Celebrity fashion is a topic that has always interested people because of characteristics like bright colors, oddly-shaped clothing pieces, and unique pairings. Think of Lady Gaga’s meat dress. Yes, it doesn’t hit the points I mentioned in the previous sentence but it was so iconic that people still talk and think about it today. Lady Gaga, a pop singer who put out hits like, “Poker Face”, “Paparazzi”, and “Applause”, wore a dress made of actual meat to protest the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. It made sense for her image, but it wouldn’t have made sense if other artists did the same thing.
Caption: The meat dress was the third and final outfit Lady Gaga wore to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards and she told presenter Cher to hold her purse while she accepted her Video of the Year trophy for “Bad Romance”.
Recently, I’ve started noticing a resurgence in recognition of the outfits well-known pop singers wear for their performances. Whether it’s a concert or a performance at an awards show, there’s just something about their outfits that make these outfits stand out. And this is nothing new, because many artists have had their looks recognized and labeled as “memorable”.
For example, this is Rihanna performing at Jingle Ball 2008. She’s wearing a leather one-shoulder dress with a belt to cinch in her waist.
Another example is Britney Spears performing in a matching bright pink set made up of a studded crop top and high-waisted pants.
And of course, I have to mention Destiny’s Child (although I would consider them more RnB, they are also considered pop singers). Their outfits were not only matching/synchronized, but it was adjusted to fit their style and their preferences.
Okay, okay, I’ve shown two examples. But why is there an increased attention to what singers, specifically pop singers, are wearing? I think we can chalk this up to one reason: everybody tends to wear similar looking outfits; and because of this monotony, there’s no uniqueness in outfits anymore. Let’s come back to the present and think about your favorite pop singers. What are they wearing for their performances?
Take a look at three of Sabrina Carpenter’s outfits. In the left picture, she rocks a matching fuchsia pink heart-shaped top and mini-skirt with extra fabric hanging on the side. In the middle, she’s in a strapless baby pink dress with a heart cut out at the top and thigh garters attached to it. In the right picture, she’s in a sparkly silver dress with spaghetti straps and a piecey fringe on the bottom. And to wrap up all her outfits, she’s wearing the same boots in all of them (white platform knee high boots).
Sabrina, as an artist, creates fun and upbeat music, like the song “Nonsense”; it was released on July 15, 2022 as part of her album, Emails I Can’t Send. During this album's tour, she started to change the outro lyrics to fit the place she was performing at, contributing even more attention to the already popular track. And of course, when you’re singing catchy, fun songs, it only makes sense to wear cute, feminine outfits accessorized with some sort of heart and sparkle detailing.
Her stylistic choices reflect her artistry and personality. She’s playful and a flirt so her clothes reflect that through the color choices (various shades of pink) and the length of her clothes (mini-skirts and the lack of sleeves). Because of those outfits and songs, many of her listeners feel that she’s bringing back the idea of making pop music fun since her music is fun and lighthearted. Additionally, a lot of people feel that she’s really bringing back that unseriousness a lot of pop stars in the 2000s embodied.
Similarly, Tate McRae has been receiving more attention for both her songs and her performance outfits. In the left picture, she’s wearing a cropped white top with blue form-fitting shorts. In the middle, a set with silver sparkly detailing and a pop of black; inspired by the 2000s love for matching sets. In the right picture, a matching set consisting of a shiny black bralette top with matching black pants and diagonal silver details.
It’s clear that some of the outfits were inspired by the 2000s, like the matching sets. Not only that, Tate grew up as a dancer so it’s likely she also drew outfit inspiration from her experiences in dance competitions and in different dance styles. In the music video for her song “Exes”, she drew a lot of inspiration from 2000s pop singers like Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears, not just in outfits but in the choreography, as well; she knew she wanted to do full choreography for this song.
So, what does all of this say about pop star fashion? Is it really making a comeback or are people just now noticing more?
Pop star fashion is something that’s playful, fun, and even risky. We’ve seen different pop singers in the 2000s take big risks with fashion (think of Britney Spears and the snake and Christina Aguilera’s “Dirty” outfit) and it paid off. These risks made them more known, helped them gain more fans, and most importantly, they became more memorable as true pop stars. In this part of the 2020s, I don’t think there is necessarily a “comeback” but the mainstream crowd and media are taking more notice, making it seem like there is one. This can be chalked up to the way some singers dress is different, exciting, unique, and refreshing compared to other people in their field. And because some pop singers are choosing to wear clothes that not only fit their personality and style, it also works well with their songs because it wouldn’t make sense for them to perform fun and silly songs in vans, mom jeans, and a corset from Shein.