Today is Lady Gaga's 26th birthday. Ever since her first album, "Fame" came out in 2008, people have predicted her downfall and disappearance into meaninglessness. She's still around, however, setting new standards of the spectacle with her music videos and outfits. She is a polarizing figure of today's pop culture, but there's nobody without an opinion about her, amirite?

[Photo: Gaga's twitpic of her birthday cake]

Here are eight reasons why most of us love to hate her.