59 of the wildest MTV Video Music Awards outfits of all time
Kirsten Acuna
- MTV's Video Music Awards never disappoint when it comes to memorable fashion moments.
- From Lady Gaga's meat dress to Britney Spears' snake performance outfit, here are some of the wildest fashions from the show's history.
This year marks the 38th anniversary of MTV's Video Music Awards, and this year will be a little different with host Keke Palmer.
Instead of an indoors event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, the live show will consist of outdoor performances across New York City with limited or no audience.
The night will include performances the Black Eyed Peas, BTS, daBaby, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Doja Cat, The Weeknd, Miley Cyrus, and more.
Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga lead this year's nominations, with nine apiece. Other nominees include Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, and CNCO. This year's show introduces new categories, including best music video from home and best quarantine performance.
The MTV VMAs will take place Sunday, August 30 at 8 p.m. ET. Before then, here are some of the most memorable outfits to ever hit the red carpet and ceremony.
Anjelica Oswald, Angélica Acevedo, and Aly Weisman contributed to a previous version of this story.
Gwen Stefani covered herself in jewels and henna with a skirt over pants in 1998.
Stefani's baby blue hair matched her bikini top. She went for a number of styles here as she was also covered in henna.
That same year, singer Marilyn Manson and actress Rose McGowan had an interesting couples look. McGowan's dress was barely there.
Marilyn Manson's leopard coat featured many colors. McGowan's dress was see-through in the front and very revealing in the back.
Lil' Kim rocked one of her most daring looks in 1999.
The custom jumpsuit was created by Misa Hylton who wanted to create something that represented the performer's personality.
Pink lived up to her name with this hairstyle in 2000.
Her full look showed cut-outs in her jeans and a floor-length jacket.
Lil' Kim followed up her look with another stunner the following year.
Lil' Kim looked like a comic-book queen with a cone bra and floor-length cape.
In 2001, the now-defunct Destiny's Child showed off their Texas roots with fringed, matching outfits.
They paired the orange outfits with teal accessories.
They later changed into these denim ensembles to present.
They had bold looks.
Midriffs were a serious trend in 2001 as displayed here by Lil' Kim, Mya, Christina Aguilera, and Pink.
They performed their smash hit, "Lady Marmalade."
That same year, Britney Spears performed her famous snake dance as she sang "I'm a Slave 4 U."
Dancing with a live snake on her shoulders became instantly iconic.
Christina Aguilera continued the midriff trend in 2002, taking it to a whole new level.
She paired the top with a mini denim skirt and boots.
Britney Spears wore a leather outfit as she presented Michael Jackson with a birthday cake.
He initially thought it was an "artist of the millennium" award.
And host Jimmy Fallon wore some interesting costumes, like this Robin-inspired getup.
He went all out.
In 2003, Christina Aguilera walked the red carpet in a pink, feathery dress.
And her hair was black.
But she changed into an '80s-themed costume for this memorable moment during the show.
Along with Britney Spears, Aguilera kissed Madonna on stage.
In 2004, Jay Z and Beyoncé were still the golden couple. They married four years later.
They wore coordinating outfits.
That same year, Paris Hilton channeled her inner pageant queen.
Hilton wore a bedazzled see-through dress covered in feathers.
The Polyphonic Spree showed up barefoot in solid colors.
The group performed "Hold Me Now" that evening.
Fergie was still a member of the Black Eyed Peas.
Her shirt says "Chic-Pea," a play on chickpea.
And Lil' Kim almost bared it all in a zebra-printed dress by designer Carlos Miele.
The zebra printed satin chiffon dress with an asymmetrical strap was designed by Carlos Miele.
During the 2005 show, actress Eva Longoria presented in a bathing suit.
"I wasn't going to let a little hurricane stop me from wearing my bathing suit," Longoria said at the time, referencing a tropical storm that turned into Hurricane Katrina.
In 2006, Jennifer Lopez showcased a turtleneck dress and matching headpiece.
It was silver and sparkly.
Rihanna showed off her spiked short hair and took the stage in an edgy leotard for her 2008 performance of "Disturbia."
The performance was inspired by "Thriller."
Host Russell Brand let his hair run wild that year.
The comedian also wore a sparkly black jacket.
In 2009, Lady Gaga arrived in a memorable black feathered outfit, but that wasn't her only outfit for the night.
She finished it off with a hat.
While singing "Paparazzi," Gaga ended her performance smeared with "blood" to portray the idea that "fame kills."
It was intense.
