20 Celebrity Outfits That Stirred Up a *Major* Controversy

From ticking off PETA to offending Hindu sentiments, it's a battle of the most controversial!

Nov 20, 2020
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Beyoncé set her music video, 'Hymn for the Weekend' in India, and was accused of cultural appropriation and criticised for an inaccurate portrayal of the country. A twitter user tweeted, "I dont even know what to say about this Coldplay video except can white rock bands please stop filming holi videos in India, thank you."
For Rihanna’s West Hollywood Halloween party Chris Brown decided to dress like an Arab terrorist!
For another Halloween party, Hilary decided to wear a native-American inspired costume and was criticised for being culturally insensitive. To extend her apologies for causing the stir, she tweeted, "I am SO sorry to people I offended with my costume. It was not properly thought through and I am truly sorry."
For the 2000 Grammy Awards, actress and singer Jennifer Lopez stepped onto the red carpet in a sheer, tropical Versace dress with a plunging neck-line. Needless to say, she caught EVERYONE's attention and soon became the most-searched item on Google!
For the 'Notting Hill' Premiere in 1999, Julia featured her unshaven armpits that received a bunch of judgement (grow up, people!)
At the Met Gala in 2015, Katy wore a black dress that featured graffiti which was accused of plagiarism. NYC street artist Joseph "Rime" Tierney claimed the artwork stole elements from his "Vandal Eyes" mural in Detroit.
During the 2013 American Music Awards, Katy Perry donned a Japenese Geisha-inspired outfit that became a topic of discussion. Attacked for cultural appropriation and stereotyping, one twitter user said, "Oh wow Katy Perry's backup dancers were literally wearing yellowface makeup."
In an attempt to launch a line of tees with her billionaire sister Kylie, the duo faced backlash and accusations of cultural appropriation. They never got permission to use the photos of music stars that were imprinted on t-shirts and then sold for $125 a piece.
Another K-sister found herself at the receiving end of criticism. During a trip to Dubai, Khloe posted a photograph of herself wearing a niqab, captioned, 'habibi love.' Soon enough, the star was accused of cultural appropriation and hurting sentiments.
The Kardashian sisters seem to find themselves in a fashion-fix quite often! In another instance, Khloe wore a Native American-inspired headdress to North West's Coachella-themed birthday party. She was accused of cultural appropriation. "It's terrible," said Cliff Matias, cultural director of the Redhawk Native American Arts Council.
In September 2016, Kylie Jenner attended the spring 2017 Jonathan Simkhai Fashion Week show in New York and was criticised for sporting a du-rag as a fashion accessory.
While Lady Gaga had worn a bra featuring rifles in her video for the song 'Alejandro' as well as the cover of 'Rolling Stone', she stirred up controversy when she wore it during a concert right after the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
For the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards Lady Gaga wore a dress made of 40 pounds of flank steak. As expected, people were shocked and severely displeased. Animal rights group PETA released a statement immediately after the event, calling the dress 'offensive' and saying, "what's next: the family cat made into a hat? Meat is the decomposing flesh of a tormented animal who didn't want to die."
Guess who? The ex-first lady, of course. On her way to visit immigrant children in Texas, Melania sported a Zara jacket that read 'I REALLY DON'T CARE, DO U?'. While she was held under attack with statements like, "The Devil Wears Zara", she justified that the message on the jacket was meant for the left-wing media who were criticising her.
For the 2015 VMAs, Miley wore a custom-made Versace oufit that arose a sense of confusion in most.
Rapper Nicki Minaj came clad in a red Versace cloak and gloves for the 2012 Grammy Awards. However, the problem wasn't her, it was her date dressed like a Pope that offended many. The Washington Post even asked, "Why did Minaj feel compelled to bring a man dressed as the leader of the Catholic Church to music's premier event?"
Front page news! For a 'colonials and natives' themed party, Prince Harry chose to dress up as a Nazi. Not a great idea, eh?
The 2018 Met Gala's theme was 'Heavenly Bodies', for which Rihanna adorned a Pope-like hat studded with diamonds and pearls. "The wearing of crosses/pope garb at the #metgala by people who aren't Christian/Catholic is obviously sacrilegious," criticised one Twitter user.
In April 2013, actress and singer Selena Gomez wore a bindi on her forehead during a performance at the MTV Movie Awards which offended many Hindu religious groups.
Serena Williams decided to wear a catsuit to the 2018 French Open. All seemed well and good until 'The French Tennis Federation' president, Bernard Giudicelli, decided to ban the one-piece for future tournaments.
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