If we're being real, not every red carpet look is a win. Sometimes, celebs take lighthearted criticism in jest, but other times, they speak out on unnecessarily harsh backlash.
Here are 16 times celebs responded to criticism of their red carpet looks:
1.THE CRITICISM: At Teen Vogue's Annual Young Hollywood Issue Launch Party in 2014, Zendaya wore an Emporio Armani hat that was so ginormous, that the internet couldn't help but turn it into a meme.
THE RESPONSE: Ten years later, she told Vogue, "Ohh, this is a controversial look. I still see memes about this particular look with my hat, but you know what? I stick by it."
"Me and Law [Roach, my stylist], we thought it was chic at the time, and I think it’s still chic. I'd wear it again. I think Law might have this hat. I might have to bring it out of the archives someday," she said.
2.THE CRITICISM: At the 2015 Oscars, Zendaya wore a Vivienne Westwood gown with her hair styled in locs. E! Fashion Police host Giuliana Rancic criticized her hair, saying the style made her look like she "smells like patchouli oil...maybe weed."
THE RESPONSE: On Twitter, Zendaya said, "There is a fine line between what is funny and disrespectful. Someone said something about my hair at the Oscars that left me in awe. Not because I was relishing in rave outfit reviews but because I was hit with ignorant slurs and pure disrespect. To say that an 18-year-old young woman with locs must smell of patchouli oil or 'weed' is not only a large stereotype but outrageously offensive."
She continued, "I don't usually feel the need to respond to negative things, but certain remarks cannot go unchecked... I suggest some people should listen to India Arie's 'I Am Not My Hair' and contemplate a little before opening your mouth so quickly to judge."
In a video response to the backlash,Giuliana apologizedfor her comments.
3.THE CRITICISM: Attending the Valentino Haute Couture Fall/Winter fashion show in 2022, Florence Pugh wore a sheer dress by the designer. Many online commenters criticized the fact that her nipples were visible through the dress, and others body-shamed her.
THE RESPONSE: On Instagram, Florence said, "Listen, I knew when I wore that incredible Valentino dress that there was no way there wouldn't be a commentary on it. Whether it be negative or positive, we all knew what we were doing. I was excited to wear it, not a wink of me was nervous. I wasn't before, during, or even now after. What's been interesting to watch and witness is just how easy it is for men to totally destroy a woman's body, publicly, proudly, for everyone to see."
She continued, "It isn't the first time and certainly won't be the last time a woman will hear what's wrong with her body by a crowd of strangers; what's worrying is just how vulgar some of you men can be... I'm very grateful that I grew up in a household with very strong, powerful, curvy women. We were raised to find power in the creases of our body. To be loud about being comfortable. It has always been my mission in this industry to say 'f*ck it and f*ck that' whenever anyone expects my body to morph into an opinion of what's hot or sexually attractive. I wore that dress because I know. If being loudly abusive toward women publicly in 2022 is so easy for you, then the answer is that it is you who doesn't know. Grow up. Respect people. Respect bodies. Respect all women. Respect humans. Life will get a whole lot easier, I promise. And all because of two cute little nipples…"
4.THE CRITICISM: At the 2019 Oscars, Billy Porter wore a Christian Siriano tuxedo gown. On social media, some people judged him for wearing a dress rather than a simple tux, which is typically expected of men.
THE RESPONSE: Billy told Vogue, "People are going to be really uncomfortable with my Black ass in a ball gown — but it’s not anybody’s business but mine."
He also said, "From this [Oscars] moment, I want people to understand that you don’t have to understand or evenagreewith other people’s authenticity or truths, but we must all respect each other."
5.THE CRITICISM: At the 2023 Golden Globes, Selena Gomez wore a strapless Valentino gown. Online, some people body-shamed her over the look.
THE RESPONSE: In a since-deleted TikTok with her then-9-year-old sister, Gracie, Selena said, "I’m a little bit big right now because I enjoyed myself during the holidays." Turning to her sister, she said, "Right?" When Gracie agreed, Selena laughed.
6.THE CRITICISM: At the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscars Afterparty, Ciara wore a sheer Dundas dress. Online, some people shamed her for wearing the "naked" dress because she's a wife and mother.
THE RESPONSE: She responded with a TikTok video of herself wrapped in a sheet and wearing sunglasses while pretending to pose for shouting photographers. She captioned it "selective outrage," as she was only one of several women who wore sheer outfits that night.
She also defended her outfit choice to LVR magazine and described the selection process.