And she didn't disappoint with her lacy, masked outfit to accept the best new artist award presented by Eminem.
It included a crown and face covering.
Then in 2010, Lady Gaga came to the show in this meat dress.
It was made of real beef.
Katy Perry also changed multiple times during the 2011 VMA's but wore this to accept the video of the year award.
There was a yellow cube on her head.
That same year, Nicki Minaj did not hold back with her intricate and colorful outfit.
The outfit included lots of stuffed animals and a mask.
Rebel Wilson, 2012's host, presented with The Wanted in a silly T-shirt.
The fake bikini dress was like something you might see at a tourist shop.
That same year, Nicki Minaj wore a lace bodysuit to accept her best female video award for "Starships."
Her hair was also very colorful.
In 2013, Katy Perry walked the red carpet with Richard Simmons.
She wore leopard print and a high pony.
But Miley Cyrus really stole the show by arriving in this bejeweled ensemble.
The singer posed with her signature tongue out.
Later, she wore a bear leotard on stage.
Her performance included dancing bears.
She ended the show with a performance in a nude two-piece. The performance was with Robin Thicke and went viral.
Cyrus and Thicke were both criticized for this performance.
No one quite knew what to expect when Lady Gaga emerged wearing this all-white outfit and square for her 2013 performance, but it lent itself to a number of costume changes.
She was almost completely covered at first, but it expertly hid different outfits.
Katy Perry and Riff Raff channeled Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake in the all-denim outfits they wore in 2014.
It was all coordinated.
The 2015 VMA's were full of bright and fun outfits, like Frankie Grande's glittery chest.
It matched his hair.
But nothing topped host Miley Cyrus. She changed into a number of outfits, like this daring look.
The straps just covered her chest.
She swapped it out for this barely-there look.
The dots were strategically placed.
Cyrus topped herself one more time as a colorful rainbow.
Cyrus came out on stage as a giant rainbow square.
Frankie Grande showed up on the carpet in 2016 with "RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars" stars dressed in some iconic past outfits like Lady Gaga's meat dress, Lil' Kim's purple pasty dress, and Britney Spears' snake outfit.
Everyone looked amazing.
Nev Schulman and his then-pregnant wife Laura Perlongo took the carpet in 2016, but she wasn't wearing a shirt under her jacket.
The look was surprisingly a common one at the 2016 awards show.
In 2016, social media star Baddie Wrinkle went all out in a nude jumpsuit.
Her cane was also bedazzled.
"Teen Mom" Farrah Abraham dressed as Wonder Woman in 2016.
Of course, she accessorized with a cape.
Nicki Minaj rocked a pink latex top with matching pants in 2017.
Her heels were orange and pink.
Jared Leto's sparkly jacket cape shined on the carpet that same year.
The other 30 Seconds to Mars members were more casual.
2017 host Katy Perry wore a spacesuit during part of the show.
It was shiny.
She also wore a robotic baby at one point that same year.
Perry wore the fake baby inside a grey baby carrier bag.
In 2018, Amber Rose channeled a devil in this latex number.
Rose accessorized with a matching red whip.
Asian Doll wore a "Clueless" inspired outfit.
The rapper got into the look while posing like "Clueless'" main character, Cher Horowitz.
Nicki Minaj paired a leotard with a long see-through skirt in 2018.
The same night Minaj won the award for best hip-hop video for "Chun-Li."
Rita Ora opted for a sheer gown again at the 2018 VMAs.
She accessorized the look with slicked-back hair and fun eyebrow makeup.
"Orange Is the New Black's" Dascha Polanco turned heads in a grey see-through dress.
Her silver eye makeup added an extra edginess to the look.
Madonna wore a printed tunic and silver-horned headpiece with layered necklaces.
She caused quite the controversy for the outfit and was accused of appropriating Moroccan culture (which the outfit was inspired by).
Veronica Vega wore a skirt made of enlarged dollar bills.
The "Love & Hip Hop: Miami" star's see-through chain-link bra and skirt combo was one of the more interesting VMA looks. It was definitely a head-turner.
Taylor Swift wore one of her most colorful outfits to the 2019 VMAs.
Swift was inspired by the no-pants trend and accessorized with thigh-high boots.
Ava Max wore a superhero-inspired look.
Max's look was made with metallic fabric in shades of red, black, and silver. The outfit turned out to be a tease for Max's music video, "Torn," where she plays a woman who goes undercover as a heroine.
Rapper Justina Valentine made a statement with a colorful pantsuit.
The outfit was covered in the words "Nasty Woman" multiple times in neon colors.
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