She once used a dress made of raw meat at the MTV Video Music Awards. Then there was his arrival at the Grammy inside a giant egg. But fashion was never just a matter of clothing for the pop star. Lady Gaga has always turned to symbolism. The meat dress was a political statement on LGBTQ + discrimination in the army. The egg was a “container” intended to represent “creative embryonic incubation. “
What, then, did the huge golden bird brooch practically fly out of his jacket at Wednesday’s inauguration? The artist and Twitter had diametrically opposed opinions.
Online, people had many opinions. But what gained strength as the day went on was that the brooch looked a lot like the mockingjay brooch from the “Hunger Games” franchise.
One problem: Mockingjays were created as a result of the failure of an authoritarian regime. Consequently, the mockingjay pin of “Hunger Games” protagonist Katniss Everdeen becomes a sign of rebellion against the Capitol. It is not a tribute to government power.
The confusion resulted in a cascade of clarifications. “We are missing one of our mockingjay pins, has anyone seen it?” tweeted the official “Hunger Games” account. The internet agreed: it definitely looked like the mockingjay pin, they thought.
Gaga, however, was going for the totally opposite vibe. Its interpretation comes from a long time ago, in biblical times, when Christian beliefs claimed that God sent Noah a dove with an olive branch as a message of peace and forgiveness.
“A dove carrying an olive branch”, wrote the singer of “Rain on Me” in a rubric of a photo depicting the brooch. “May we all make peace with each other.”
The brooch itself was part of a Schiaparelli haute couture suit consisting of a simple black jacket with a bulky scarlet skirt. Daniel Roseberry, the costume designer, shared sketches of the pieces, including the brooch in question. “Big gold dove of peace brooch,” he scribbled alongside the elegant design.
Far from being a symbol of resistance (perhaps against the previous administration?), It seems that Gaga and Roseberry intended the dove to be a peace offering – a symbol of harmony and friendship.
The accessory resembled one used by the new White House chief of staff, Ron Klain. At the White House today, he wore a half red and half blue face mask with the inscription “Unity!” emblazoned on each side.
“It’s the message of the day”, PBS correspondent at the White House Yamiche Alcindor commented on twitter.
But not all of America is on board with that message following the January 6 attack on the Capitol by pro-Trump extremists. Gaga’s brooch may have misinterpreted public sentiment, not unlike his “rural voter” appeal video just before the November 3 elections.
In Wednesday’s episode of the New York Times podcast “The Daily,” Brian Keane, a supporter of Biden, expressed the feeling of hosting Michael Barbaro in the form of a rhetorical question. “In order to build unity, I think we have to almost break some of the notions we have assumed, which is: ‘What is unity?’” Said Keane. “Because, frankly, for some people, unity sounds like weakness now. ‘Oh, you know what, we’re not going to have unity. How can I stay there with people who, frankly, were watching people invade the United States Capitol. “
“Or it incited them,” added Bárbaro.
“There has to be a punishment first, before we can just be unified. People need to be held accountable before you can say, ‘It’s okay.’ And I think this is true if someone is 5 and has broken a window. You can’t just say, ‘Hey, no, it’s okay’. You have to really show that, no – you have to solve the problem before saying, ‘Hey, you’re never going to do that again’ ”.
Less than a week after the violent crowd attacked Capitol, Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors-Brignac made a more direct call to action on Instagram. “There is no unity without responsibility,” she said. “Put an end to white supremacy now.”