Meat dress. I’m sure that you immediately think of Lady Gaga’s infamous dress from the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards when you hear those words. Gaga has always been known for pushing boundaries and showing the world it is okay to be different.  However, many people would argue she didn’t need a meat dress to do so.
In all honesty, I was always a fan of Lady Gaga’s music, but I thought her outfits were completely ridiculous and unnecessary. Not anymore. After watching Gaga- Five Foot Two, a Netflix documentary focused on the singer’s life, I have a different understanding and a greater appreciation for Gaga, along with her thoughts behind the meat dress.
Gaga- Five Foot Two, created by Chris Moukarbel, takes us behind the scenes into the day-to-day life of the popular musician Lady Gaga. This is an amazing documentary that shows a different side of Gaga that is largely unknown to the public. It focuses on personal issues, like her chronic back pain and spasms caused by fibromyalgia. The disease, triggered by a broken hip, has had a significant impact on her ability to perform. It’s more than just a physical condition—it impacts her mentality and her social life: on Tony Bennett’s birthday, she was on the couch crying because of her back pain. She even had to postpone part of her Joanne tour due to the pain.
Speaking of Joanne, this documentary explains the inspiration behind the amazing song, along with the unexpected early release of the album. It also covers Gaga’s broken engagement with Taylor Kinney, and takes you into the making of her spectacular Super Bowl performance (one of the biggest achievements that an artist can and will achieve in their musical career).
Even after learning about all of this, I believe the biggest takeaway from this documentary is this: the reason why she wore crazy outfits like the meat dress was because she never felt that it was enough to be on stage as just herself. She didn’t have the confidence to rely on her voice alone. It was also one of the only ways she felt like she had control over her career. In the beginning stages of her career, she worked with producers who expected her to do certain things and look a certain way. Wearing crazy costumes was her way of protecting herself and defying the stereotypical group that powerful men put her in.
This was what made me truly understand the star’s thought process and what she’s really all about. The documentary shows how close she is to her family and how powerful Lady Gaga truly is. I highly recommend adding “Gaga: Five Foot Two” to the top of your must-watch list; it will change your view on Lady Gaga and give you a strong and powerful woman to look up to.
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