ABSTRACT
“What to wear, what to wear?” Nearly all of us have struggled from time to time when deciding what to wear on a date, to a social gathering that suggests casual dress, to class, or simply to a ball game. Most of us attempt to dress appropriately for the given social situation. Social customs often dictate such decisions. For example, formal dress wear is appropriate at most weddings and professional job interviews, whereas casual clothing is fine for a ball game or attending class in college. There are people, however, who challenge given social conventions. Lady Gaga comes to mind. When attending a New York Mets baseball game in the summer of 2010, Lady Gaga decided that simply wearing underwear was appropriate. At the 2010 Video Music Awards, Lady Gaga wore an even more controversial outfit: a dress made of meat. She had a meat purse as well. (The meat dress is currently on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.) A student of mine referred to it as a “death dress.” If Lady Gaga’s meat dress inspired some to refer to it as a “death dress,” her 2011 Grammy Awards entrance, wherein she placed herself in an oversized egg to demonstrate “a rebirth of positivity,” was meant to solicit the exact opposite reaction.
