He was probably born to dress that way, at least on the night he set out to watch his idol.
But JV Canta, 23, proved to be a safety risk in the eyes of the gatekeepers at the first of the two Lady Gaga concerts in Pasay City on Monday night.
The avid fan of the controversial American pop singer said he was traumatized and may file a complaint after security guards at SM Mall of Asia arena made him take off his outfit—a “P10,000 dress” made of wooden cutouts—and almost caused him to miss the show.
“I’ll definitely think about my options tonight. I was humiliated. And while the concert was going on, friends were texting me as they saw the news that I had to strip down in public,” said Canta, a call center agent and freelance theater artist who shelled out P5,000 for the concert.
“It’s like I had sex in public. I was literally stripped of my rights,” he said. “I’m an environmentalist. Remember SM (Baguio) and all the trees cut there? This costume represents that. It also represents freedom of expression, (the freedom) to wear whatever I want in this country.”
Canta said he was asked to leave the dress with the guards if he still wished to see the show.
Forced to comply, he was left wearing a flesh-colored body stocking and dark pants. Event organizers then gave him a T-shirt from the concert merchandise.
Canta said he spent P10,000 for the dress and that it took over a month for a friend to put it together at a woodworks shop in Quezon province.
But one of the security guards, who asked not to be named for lack of authority to speak to the media, said Canta was initially barred from entering because his attire was considered dangerous.
According to the guard, the costume was of hard material that appeared to be abrasive and could cause injuries to other people in a tight crowd, especially once they start dancing.