del Rey to be empowered; to unlove men, because expressions of post-heterosexual empowerment deny the struggles and circumstances of patriarchally constructed heterosexuality. Instead of asking why our friends don’t leave their men, we should question what makes heterosexuality so sexy – or, rather, why it causes a morbid dependence. “Male dominance is sexual. Meaning: men in particular, if not men alone, sexualise hierarchy,” Catherine MacKinnon wrote in ’s Towards a Feminist Theory of the State. To accuse Del Rey of “glamourising subservience” puts the blame on Del Rey rather than the men who have forged their own dominance. “Pornography is the theory, rape is the practice,” is another Gender Theory slogan that comes to mind as I watch Del R
The Right-Wing Straussianism of Lana Del Rey
Who is Lana Del Rey? To teenage girls, gay men, and millennial women on Prozac, she is a symbol of autonomy and self-rule, a sign of American feminist agency. However, underneath the surface of Lana’s music, there exists an entire world of subterranean political symbolism. Lana is what we call an ‘esoteric’ or Straussian artist: her music seems straightforward, but it is all a facade for the real meaning that exists as subtext. At its core, Lana’s music is not a praise of independence, but a warning of impending nationaltragedy—one that those on the Right have warned us about contra proponents of the contemporary Liberal order.
How do we know what Lana is reallytrying to tell us? Leo Strauss, the great 20th century philosopher, rediscovered the means by which esoteric writers communicate truth: the esotericist would first write in the “quiet, unspectacular, and somewhat boring manner which would seem natural.” Then, through “three or four sentences in that terse and lively style,” the esotericist would “arrest the attent