Yahoo Lifestyle "People Were Horrified": 11 Celebs Look Back On Some Of Their Most Risky Red Carpet Looks
When it comes to red carpet looks, wearing sheer fabric is nothing new. It's how celebs decide to style it that makes the outfit come to life.
From pasties, underwear, appliqués, embroidery, and more, the options are endless. Most recently, Kanye "Ye" West's wife, Bianca Censori, shocked the world when she decided to wear absolutely nothing under her barely visible sheer dress.
Despite the commotion her choice of clothing — or lack thereof — caused on the internet, this isn't the first time a red carpet look was deemed too racy, risqué, or just downright inappropriate for the public.
Here's a look back at some of the most controversial red carpet looks in Hollywood history:
1.Rose McGowan let it all hang out at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.
“They slut-shamed me like crazy," Rose told Yahoo! Entertainment of the backlash she received at the time. "It was kind of hard. I hadn’t really ever dealt with global media shaming. But it prepared me for later on, it happening to me a whole bunch. It was also like, ‘Sorry you’re square and I’m not. Bummer.'"
“It was my first big public appearance after being sexually assaulted," she explained to Yahoo! Entertainment in 2020. In 2017, Rose publicly accused disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein of raping her in 1997.
"Most of the women that have done, you know, homages or dressed kind of like that on the red carpet, it's a calculated, sexy move to turn people on. Mine was like, ‘I’m gonna fuck with your brain.'"
2.Forget "free the nipple," Lil' Kim freed her breast at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.
"Lil' Kim came out showing a tit or two being like, 'my femininity and my being female is an asset as opposed to a hindrance to overcome,'" said vintage clothing dealer and stylist Gabriel Held in The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion.
American fashion designer and stylist Misa Hylton revealed the inspiration behind Kim's look: "Missy Elliott actually inspired the look," Misa told PopSugar. "We were hanging out one weekend, and we were talking about fashion and Lil' Kim, and she said, 'You know what? If I was Kim, I would just say fuck it, and I would have one titty out.' Because Kim could do some crazy shit like that. So I just said, wow, that would be kind of hot. So I saved the idea, and the next big event we had was the 1999 MTV Music Awards."
3.Dakota Johnson was caught in a crystal web of her own at the Los Angeles premiere of Madame Web in 2024.
"It's Gucci," Dakota told Extra TV.
"You look warm," she added. "I'm jealous."
4.Hunter Schafer's top was light as a feather at the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.
“I was interested in the tension between masculine and feminine, but also the tension between masculine and feminine within one person,” Belgian fashion designer Ann Demeulemeester told Vogue.
“That is what makes every person really interesting to me because everybody is unique.”
Note: This look is a part of Ann Demeulemeester's fashion house, but it was designed by Ludovic de Saint Sernin, the label’s creative director.
5.If she could turn back time, Cher would definitely bring this 1974 Met Gala look out of retirement. The theme was "Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design."
“The place went crazy,” iconic fashion designer Bob Mackie told Interview. “I’ve never seen so many photographers just come out of the shadows at the Met and take her picture. And, of course, she was in every newspaper the next day, and they’ve been printing it in the last 50 years, over and over again.”
"But it was just amazing,” he added. “People were horrified, they thought, that’s not fashion, she’s just naked at the Metropolitan.”
6.Rihanna shined bright like a diamond at the 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards, where she was being presented with the Fashion Icon Award.
"Yes, I am," Rihanna responded after being asked if she was comfortable. "Do my tits bother you? They're covered in Swarovski crystals!"
Rihanna told Vogue she only had one regret about the outfit: "I just liked it better without the lines underneath," she said, explaining why she opted out of a bra. "Could you imagine the CFDA dress with a bra? I would slice my throat. I already wanted to, for wearing a thong that wasn't bedazzled. That's the only regret I have in my life."
7.Miley Cyrus put on a show with her outfits while hosting the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards.
"This VMAs show was the beginning of a whole new era for Miley," Miley's stylist Simone Harouche told the Hollywood Reporter. "Having said that, we decided to go for a whole new aesthetic that was a definite departure from the Bangerz Tour."
"[It] was just another page for her evolution as an artist. We were inspired by so many different eras and ideas, but at the end of the day, she really just wanted to have a fun time with it all, and not take it so seriously."
8.No one was ready for the culture reset Jennifer Lopez's 2000 Grammys dress would cause.
"It was a dress that other people had worn already," J.Lo told People. "My stylist was like, 'Please don't wear it. Somebody else has worn it.' I was like, 'Well, you bought it, and it looks the best, so I'm going to wear it.' And so I did. And it caused quite a stir."
"I guess every generation needs its iconic kind of Marilyn dress, and this is that dress for this generation," she added. "Why it became that? It was just a moment when the wind blew open, and I walked out onto the stage, and it just kinda happened."
9.Barbra Streisand caused a ton of commotion at the 1969 Academy Awards when she didn't realize her sequined pantsuit would be so...transparent.
“I had no idea that when the lights hit that outfit, it would become transparent,” she said in a later interview.
“I thought to myself, I’m going to win two Oscars in my lifetime, and I’ll be more conservative next time.”
10.It was hard for a lot of people to breathe again after Toni Braxton showed up to the 2001 Grammys wearing this cutout number.
''I've always gone a little risqué with all my other awards [show outfits],'' Toni said.
''I decided that before I got married and had babies, I'd wear this.''
11.Lastly, speaking of cutouts, Carmen Electra had everyone buzzing when she showed up to the 1998 MTV Movie Awards with the sides of her dress missing.
"I still have this dress I wore to the MTV Movie Awards in the '90s. Kim Kardashian remade this designer dress, and I think it’s flattering not a competition," she wrote on FB after learning people were comparing her to Kim Kardashian.
"I think it’s cool shouting out love to the ladies always have!!!!!!!!"
How do you feel about these racy red carpet looks? Is there one that didn't make the list that is permanently embedded in your brain? Tell me about it in the comments!
