The story behind the look. Lady Gaga: why the meat dress marked the MTV Awards ceremony forever?

Many fashion pieces have gone down in history. This is the case of Lady Gaga’s iconic meat-dress worn at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles. The performer of “bad romance“surprised everyone by appearing dressed in an outfit (including shoes, her purse) totally made of pieces of meat. A carnivorous look that obviously did not please everyone. But behind this outrageous clothing choice actually hides a committed position. Lady Gaga, already known at the time for her extravagant side, still managed the biggest publicity stunt of her career.

Lady Gaga and the meat dress: the real reasons for her unusual choice

Lady Gaga (nominated 8 times that evening) took advantage of her exposure to make her voice heard and impose her unique vision of fashion. Invited on the set of Ellen DeGeneres, the star wished to make known the reasons for this enigmatic choice: ” This is not a provocation towards vegetarians. As you know, I am the last person to pass judgment on others. I just wanted to say that if we don’t fight for our rights, we won’t have more than a piece of meat hanging on a bone. And I’m not a piece of meat.”

This outfit was therefore actually a way for Lady Gaga to protest against a law which prohibited homosexuals, lesbians and bisexuals from serving in the American army if they disclosed their sexual orientation. Fortunately, this law was abolished in 2011 and the dress was even exhibited at the Rock and Roll Hall of Famea museum in Cleveland, in the United States, under very specific conditions: “She was placed in a vat of chemicals and, although it is still possible to fold it, it has been installed on a human-shaped mannequin to dry it”, explained the American museum in a press release. There’s no doubt this dress will forever be in the fashion pantheon.