Lady Gaga’s Most Shocking Outfits Ever; Does Anything Beat the Meat Dress?
The trailer for Joker 2: Folie à Deux dropped today, and it’s sending chills up the spines of DC Comics fans. Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, the musical psychological thriller sees the Joker (Phoenix) finding some unhinged form of love in Gaga’s Harley Quinn. Joker 2: Folie à Deux brings another fandom into the fold with the “Bloody Mary” singer‘s Little Monsters. In honor of Lady Gaga’s role, let’s look at her wildest and more out-there looks of all time:
Before she was involved with the Joker, Stefani Germanotta, aka Lady Gaga, was already experimenting with face paint. However, instead of an unhinged red smile smeared across her mouth, the 13-time Grammy Award-winner channeled her inner Picasso with pink, yellow, and black face paint to match her oversized abstract jacket and lilac skirt.
In 2013, Gaga stepped out in Berlin wearing a giant textured headpiece covered in beige feathers and a golden beak. Teetering in tall black heels, she waved to fans as she promoted her ARTPOP album.
While staying in London in late October 2013, Lady Gaga served several bizarre looks as she exited her hotel. The “Bad Romance” singer went bridal mummy, structured and sophisticated, and nautical geisha.
Lady Gaga kicked off an eventful evening at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards with a lacy steampunk look. Cinching a feathery collar around her neck, she walked the red carpet with a tilted top hat and gold accents.
Later, during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Gaga accepted the award for “Best New Artist” as Eminem looked on with a rather confused expression. Perhaps her frightening red lace mask, Haus of Gaga crown, and sheer vintage Alexander McQueen dress caught him off guard.
Before her red carpet arrival at the 2011 Grammy Awards, Gaga tweeted, according to Today, “This is Nicola, Haus of Gaga: Gaga is in incubation. Tonight’s performance is in collaboration with Hussein Chalayan and House of Mugler. X.” Fans were not disappointed when the “LoveGame” singer arrived at the event encased in a translucent egg carried by a half-naked entourage.
Lady Gaga got her breakthrough in the entertainment industry in 2008. Short afterward, the Haus Beauty founder started serving signature looks that played with her hair and the structure of her body. Several designs made of hair may have hinted at the wild outfits that were yet to come.
Early in her career, Gaga channeled her inner disco queen during live performances. The future pop legend stole the show at Lolapalooza 2007. She performed in geometric disco ball tiles again at LA’s Nokia Theatre.
Gaga would never settle for a simple nude bodysuit. In 2009, she covered her one-piece in clear plastic bubbles for a fun look at Boston’s House of Blues. The A Star Is Born actor also filled her clear piano with balls for a unique stage look.
Giorgio Armani turned Lady Gaga into a celestial queen by covering a sheer bodysuit in crystals. The Italian luxury fashion house topped the look with a Saturn-inspired gown and structured lilac circles. Gaga carried a silver starburst instead of a handbag. She called his work “truly iconic,” according to the LA Times. The “Telephone” singer added, “They represent not only beautiful fashion but my spirit and essence as an artist.”
Perhaps inspired by the bride of Frankenstein, Gaga wore a stark white tiered Francesco Scognamiglio gown and lace Philip Treacy headpiece. She later removed the silk and neoprene dress to perform in a sheer lace bodysuit at The BRIT Awards 2010.
Mama Monster, indeed. In 2014, the House of Gucci star donned a spiky silver costume to attend the VIP ROOM in Paris. Gaga went full sea urchin for the wild look, wearing a black lip and smokey eye.
The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards saw Gaga go chrome. The “Shallow” singer’s red carpet ensemble included a flared silver overcoat and sky-high black boots. She ditched the jacket for a platinum feathery look then went full aluminum foil. While attending the show and accepting several awards, the Gaga got creative with her mask options — it was 2020, after all.
Sea creatures may have inspired Lady Gaga at the 2014 artRave: The Artpop Ball. The “Rain on Me” singer wore a plastic octopus costume and white boots then transitioned to a sparkling bodysuit with feathery fins.
A few more of Lady Gaga’s most shocking performance outfits… Nun on top and latex condom on bottom, the fashion icon danced in nude panties and nipple tape at Florida’s BankAtlantic Center in 2011. One year prior, Gaga donned a “dress” covered in platinum human hair — created by Charlie le Mindu. Her 2010 Lollapalooza performance saw her wear a crimson Rachael Barrett look and winged headdress.
Lady Gaga’s infamous meat dress may never be topped. When she walked the red carpet at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, her look received praise for its fitted construction. Gaga later told Ellen DeGeneres, via Youtube, “If we don’t stand up for what we believe in and if we don’t fight for our rights pretty soon, we’re going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones. And I am not a piece of meat.”
