Imagine this. Lady Gaga wearing a pair of jeans and Ke$ha without glitter all over her face. One would say that this is normal, whereas I would say that this is madness. Although the outfits are not something a normal student would graciously decide to wear to her prom, they do their job in turning heads and getting recognition.

Katy Perry recently appeared on Sesame Street, trying to impersonate Elmo in her cleverly designed outfit. It was later revealed that Perry’s choice in clothing made the segment unable to be aired for television.

Perry has been dressing in provocative outfits, such as a walking Candyland and casino since her arrival to the music scene. Embodying the persona of her version of a “California girl,” Perry has been evoking the teenage dream of her fans since her first single made her a star. It should not have been a surprise to the production staff at Sesame Street to see a fashion icon such as Perry bare such an outlandish outfit.

Lady Gaga also gets quite a bit of beef (pun intended) from her various wardrobe adventures. To Gaga, it seems as though every day is Halloween—from donning bubble dress to an over-sized Kermit the frog gown, she consistently stuns (and often scares) the public.

Yet, these outfits are not only a flamboyant display of creative license, they are also an ingenious ploy to increase publicity; indeed, if Gaga had taken the down-to-Earth country girl approach such as Taylor Swift and other mainstream artists, her popularity would not be as vast as it is today.

Half of what makes musicians such as Perry and Gaga who they are is the music they produce, but the other half is the outfit that everyone anticipates whenever they step out onto the street. This “bad romance” with conventionality is turning out to be just what musicians need.