"I don't see myself in terms of artifice. I see myself as a real person who chooses to live my life in an open way - artistically"
About this Quote
The subtext is a rebuttal to an old, lazy criticism aimed especially at women in pop: that image equals fraud. Gaga’s wager is that authenticity isn’t the absence of construction; it’s the alignment between what you’re doing and what you mean. “Real person” plants a flag in everyday humanity, then “chooses” asserts agency, pushing back against the idea that the industry puppeteers her identity. That word matters: this is self-authored, not manufactured.
Contextually, it sits in the early-2010s argument over what counts as “real” in celebrity culture, a time when social media was turning private life into content and audiences demanded intimacy as proof of truth. Gaga offers a third route: openness without plainness. She’s saying the self can be communicated through exaggeration; that drag, camp, and pop maximalism can function as autobiography.
The phrase “in an open way - artistically” is doing double duty: it claims vulnerability while keeping control of the frame. She invites you in, but on her stage, under her lighting, on her terms. That’s not evasion. It’s a modern form of honesty: curated, yes, but not necessarily counterfeit.
Quote Details
| Topic | Art |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Gaga, Lady. (2026, January 15). I don't see myself in terms of artifice. I see myself as a real person who chooses to live my life in an open way - artistically. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-see-myself-in-terms-of-artifice-i-see-32397/
Chicago Style
Gaga, Lady. "I don't see myself in terms of artifice. I see myself as a real person who chooses to live my life in an open way - artistically." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-see-myself-in-terms-of-artifice-i-see-32397/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I don't see myself in terms of artifice. I see myself as a real person who chooses to live my life in an open way - artistically." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-see-myself-in-terms-of-artifice-i-see-32397/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.






