Lady Gaga is showing off her "meaty" side in a new cover for the September issue of Vogue Japan — honestly, this is less shocking than some people are making it out to be. For me, a jaw-dropping Lady Gaga pic would be if she was photographed wearing jeans and a cardigan. (Latest update: Lady Gaga also donned meat for the Sept. 12 Video Music Awards. 12. A teary-eyed, meat-wearing Gaga accepted a Moon Man award for Video of the Year for "Bad Romance" —  one of eight of the night for her, according to USA Today.)

 

But obviously, any time raw meat is coupled with a photo shoot (I'm looking at you "America's Top Model"!), you're going to have people asking "Why?" and animal rights organizations condemning the move. 

 

Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA, offered a practical assessment of Gaga's look saying, “Oh, Lady Gaga’s job is to do outlandish things, and this certainly qualifies as outlandish because meat is something you want to avoid putting on or in your body.”

 

Later, the organization issued a statement with a bit more criticism. “No matter how beautifully it is presented, flesh from a tortured animal is flesh from a tortured animal. Meat represents bloody violence and suffering, so if that’s the look they were going for — they achieved it.”

 

Lady Gaga has yet to comment on the controversy, and it's more than likely that she'll just let it stir as usual — bringing attention to her brand and eccentricity. Let's hope the next shoot is a bit more animal-friendly, with a touch less E.coli.