Lady Gaga Performs at the 2020 VMAs

If anyone could turn a health necessity into a fashion statement, it’s Lady Gaga.

Throughout the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, the singer — also the founder of vegan makeup line Haus Laboratories and youth-focused nonprofit Born This Way Foundation — donned a parade of masks that stood out better than any meat dress ever could.

[Related: A Sewing School Goes Live on Instagram, Making Masks]

One of her masks was covered in silver sequins. Another featured studded horns. And throughout her VMA performance — a medley of hits — her mask lit up in jagged waveforms as she sang. And that already-lengthy list doesn’t even include the transparent bubble she wore that covered her entire head.

[Related: Transparent Masks, Rising in Popularity, Are Personal for This NYC Crafter]

“Be kind! Mask up! Be brave!” she urged viewers during the set.

Of course, masks do far more than provide opportunities to showcase one’s personality. Research shows that masks are an effective way of limiting the amount of respiratory droplets a person releases into the air while breathing or talking — making them a must-have as the coronavirus crisis continues.

Even if yours isn’t bubblegum-pink and made entirely of plastic.

[Related: Turning PPE Into Something Stylish and Inclusive]