Last year, [artist id="3061469"]Lady Gaga[/artist] made her VMA debut drenched in blood. But on Sunday night, picking up her eighth award of the evening, for [article id="1647678"]Video of the Year, Gaga[/article] took the stage in an equally gory getup, reprising the [article id="1647318"]controversial "meat suit"[/article] she wore on the cover of Vogue Hommes Japan that drew fire from PETA.

The suit Gaga modeled at the show was made from real cuts of meat (accessorized by meat boots, a meat hat and a meat purse she briefly handed to Cher while accepting the Moonman), which is why the singer still felt it was necessary to explain her sartorial choice in order to clear up any controversy.

Speaking to VMA presenter Ellen DeGeneres on the season-eight debut of Ellen's daytime talk show, taped after the VMAs on Sunday night, Gaga came out onstage still dressed in the carcass outfit to the roar of a Monster-filled audience and explained why she donned the controversial couture.

Since she wasn't performing on the VMAs and didn't want to let her beloved fans down by being "just another bitch in a dress at an awards show," Gaga said she had to kick things up a notch with a series of outrageous outfits. The meat suit, as it turns out, also tied in to her decision to [article id="1647651"]walk the white carpet with some gay and lesbian members of the military[/article] in order to voice her distaste for the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell"

policy.

"I get most of your outfits, I really do ... because I'm vegan, so that's kind of ... what is the purpose of the meat suit?" Ellen asked, holding up the cover of the Japanese magazine.

"Well, it is certainly no disrespect to anyone that is vegan or vegetarian. As you know, I am the most judgment-free human being on the earth," Gaga replied. "However, it has many interpretations, but for me this evening ... If we don't stand up for what we believe in and if we don't fight for our rights, pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our own bones. And I am not a piece of meat," she added, holding up the magazine cover.

Ellen then presented Gaga with an alternative, pulling out a custom bikini made out of kale and a skirt constructed of some leafy greens, which the singer proudly held up to model over her fleshy fashions.

What did you think of Gaga's meat suit? Let us know in comments below.

The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there's plenty of 2010 MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com.