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Lady Gaga Vs. Cathy Horyn: We Choose Cathy (Forum Buzz)

Lady Gaga at the 2011 MTV Video Music AwardsIn a new column for V magazine, Lady Gaga had some fighting words for fashion critics, specifically calling out Cathy Horyn of the New York Times. “In the age of the Internet, when collections and performances are so accessible to the public and anyone can post a review on Facebook or Twitter, shouldn’t columnists and reviewers, such as Cathy Horyn, employ a more modern and forward approach to criticism, one that separates them from the average individual at home on their laptop?” Gaga wrote. She continued to say that there are no echelons in today’s media and that even professional journalists like Horyn could be reduced to gossip. She then singled out teenage blogger Tavi Gevinson, who is literally the Style Rookie, and proclaimed her to be the future of journalism.

The Fashion Spot forums contain plenty of Lady Gaga fans, but her critique of Cathy Horyn did NOT go over well. “I'm going to disagree with her on this,” LUXXX wrote. “I do think there is a place for the professional critic in mediums like fashion and film. You can always tell the difference between an amateur and someone who has spent years analyzing and honing their opinions.”
Marc10 posted, “Gaga's opinion here is basically the same as Nicola [Formichetti]: ‘Old people’ should retire and give space to ‘new people.’ And that's wrong. People like Cathy and other critics have the respect they have today because they know what they're doing. It's the same thing to say that bloggers should take the place of fashion critics, while I agree that it's a good thing that the internet gives unknown people the possibility to share their opinion, the critics have the experience of a lifetime watching the fashion industry from the inside. They deserve their place and the relevance.”
HeatherAnne was appalled by Gaga’s “out with the old, in with the new” message. “How condescending, to suggest that the average person sitting behind their computer has the same knowledge of fashion and its history as Cathy Horyn,” she wrote. “Also, to suggest that Horyn should write more like some over-hyped teenage blogger [for the record, I like Tavi's voice, but come on!].”
Maybe Gaga should just stick to what she’s good at: singing, dancing, and wearing crazy outfits while pretending it’s no big deal.

Image: FayesVision/