"I tried on dress after dress today getting ready for this event, 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," Gaga said in her speech, admitting the process made her feel "sick to her stomach." It made her question what it actually meant to be a working woman in Hollywood. "We are not just objects to entertain the world," she said on stage. "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."