Lady Gaga’s meat dress has angered animal rights groups, disgusted other celebrities and hogged the headlines for the second day running.
Gaga turned up to the VMAs – where she won eight awards – in a dress, hat and boots made from cuts of raw animal flesh.
Attention grabbing it was, but not everyone was impressed by Gaga’s meat dress. Eminem reportedly refused to sit next to her. A source told the Mirror: “Marshall said he didn’t want to be sat next to a pile of raw meat all night. He said it smelled pretty bad.”
Peta founder Ingrid Newkirk was horrified by Gaga’s meat outfit, saying: “Meat is the decomposing flesh of an abused animal who didn’t want to die, and after being under the TV lights it would smell like the rotting flesh that it is and likely be crawling with maggots. Not too attractive, really.”
However, Lady Gaga claims that the dress was a statement about the US military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, which stops gays admitting their sexuality.
“If we don’t stand up for what we believe in and 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,” she said.
Liz O’Neill, of the Vegetarian Society, said: “It’s not nice to see another use for dead animals. We see it as another animal that has suffered.”
The jury is out on whether Lady Gaga’s meat dress would actually have been crawling in maggots, but it’s within the bounds of scientific possibility.
Dr. Shawki Ibrahim, chief scientific advisor for Grow Green Industries said:
“Maggot infestation can happen quickly on raw meat at room temperature and will develop faster with heat, accelerated by being close to skin and under hot lights. The dress is definitely puts her at an E.coli risk if she had a cut on her skin, but otherwise it’s just the stink factor.”
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Lady Gaga at VMAs – eight awards, three costume changes