Lady Gaga’s "Till it Happens to You”

Album Cover and CD Redesign

Lady Gaga discusses college rape in this song, and the goal was to reflect the victim’s repression and silent abuse through its design. The cover’s high clarity of the model’s skin and hair, along with the contrast of her body against the background speak of torment. The additional bruises imply physical and emotional abuse. The tape on her mouth shows her internal struggle: should she tell others about her experience or not due to her own shame?

The added blue hue and the font choice, composed of hard, scratchy lines, pull the image together with an intense mood. The insides of the album and CD further depict how Lady Gaga describes the victim’s emotions in her hit single. Research revealed that victims often feel like they are drowning because of their silence on their abuse. The model in the photograph grabs at her neck due to this experience, and feels that she is alone because of her seclusion within the water. Both the front covers and insides of the album and CD are a metaphor for how rape victims feel.