She said, "I was fitted for the dress in Paris as I attended the Dundas show. Peter [Dundas, the designer] has been a close friend since we attended the Met Gala in 2021.He knows me well, and he gets and knows the woman's body. I love the concept with the black crystal versus white crystals; I loved the black sheer and combination of it all and seeing it on the runway. It's a process of getting ready for the red carpet. I pay attention to every detail. I have an appreciation for the art of fashion and the vision of the artist who created the garment."
7.THE CRITICISM: At the 1998 VMAs, Rose McGowan wore a "naked" dress by Maja. As she told Yahoo Entertainment in 2020, people "slu*t-shamed [her] like crazy."
THE RESPONSE: There was a deep, personal meaning behind her look. She told Yahoo Entertainment, "It was my first big public appearance after being sexually assaulted. I just felt like, 'Oh, Hollywood, would you want a body just that you can use and throw away? Then I've got one for you!' It was like at the end of Gladiator when he comes out, and he's like, 'Are you not entertained?' And if you look at me, I did it with power."
She continued, "I didn't do it with my hand on my hip to be sexy... Most of the women that are dressed like that on the red carpet, it's a calculated, sexy move to turn people on. Mine was like, 'I’m gonna f*ck with your brain. I'm going to blow your brain up.' And nobody had done it."
8.THE CRITICISM: At the 2010 MTV VMAs, Lady Gaga wore a meat dress, which garnered a lot of backlash from animal rights activists. In a blog post, PETA founder Ingrid E. Newkirk wrote, "Wearing a dress made out of cuts of dead cows is offensive enough to bring comment, but someone should whisper in her ear that there are more people who are upset by butchery than who are impressed by it — and that means a lot of young people will not be buying her records if she keeps this stuff up."
THE RESPONSE: On Ellen, Lady Gaga explained that her outfit choice was a statement against the US military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. She said, "It's certainly no disrespect to anyone that's vegan or vegetarian. As you know, I'm the most judgment-free human being on the Earth. It has many interpretations, but for me this evening it's [saying], 'If we don't stand up for what we believe in, if we don't fight for our rights, pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones.'"
In 2021, she toldBritish Vogue, "At the time, they were trying to repeal 'don't ask, don't tell.' We decided to do the meat dress because I thought to myself, 'If you were willing to die for your country, what does it matter how you identify?'"
9.THE CRITICISM: At the 2023 WSJ. Magazine Innovator Awards, SZA wore a black Maison Margiela dress. A lot of people loved it, but others criticized it by comparing it to a costume or Wednesday Addams.
THE RESPONSE: In an Instagram comment, SZA said, "I know I'm quirky and odd and off-center and [you]...hate it. What else is new."
10.THE CRITICISM: At the 2021 Met Gala, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore an Aurora James gown with "TAX THE RICH" on the back. People on both sides of the political spectrum criticized her for promoting such a message while brushing shoulders with wealthy people at an event where tickets cost $30,000.
THE RESPONSE: On her Instagram story, she said, "I thought about the criticism I'd get, but honestly, I and my body have been so heavily and relentlessly policed from all corners politically since the moment I won my election that it's become kind of expected and normalized to me... Ultimately the haters hated and the people who are thoughtful were thoughtful. But we all had a conversation about Taxing the Rich in front of the very people who lobby against it, and punctured the 4th wall of excess and spectacle."
She also said, "Many elected officials regularly attend due to our responsibilities in keeping cultural institutions accessible to the public."
11.THE CRITICISM: At the 2013 BAFTA TV Awards, comedian Sarah Millican wore a floral dress from John Lewis. In an essay for Radio Times, she said that, on Twitter, she received "literally thousands of messages from people criticizing [her] appearance." She also said that "newspapers pilloried for what [she] was wearing," and she "was discussed and pulled apart on Lorraine."
THE RESPONSE: In her Radio Times essay, Sarah continued, "I'm sorry. I thought I had been invited to such an illustrious event because I am good at my job. Putting clothes on is such a small part of my day. They may as well have been criticizing me for brushing my teeth differently to them."
"Yes, there were lovely messages from my fans between the hate, but the hate was dominant and made me upset at first and then furious. Why does it matter so much what I was wearing? Why did no one ask my husband where he got his suit from? I felt wonderful in that dress. And surely that's all that counts. I made a decision the following day that should I ever be invited to attend the BAFTAs again, I will wear the same dress. To make the point that it doesn't matter what I wear; that's not what I'm being judged on. With the added fun of answering the red-carpet question, 'Where did you get your dress?' with 'Oh, it's just last year's, pet,'" she said.
12.THE CRITICISM: At the 2001 Oscars, Kate Hudson wore a Stella McCartney dress that landed her on many "worst dressed" lists.
