Pas #7 (spring): Lady Gaga

Many people may recognize this iconic dress worn by Lady Gaga in 2010. She wore this dress to the VMAs as a protest against a policy in the U.S. military at the time. This dress proceeded to go viral and shock everyone watching and in attendance. Lady Gaga was known for wearing exciting and different clothes, but not typically clothes that portrayed a message. 

Lady Gaga was protesting the military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, which discriminated against gay men and lesbian women in the military. She made a speech against it called The Primes Rid of America. The U.S. military did not want to know if someone was gay or lesbian, as they did not support it. 

She took a stand against this policy and was acting to fix it. Many people did not know about her speech, so they did not understand the outfit’s message, but once it got out, she made an impact. The dress was made of real meat and a corset underneath to represent the title of the speech about equality for all. 

Lady Gaga was, and still is, a very prominent celebrity, with many fans supporting her. When she came out in this dress, it was not so unusual for her, but people knew there was a reason for it. No one would voluntarily wear a dress made out of meat unless they felt it really mattered. The message got confused with animal rights and other things, but she clarified the real message behind it.

She used her power to stand up against something she knew was wrong. People were not as concerned with social issues as they are now, and many people were not acknowledging the military’s policy. Gaga knew how to get people’s attention and communicate effectively. When celebrities talk, a lot of people listen, and she used her rhetoric to her advantage. 

While I think the dress may have been gross to wear as it was real meat, I think it looks good and was made well. It must have been hard to make a dress like that, and they pulled it off so it looked like clothes but was still very unique. I also really like the shoes with the dress, as they elevate the look, and the blocky heel goes very well with the dress. Also, the dress is laid nicely and of different lengths. I also like that her hair has blue tips, which goes well with the red, and the jewelry accents make it look good. 

Overall, Lady Gaga stood up for what was right when others were not and caught everyone’s attention. The dress became an iconic piece, and the policy was eventually revoked. She did something uncomfortable for a good reason and used her platform to communicate with a wide audience. There was no better way to spread a message than wearing a dress made of real meat to the VMAs. She made a speech and persisted with the issue all the way through.