Lady Gaga’s Wildest VMA Looks of All Time, Including Her Unforgettable Meat Dress, Jo Calderone Transformation and More
Lady Gaga has no qualms about making an extraordinary fashion statement on the red carpet. In fact, she’s been making headlines for that since, well, day one.
The A Star Is Born actress and music icon has been known to debut particularly wild looks at the VMAs. Take her 2013 performance, for example. Gaga stripped down from a nun-like outfit to basically … nothing. By the end of the performance, she was wearing just a floral thong and a seashell bra onstage.
And we can’t forget to mention her infamous meat minidress from the 2010 awards show, which — if you somehow managed not to see the getup — consisted of Gaga wearing meat on her body, feet and head. She later explained on The Ellen Degeneres Show that the look was by no means meant to offend vegans, rather it was meant to make a political statement. Take note that a year later, there was Gaga’s wild turn as male alter ego Jo Calderone, which left fans equal amounts confused and entertained (but mostly the latter).
Since Lady Gaga’s first red carpet debut in 2009, the “Shallow” singer has done it all, sporting just about every crazy look you could possibly imagine. In recent years, though, she’s put the crazy on pause, in favor of more reserved looks (well, for Gaga, anyway) and meat-free prints.
In the rare case that you haven’t already zoomed ahead to see all of the looks for yourself, scroll through for a look back at Gaga’s flashiest styles at the MTV Video Music Awards!
2013
Lady Gaga sang her heart out during her performance of new single "Applause" at the MTV VMAs on Sunday, Aug. 25, going through numerous costume changes, including this one, of her covered up by barely-there seashells and a string bikini bottom.
2013
The singer opened up the awards show wearing a nun-like outfit with a pearl necklace on August 25. But the most notable part of the look is that her face was encased inside of a white cube. She wore this while singing an emotional a capella tune before bursting into “Applause
2011
At the 2011 show, Gaga performed -- and dressed -- in drag, as her male alter ego Jo Calderone. To complete the gender-bending transformation, Gaga wore a prosthetic penis, an insider confirmed to Us Weekly. The singer stayed in character throughout the night. "I am from New Jersey," Gaga as Jo told Us backstage. " My family is from Palermo, Sicily and I am not a singer or a model or an actor or anything. I am just a guy."
2010
Walking the red carpet at the Los Angeles awards show, Gaga -- her hair dyed silvery-white with blue streaks -- wore a gold, red and copper Alexander McQueen gown featuring a Leonardo DaVinci-esque woman on her bodice. She accessorized with a crown-like topper.
2010
The "Bad Romance" singer turned heads when accepting her award for Video of the Year in a dress covered in meat. "I never thought I'd be asking Cher to hold my meat purse," Gaga said, referring to the vocal legend who presented her with the Moonman trophy.
2010
"I didn't really quite think all the wins through. This outfit is too heavy to walk in," Gaga told fans as she accepted the Best Pop Video Moonman from Glee cast members, including the late Cory Monteith, wearing a structured Armani ensemble with matching headpiece.
2009
Accompanied by Kermit the Frog, the star donned a black lace Jean Paul Gaultier dress with Dragon print silk underlay from Gaultier’s fall/winter ready to wear collection. She accessorized the look with a Keko Hainswheeler neck brace and mask.
2009
As the singer performed "Poker Face" and "Paparazzi" on stage, she wore white bejeweled Haus of Gaga knee-high boots with fishnet stockings, white underwear and an asymmetrical white lace belly-baring bodysuit that was stained with fake blood.
2009
To accept her Best New Artist award, she wore a sheer red lace Alexander McQueen Archive dress with a matching mask covering her entire face. In order to properly thank "God and the gays," she had to strip off the Haus of Gaga mask and red crown-like hat.
2009
In what was her most conservative look of the evening, the star wore a futuristic, one-strap couture Gaultier Paris corset with black sequined boots while posing backstage with her Moonman.
2009
When Beyonce won the night's biggest prize for Video of the Year, Lady Gaga gave the "Single Ladies" singer a standing ovation while wearing a feather Phillip Treacy wreath head wrap and white sequined Jean Paul Gaultier dress.
2009
Wearing the same dress she wore at the end of the awards ceremony, the star showed up to her after party at NYC's Avenue with a bold new white lace headdress.
