Known for her over-the-top, extravagant get-ups, the pop sensation’s confidence isn’t up for debate, but her use of plastic surgery has been in the past.
2007
Though she’s openly admitted to never having cosmetic surgery, her appearance has altered over the years. The 37-year-old artist debuted on the Lollapalooza stage in 2007, sporting the first of many unique looks she would don in the spotlight. Gaga, real name Stefani Germanota, is naturally a brunette, but she’s sported every color from red to silver.
2008
By 2008, Gaga had dropped out of New York University’s Tisch School and released her first album: The Fame. Her distinct voice has always mimicked her eccentric style.
And while she’s never missed a beat in a song or hesitated on the carpet, she wasn’t always as self-assured. In past interviews, the singer and actress has openly discussed her history of being bullied.
2009
She told Cosmopolitan: “I had a very big nose, very curly brown hair and I was overweight — I got made fun of.”
Gaga’s desire to keep her features authentic has outweighed pressure from the industry to alter her face and look a certain way. At the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week ready-to-wear show for Michalsky in 2009, the star stunned in her notable bleach-blonde bangs with dark eye makeup.
2010
Among the A-lister’s iconic, if not her most renowned looks, is from the MTV Music Awards in 2010. The bold creator stepped on the black carpet, dripping in raw meat from head to toe.
2011
Gaga was living in her Born This Way era by 2012 after releasing it in 2011. At this point, the Grammy-nominated artist wasn’t shy about her disapproval of plastic surgery.
She made it known her “Italian nose” and natural figure wouldn’t ever be forced under the knife. Gaga told The Mirror: “Before my first single ever came out, it was suggested I get a nose job, but I said, ‘No.’
“If people wanted me to look like a sexpot, I would look like the opposite.”
To Gaga, reconstructive surgeries appeared detrimental in the long run.
“I think that promoting insecurity in the form of plastic surgery is infinitely more harmful than an artistic expression related to body modification,” she said in a 2011 Harper’s Bazaar interview. That’s not to say Gaga hasn’t experienced her share of body insecurities.
2015
That being said, the artist’s view on facial injections was different at one point. In 2013, she told Howard Stern that there was a time when her favorite nightcap was adding more filler to her face. Gaga would go out and end the evening with a little trip to her injection lady.
She knew it was unhealthy, but her obsession didn’t end until her friend pointed out the excessive amount.
2016
In 2016, the stand-out performer was winding down her costume-like looks. At the Fashion Awards in London, she presented a new character: the angelic, soft Gaga in an old Hollywood-inspired white get-up. She was still producing solo albums, but they weren’t hitting the charts as high.
2017
That changed when she performed Joanne at the 2017 Superbowl Halftime Show. Her on-stage style for that year’s Coachella Music Festival paid homage to her bold breakout as a pop star while adding to a more natural presence. She wore bedazzled underwear to match a constructed crop top but kept the glam simple, highlighting her facial features.
2018
By 2018, Gaga had stepped into a new light and a new world — the film industry. Though she had starred in the occasional movie and on the show American Horror Story, acting in A Star Is Born was a turning point. Playing Ally Maine, an up-and-coming singer, resulted in an Academy Award nomination for her performance.
And her famed duet Shallow with Bradley Cooper won two Grammys and the original song Oscar Award. In 2019, Gaga released a new makeup brand: Haus Labs.
2021
Gaga’s role as Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci came with requirements. The Oscar-nominated actress had to put on weight to accurately embody her character. For both House of Gucci and A Star Is Born, she took a break from her days as a blonde to become a brunette movie screen stand-out. Her once dramatic hair & makeup was dramatically toned down.
2022
She returned to her roots — the fake ones — in 2022 for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. However, the dark undertones were still peaking out. Gaga has admitted to being a proponent of healthy eating and natural weight loss. And after having eaten mostly carbs to put on weight for House of Gucci, she returned to her normal routine.
2023
Most recently, her fans sparked controversy, erupting in concern over a TikTok video of the celebrity.While promoting Haus Labs, viewers noticed the star looked shockingly thin and “unrecognizable.”