From shame to fame

Stefani Germanotta was an awkward teenager, at least as she remembers it. Her peers bullied her for being ugly, for having a big nose and giant eyebrows. They teased her for her laugh, for her love of theater, for her penchant for constantly sing­ing, for the way she wore her makeup. They made fun of her tan and her hairdo. "I used to be called a slut, be called this, be called that. I didn't even want to go to school sometimes," she says.

Now Stefani Germanotta is world-famous as Lady Gaga. Her shows are filled with memorable theatrics—brassieres that shoot sparks, dresses made of meat, intricately choreographed dances, lots of fake blood and real fire. These concerts are among the most popular in music today, and her television performances are eagerly awaited as viewers wonder what she'll come up with next. (This year at the Grammys she was carried onstage in and emerged from a giant egg.)

Despite the stratospheric levels of her success, she ­hasn't forgotten being a misfit. "It wasn't until I put my music out into the world that I was able to look into myself and honor my own misfit and honor the reality of how I was treated when I was a kid, not by my family, but by my peers in school, and how it affected me."