Becoming a celebrity is like the ultimate double-edged sword. On one hand, the entire world’s eyes are on you, and this opens up unprecedented opportunities to grow your career.
On the other hand, when everyone’s eyes are on you, that means everyone will notice when you make even the smallest missteps. That’s why celebrity scandals last for many years and sometimes end up defining their careers.
This is something Emily Ratajkowski understands all too well. Back in 2016, she wore a very special dress to the Harper’s Bazaar Icons Party. That dress left little to the imagination and caused a minor scandal that follows her to this day.
What was the original scandal all about, though, and what has been Ratajkowski’s surprising response to it? Keep reading to learn the answers!
The original scandal
In terms of celebrity scandals, wearing a dress may not sound so bad at first. Short of disrobing and performing her own “wardrobe malfunction” just what was so controversial about what Emily Ratajkowski did?
In a word: nothing. All that happened was that she picked out a sexy dress for the party. And the dress was basically so sexy that it caused plenty of jaws to wag about whether it was appropriate. The rest of the jaws, of course, were on the floor after everyone got a good look at her!
Looking back, Ratajkowski blames most of the heart concerning her dress on its panel. In a Harper’s Bazaar video, she acknowledged that part of the issue was that she didn’t realize the dress would be too spicy for this event. “I was in my 20s and I just hadn’t registered that it was so sexy,” she said. However, she clarified that she didn’t realize it was so sexy “because there is a panel in the middle, but it looks like there isn’t.”
“It caused this whole thing,” she said before giving the understatement of the millennium: “there was drama.”
What did critics have to say about the dress?
If Helen of Troy had the face that launched a thousand ships, it’s fair to say that Ratajkowski had the dress that launched a thousand clicks. Internet users couldn’t get enough of scoping her out, especially with that plunging neckline. But for every new fan she won over that day, Ratajkowski discovered another critic.
One of the most vociferous critics was fashion consultant Tim Gunn. As E! News reports, Gunn was quite scandalized by the entire outfit. “If I saw this at a party, all I could do would be to drink. I couldn’t eat. There’s absolutely no way,” he said. “This dress is so appallingly vulgar and revealing. Why wear anything?! Why not just take it all off?!”
Then and now, it’s difficult to read Gunn’s critique of the dress as anything less than a critique of Ratajkowski herself. Fortunately, she wasn’t afraid to hit back at her harshest critic.
Hitting back at her critics
Plenty of people were quick to label Gunn’s criticisms as sexist (mostly because they revealed he was apparently horrified to see a female body wearing something he didn’t approve of). However, few of the responses to Gunn were both as succinct and stinging as the one offered by Emily Ratajkowski.
According to E! News, she pointed out that “I was basically called out for wanting attention, which I think is interesting because you go to red carpets for attention, basically.” Continuing, she put things even more plainly: “It’s part of your job as a celebrity.”
Honestly, we’re team Ratajkowski on this one. Tim Gunn may be a “fashion consultant,” but that means he’s got nothing to work with in the absence of celebrity fashion. So when someone like Ratajkowski is serving up these steaming hot looks and all Gunn can do is complain about the “vulgar” sight, it looks like he needs to find another job!
Why Emily Ratajkowski has zero regrets about the dress
At this point, six years have gone by since the original “scandal” of wearing a smoking hot black dress. Now that she has had time to process everyone’s reactions, how does Emily Ratajkowski actually feel about that dress?
According to E! News, she basically has zero regrets about wearing it. “I still like that dress,” she said. “I still think I look great.” That last comment may sound egotistical, but let’s be honest: what were critics like Gunn hoping would happen? That Ratajkowski would issue some kind of formal apology for (gasp!) looking too good at a major party?
Ultimately, she understands the assignment: she showed up to a major party in a killer dress, generated countless headlines, and then got to sit back and watch her haters have a collective meltdown. That’s nothing short of living the dream, and we can only wish her and her future fashion choices the best of luck!
Pretty girl dressing like a prostitute. She does not need to dress in that fashion it only cheapens her and is not completely.
Dressing like a slut is not living the good life
To call a woman a slut is disgusting, for anyone to tell someone else what to or not to wear is unacceptable, keep your thoughts in your head and look at your own issues and insecurities.