bad bromance

Straight gym bros are discovering Lady Gaga for the first time & suddenly it’s 2008 all over again

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Three-panel image. On the far left, a tall, muscular Asian man flexes his chest with his hands on his hips. He is shirtless and has white headphones around his head. He stands in a dimly lit gym. in the middle, a muscular and tan blonde man looks off to his right side. He is shirtless and wears blue gym shorts with a white drawstring. In white text, he wrote "Lady Gaga music in the gym >." On the right, a thin and muscular man with long blonde hair rubs his head and looks at the camera mysteriously. He stands in front of a white wall wearing gray sweatpants with a white waistband of his underwear peeking out.

Breaking news: Lady Gaga is NOT only for the gays, apparently.

Mother Monster has always resonated with the LGBTQ+ community, inspiring queer people across generations to master her tight choreography, embrace their inner “Born This Way,” and put their paws up.

However, it seems Gaga’s newest fans aren’t here for a journey to Chromatica.

They’re at the gym, chugging whey protein, and trying to get their pump on. Bruh.

@ryanshaw3.0 Dont even try to argue that she doesnt make good music – Bloody Mary, Judas, Alejandro… #ladygaga #fitness #fyp #fitnessmotivation #gymtok #zyzz ♬ son original – Sabersong.g

That’s right! The latest trend on #GymTok –– a.k.a. the online space where straight dudes show off their muscle gains, workout routines, and achievements –– is powerlifting to Lady Gaga.

The gay community has been harnessing the empowering aura of Ms. Germanotta since “Just Dance” dropped back in 2008.

Where have y’all been?

@jagsxxxx

♬ son original – Sabersong.g
@castorenadavid01 Don’t sleep on Lady Gaga music while working out/Powerlifting ##VozDosCriadores##screammovie##ladygaga##ladygagafyp##gymmotivation##fitnessmotivation##motivation##scottsvalleygym##gymfyp##fyp##gymviral##viral##traintobethebest##dedication##breadlaces##explore##sbd##ambassador##personaltrainer ♬ Judas – Lady Gaga
@itsactuallygabe Lady Gaga got some hits fr 🔥 #fyp #gym #gymtok #gymmotivation #fitness #workout #aesthetic ♬ judas by lady gaga – pyroaudios

It’s no secret that gays have historically been the gatekeepers of what qualifies as “pop music perfection.” Why else would a Carly Rae Jepsen concert have an entirely male audience?

Still, it’s peculiar that a subgroup of heterosexual guys are just now discovering the magic of Gaga. Especially since she’s kept us starved with promises of a Chromatica Ball film for months.

Maybe the boys are finally getting around to watching her Academy Award-nominated performance in A Star is Born?

But more than likely, it’s thanks to the rise in “gym hardstyle” remixes of Gaga bops like “Judas,” “Government Hooker,” and “Poker Face” which have garnered nearly 11 million views in total across YouTube.

Hardstyle is “a fast-paced and high-energy electronic dance music genre” featuring “aggressive bass lines, fast kick drums, and the use of pitched-up vocal samples,” according to Hardstyle.com.

These gym hardstyle remixes are designed to crank up the heart rate and inspire gym goers to push themselves to their limits with euphoric drops and intense beats.

And when partnered with the genius of Lady Gaga’s discography, the resulting tracks are pretty “goated.” (Did we use that right? Someone ask their sister’s hetero boyfriend.)

Still, the juxtaposition of Gaga and hyper masc dudes grunting in the gym looks a little silly.

Fittingly, many bros are addressing the disconnect head-on with captions asserting, “This is what a Lady Gaga fan looks like” and “I lowkey always had a crush [on her.]”

Sure, Jan.

But honestly, there’s something hot about watching dudes flex while agreeing Gaga is a pop pioneer. (Actually, that’s kind of all we’re looking for in a queer relationship.)

That being said, the boys have a LOT to catch up on, as pointed out by several gays on the app formerly known as Twitter.

At the end of the day, we’re happy to see Gaga get some overdue flowers from the straight male community.

And hopefully her uplifting lyrics are forging a new wave of gym-bro LGBTQ+ allies… or at least making them think twice about glaring at us from the weight racks.

But if we’re going to welcome the heteros into the fandom, we’ve got to get one thing straight –– pun intended.

In this house… we STAN Artpop!

Check out more of the dudes pumping iron and blasting Mother Monster on TikTok below.

@owhlifts #gym #gymmotivation #fyp ♬ original sound – .
@gabezask If this doesnt blow up im quitting tiktok #gymmotivation #ladygaga #fyp ♬ original sound
@nic_chocho listening to lady gaga while lifting>#fyp #gym #foryou #bodybuilding ♬ original sound – 🇬🇹2000s&2010s throwbacks✨
@_cristian_cepeda Lady Gaga hits different. #fypシ #foryou #gym #fitness #fitnessmotivation #GymTok #viral #trending #gymmotivation #workout ♬ Paparazzi – 60 Second Sounds🦊
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