Lady Gaga brought new meaning to the term ‘power suit’ when she opted for an oversized jacket and trousers from Marc Jacob’s Spring ’19 collection for Elle’sWomen in Hollywood event.

Accepting her award, the singer and actress told the room that she had moved away from her usual outfit choices as a statement. “In this suit, I felt like me today. In this suit, I felt the truth of who I am well up in my gut,” she said.

She spoke of how, in getting ready for the event, she had tried on numerous elaborate gowns, “one tight corset after another, one heel after another, a diamond, a feather, thousands of beaded fabrics and the most beautiful silks in the world. To be honest, I felt sick to my stomach.”

She continued, “What does it really mean to be a woman in Hollywood? We are not just objects to entertain the world. We are not simply images to bring smiles or grimaces to people’s faces. We are not members of a giant beauty pageant meant to be pit against one another for the pleasure of the public. We women in Hollywood, we are voices. We have deep thoughts and ideas and beliefs and values about the world and we have the power to speak and be heard and fight back when we are silenced.”

She spoke of how at the age of 19, she was the victim of sexual assault by someone in the entertainment industry, but was “still not brave enough” to name her attacker.

Proving the political power of fashion, she went on to say, “As a woman who lives with chronic pain, as a woman who was conditioned at a very young age to listen to what men told me to do, I decided today I wanted to take the power back. Today I wear the pants.”

Lady Gaga, who has spent the last month promoting the film A Star is Born, in which she stars with Bradley Cooper, also took the opportunity to confirm her engagement to talent agent Christian Carino, and thanked him in her speech.

From: Harper’s BAZAAR UK