THE RESPONSE: In 2011, Kate told Vogue, "I woke up the next morning in my bed post-awards and without a little statuette on my bedside. I turned on the television to find out I was on every Worst Dressed list possible. So I called Stella, and we just laughed our arses off, and she said to me, 'Look, babe, it was the hair, wasn't it?'"
She continued, "To this day that now vintage dress hangs in my wardrobe, but I swear one day I'll wear it again. But Stella, I promise I'll do the hair differently."
13.THE CRITICISM: At the 2002 Oscars, Gwyneth Paltrow wore a "goth" Alexander McQueen dress with a sheer top. Her look was widely panned as one of the "worst" looks of the night. She also received backlash over the gown's see-through element.
THE RESPONSE: In a 2013 Goop Q&A, Gwyneth said, "There were a few issues; I still love the dress itself, but I should have worn a bra, and I should have just had simple beachy hair and less makeup. Then, it would have worked as I wanted it to — a little bit of punk at the Oscars."
Additionally, in 2021, she told British Vogue, "I had a weird hangover about it for a while because people were really critical. I think, at the time, it was too goth. I think people thought it was too hard, so I think it sort of shocked people. But I like it."
14.THE CRITICISM: At the 2001 Academy Awards, Björk wore a swan dress by Marjan Pejoski, and she "lay" half a dozen eggs on the red carpet. The widely mocked look landed on a lot of "worst dressed" lists.
THE RESPONSE: In 2007, she told the New York Times, "People didn't find it very funny. They wrote about it like I was trying to wear a black Armani and got it wrong like I was trying to fit in. Of course, I wasn't trying to fit in!"
Not all red carpet outfit criticism is entirely unfair. Sometimes, when celebs are understandably called out, they try to justify their past choices.
15.THE CRITICISM: Beginning in the mid-'90s, Gwen Stefani wore bindis on the red carpet. Since then, she's been criticized for appropriating South Asian culture.
THE RESPONSE: In 2019, she told Vogue, "I was just so unbelievably fascinated by Indian culture in particular because Tony Kanal — who was my boyfriend at the time and he's the bass player of No Doubt — is Indian."
"I never, growing up in Anaheim, spent any time with anyone from India, and his mom would come down the stairs ready to go to these Indian parties all dolled up with a bindi and jewelry and these beautiful fabric dresses. ... She gave me a lot of bindis, and I was just like, 'Hey, what's up! Boom!'" she said.
16.And finally, THE CRITICISM: At the 2022 Met Gala, Kim Kardashian wore the same dress Marilyn Monroe wore to sing "Happy Birthday" to President Kennedy in 1962. Many people — including Lili Reinhart — criticized Kim for crash dieting so she could lose weight and fit into the dress.
On her Instagram story, Lili said, "So wrong. So f*cked on 100s of levels. To openly admit to starving yourself for the sake of the Met Gala. When you know very well that millions of young men and women are looking up to you and listening to your every word. To walk on a red carpet and do an interview where you say how starving you are...because you haven't eaten carbs in the last month...all to fit in a f*cking dress? The ignorance is other-worldly and disgusting. Please stop supporting these stupid, harmful celebrities whose entire image revolves around their bodies."
Likewise, registered dietician Elaina Efird, RD, CEDRD, CSSD, told BuzzFeed, "Losing 16 pounds in 21 days istechnicallypossible, but only through extreme and VERY unhealthy measures such as starvation or semi-starvation. It is not sustainable at all and should NEVER be the goal or attempted by an individual. The issues that arise from Kim Kardashian perpetuating a narrative to alter yourself to fit into a garment have many negative implications. Most notably, itperpetuates the narrative that you shouldn't wear clothes at your current size and that, instead you should be changing your body.It perpetuates the narrative that thinner is 'better.' It perpetuates the narrative that you have to look a certain way in order to wear nice clothes, which is absolutely NOT true;you can wear nice clothes at ANY size."
THE RESPONSE: Kim told the New York Times, "To me it was like, 'OK, Christian Bale can do it for a movie role and that is acceptable.' Even Renée Zellweger gained weight for a role. It's all the same to me. I wasn't saying, 'Hey everyone, why don't you go lose this weight in a short period of time?'"
She also said that, if she hadn't been able to fit into the dress, then she "just simply couldn't have gone, which wouldn't have mattered."
THE CRITICISM PT. 2: Kim also received backlash for wearing the historical garment — which had been in a museum — in the first place.
THE RESPONSE PT. 2: She told Vogue, "I'm extremely respectful to the dress and what it means to American history. I would never want to sit in it or eat in it or have any risk of any damage to it, and I won't be wearing the kind of body makeup I usually do."
"Everything had to be specifically timed, and I had to practice walking up the stairs," she said.
She didn't wear the dress the entire night. After walking the red carpet, she changed into a replica.
