Lady Gaga bound (not gagged) by Nobuyoshi Araki

The words 'outlandish' and 'excessive' are just not sufficient to describe Lady Gaga's wardrobe. But any outrage over her sartorial choices just feels like a calculated prat fall into a well-coordinated promotional campaign. Yes, she is trying to shock us with all these fetishistic outfits.

Did someone say 'shock' and 'fetish'? Enter "Vogue Hommes Japan" to cleverly pair the young American singer (who used to look like this) with famed bondage photographer Nobuyoshi Araki.

The paint-splashed photos of Lady Gaga bound in ropes debuted in the third-ever issue of "Vogue Hommes Japan" in early September, but have now hit the internet. Response has been muted.

That's where this outrageous fashion strategy backfires: Lady Gaga is screaming, "I'm being tied up by Araki!" and we all think she's crying wolf.