There was a movement, a personality that was about to burst out on the pop and dance scene in 2005. It was Lady Gaga, who performed at underground concerts and later also performed at the Super Bowl, one of the prestigious stages. When she appeared on the music scene, she was not alone. The making of Gaga from Stefani Germonatta to the eccentric, futuristic, Mother Monster had fashion play a big role.
During contemporary times, artists are trying to resurrect a theatrical persona that Lady Gaga birthed. Well, imitation is the lowest form of flattery, so when these new artists are impersonating, the essence of originality is lost somewhere. The singer, though not making any outlandish style statements now, brought an over-the-top, avant-garde pomp to the pop. Be it the Alexander McQueen heels, the Hussein Chalayan bubble dress, or the blood-clad white dress while performing ‘Paparazzi’, she has given some of the queerest looks. However, the one that stands out from her fashion diaries is the Meat Dress at the MTV VMAs 2010.
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Why Did Lady Gaga Wear The Meat Dress At The MTV VMAs 2010?
Lady Gaga released the EP ‘The Fame Monster’, the extended version of her debut album ‘The Fame’ in 2009. It debuted at the No.5 position on Billboard 200. Seven songs from the album were on the Billboard 100 list. It was the rise of the phenomenon that is Lady Gaga.
During the 2010 MTV VMAs, she received 13 nominations including two nominations in the ‘Best Video Category’ for ‘Telephone’ ft. Beyoncé and the most iconic ‘Bad Romance’ creating history for having two nominations in the video category.
Lady Gaga said, “God put me on Earth for 3 reasons: To make loud music, gay videos, and cause a damn raucous.” She lives it fully to the latter purpose. During the MTV VMAs 2010, she made her red carpet appearance in a meat dress. It was a bizarre moment for the year 2010. But, there was a purpose to wearing the dress.
During the British Vogue interview, she shared the purpose behind wearing the Franc Fernandez-designed dress. It was against the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. This policy prevented military applicants from stating their sexual orientation and prevented anyone of LGBTQIA+ orientation from serving in the military. It was consequently repealed in December 2010.
She said, “We decided to do the meat dress because I thought to myself if we were willing to die for your country, what does it matter how you identify? This was ultimately designed by Franc Fernandez, but it was the brainchild of House of Gaga and we were backstage with Brandon Maxwell, who was working as one of my stylists at the time.”
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Was The Meat Dress Real?
The dress that Lady Gaga wore had real meat on it. It was not just meat wrapped around her body, but there was artistry involved during the making of the dress. Lady Gaga explained the design by saying, “There’s a corset under this, but the corset was a sewn to the meat so this is actually a garment. They didn’t just drape meat over me and cross their fingers.”
For the ‘Applause’ singer, it was ‘thrilling to wear the dress, but it surely ‘smelled like meat.’
The idea came from her former make-up artist, Val Garland. Gaga said, “Her and I worked together for a long time and she shared a story with me where she had gone to a party wearing sausages and I thought this was quite funny and I said, ‘Well that’s a great way to make sure that everybody leaves you alone at a party.’ “
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