Lady Gaga and Her Social Capital

We all have connections with friends, and sometimes the friends of those friends, and so on. We may not be that close with all of the people we have added on Facebook, but we don’t really think about it that much. But the more connections we have, the more social capital we begin to acquire. So, social capital is the overall connections and the benefits we acquire from those connections.

An example of someone with a lot of social capital would be any famous celebrity. Take Lady Gaga for example, she has a large following of both fans and celebrities. Her fans, whom she refers to as her little monsters, are always there to support her and back her up in her endeavors. For example, during her Superbowl performance, she was attacked by some because of how her body looked and how it wasn’t “skinny enough” because she had a little bit of chub poking out above the top of her outfit. Her fans, as well as other celebs, quickly moved to defend her body and what she was doing, as body shaming is not appropriate and she is very comfortable in her body. By having a strong group of supporters, it helps her stand up for what she believes in.

Her social capital has also allowed her to start her own non-profit organization, the Born this Way Foundation in order to help out LGBT youth and those suffering from mental illness, but it is not limited to just those two groups.

She is an amazing performer as well as a person and never fails to inspire those who look up to her and she always uses the power she has for good.