Harper’s Bazaar explores the potential extinction of the “diva” in a new analysis, identifying Lady Gaga as perhaps the last great pop diva to rise before the social media era redefined stardom: “The Fame Monster represented Gaga’s transition from pop star to diva, like a beautiful butterfly emerging from a chrysalis wearing custom Alexander McQueen. She was a star you simply couldn’t look away from, with red carpet and stage looks that bridged the gap between fashion, performance and art. Gaga’s ascent to diva-dom coincided with the rise of social media, connecting the “new” and “old” worlds of celebrity. She was one of social media’s first “viral” musicians, but she also pursued more traditional markers of fame, saving her biggest stunts for the award shows, from faking her own death at the 2009 VMAs to showing up wearing a meat dress the following year. In that sense, Gaga was very last diva to be crowned in the pre-#Hashtag media landscape.”
