Lady Gaga: ‘I’m not conventionally beautiful’

CEBU, Philippines - Lady Gaga has been named Glamour’s Woman of the Year and sat down with Andy Cohen to discuss her feelings on beauty and Madonna.

When asked whether or not she considers herself beautiful, Mother Monster had a very self-aware response.

“Not conventionally beautiful,” she replied. “I’ve always been okay with that. I’m not a supermodel. That’s not what I do. What I do is music. I want my fans to feel the way I do, to know that what they have to offer is just as important, more important, than what’s happening on the outside. I’m confident in who I am.”

Gaga also explained the hurdles she faces being a woman in a male-dominated industry. “Being beautiful is not so fun when you’re in a business with all men. Because it can actually get in the way,” she said.

“So in some ways, the outfits—these creations are because I don’t want to face the reality of what people want from a female pop star. Everybody always laughs because I feel so much more comfortable with, like, a giant paper bag on my whole body and paint on my face. I reject the idea that I have to take all [the costumes and makeup] off to be authentic.”

Between her music and boundary-pushing ways, Gaga’s been known to draw up a few comparisons to none other than Madonna over the years. “Who’s to say I’m anything like her at all? Who’s to say that my ambitions are even the same as hers? Who’s to say I’m not an entirely different person?” Gaga questioned. “Because I am. You have to understand, I was a waitress five years ago. My ambition was never to rule the world. It was always to change the world.”