Lady Gaga wore a comically oversized gold brooch for her performance of the national anthem at President Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony, and the Internet was quick to compare it to the mocking jay pin worn by Katniss Everdeen in “The Hunger Games” due to their strong resemblance.
Was the choice of accessory sending a message?
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Lady Gaga (real name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) has a history of wearing outlandish outfits to make a political point, so it’s not crazy to wonder if she was taking a not-too-subtle jab at the Trump administration. In 2010, she famously wore a dress made of raw meat to an MTV award ceremony to protest the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on homosexuality. She explained that she wore the so-called meat dress because “if we don’t stand up for what we believe in, if we don’t fight for our rights, pretty soon we’re going to have as much right as the meat on our bones.”
“The Hunger Games” books and movies are set in a dystopian future 74 years after a civil war, in which children must fight to the death in an annual battle royal as punishment for the failed rebellion against the Capital. Each district must send two children (a boy and a girl) as tribute. When Katniss Everdeen’s younger sister Prim is chosen in the lottery, Katniss steps forward as a volunteer to go in her place and Prim gives her the mocking jay pin to wear for good luck.
After winning the Hunger Games and defying the Capital, the mocking jay pin worn by Katniss becomes a symbol of hope, and an icon of a new rebellion. In that light, it’s easy to interpret the accessory as trolling the Trump administration. (Twitter users pointed out that Lady Gaga’s hair was also styled in braids similar to those worn by Jennifer Lawrence, who played Katniss in the movies.)
Or not. According to Lady Gaga, the brooch is a sign of peace. She posted a picture of it on Twitter and wrote that it is, “A dove carrying an olive branch. May we all make peace with each other.”
May the odds be ever in your favor.
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