Remember When: Lady Gaga Wore a Meat Dress to the 2010 VMAs

Lady Gaga has no shortage of buzz-worthy moments. The pop icon knows how to get a crowd engaged. One of her most show-stopping moments came during the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards when she opted to wear a dress made out of raw meat. What a way to make sure you don’t end up on a “Who Wore It Better?” list.

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What’s great about Gaga, though, is nothing she does is purely for shock value. She always has a deeper intent behind her artistry, and this dress was no different.

According to Gaga, the outfit was in protest of the U.S. Military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which kept members from disclosing their sexuality. “It has many interpretations, but for me this evening it’s, ‘If we don’t stand up for what we believe in, if we don’t fight for our rights, pretty soon we’re going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones,’” Gaga once explained.

Despite Gaga’s intentions, the choice of garb was heavily criticized. Unsurprisingly, animal rights groups (namely PETA) took issue with the outfit.

“In her line of business, Lady Gaga has a hard time being ‘over the top’, and wearing a dress made from cuts of dead cows is offensive enough to elicit comment, but someone should whisper in her ear that more people are upset by butchery than are impressed by it – and that means a lot of young people will not be buying her records if she keeps it up,” the organization said in a statement at the time.

Even today, the meat dress remains one of Gaga’s most iconic moments. It’s the perfect example of what makes Gaga stand out and what gives her an edge. She’s an artist who isn’t afraid to rile people up–as long as it’s in the name of something she believes in.

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