Columnist Alexis Sachdev looks at Lady Gaga’s outlandish meat outfits and the public’s mixed response.
We all know Lady Gaga is a rare type of woman, but who knew she liked her steak the same way? Too bad animal lovers have some beef with this Cow Belle.
On the cover of the September issue of Vogue Hommes Japan, Lady Gaga donned a makeshift bikini of meat and twine with a matching hat perched on her head.
After the magazine hit newsstands, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals launched a flank attack against the pop star, claiming she only wore the outfit for attention to “keep her act over the top,” according to PETA’s blog, PETA Files. (Yes, you read that correctly – PETA Files. Say it one more time aloud.)
“No matter how beautifully it is presented, flesh from a tortured animal is flesh from a tortured animal. Meat represents bloody violence and suffering, so if that’s the look they were going for, they achieved it,” PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in an official statement.
On Sept. 12, Lady Gaga added fuel to the fire at the MTV Video Music Awards, when her third outfit of the night consisted of a cocktail dress, wedged shoes and a bedazzled handbag – all made of raw meat.
The public’s reaction, along with PETA’s, was an infuriated one. The pop queen, who was once praised for her support of PETA’s anti-fur campaigns, is now on the chopping block for her offensive and distasteful wardrobe selections.
To Ms. Gaga, her outfits were merely political statements against the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. In a press conference Sept. 20 in Portland, Maine, Lady Gaga rallied supporters for a repeal of the policy.
“Equality is the prime rib of America, but because I am gay, I don’t get to enjoy the greatest cut of meat my country has to offer,” Gaga said. “Shouldn’t everyone deserve to wear the same meat dress I do?”
No, Ms. Gaga, nobody wants to wear your meat dress, at least not physically. There comes a point where pleas for attention become downright ridiculous. Wearing a bloody T-bone dress – which is probably crawling with fleas and maggots, no less – is seriously overstepping that point.
I know what your next question is: What happened to the meat? According to the dress’s designer, Franc Fernandez, the dress will become beef jerky and will be archived among Gaga’s other outlandish ensembles.
For those who go goo-goo for Gaga, please back away from the freezer and put down the twine. Trust me – I’m all for public political activism, but a slaughtered cow draped over your body is not the right way to go about expressing such views.
Standing up for what you believe in never goes out of style (and never spoils, either). If you want to rally with or against any kind of policy or law, join or start a political organization, rally at City Hall, perform sit-ins, write to your local newspaper or just buy a T-shirt from American Apparel.
Though her outfit was a faux pas, her message still rings loud and clear: Equality is the “prime rib” of our nation, and every person is entitled to that right, regardless of sexual orientation, political preference, gender, ethnicity or socioeconomic means.
Alexis Sachdev can be reached at asachdev@temple.edu.
The dress was so stupid. What a waste.