Temswas turning some heads at theAcademy Awardswith her unique choice of dress, especially for the people seated directly behind her. The Grammy winning singer-songwriter was nominated for an Oscar for her work on theBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreversong “Lift Me Up,” which she co-wrote with Rihanna. While her dress certainly stood out and made for some great pictures on the red carpet, it proved to be a bit problematic when it came time for Tems to take her seat. Notably, the dress extended beyond her head and shoulders, and this left several people seated behind Tems awkwardly struggling to catch glimpses of Oscar winners accepting their awards and other big moments all throughout the night.
The dress managed to capture the attention of a lot of viewers, and it went viral with people online sharing their opinions. It drew a lot of criticism with many viewers of the Oscars labeling the dress as"rude"or “inconsiderate,” suggesting that it ruined the experience for the people who had to sit behind Tems. Many people on Twitter imagined what it must have felt like to attend the prestigious ceremony only for their view to be obstructed in such a way.
“Imagine waiting your whole life to be at the Oscars and you end up sitting behind a stratus cloud,” as one tweet reads.
Sharing a video showing people struggling to look around the dress, another tweeter said, “Am I the only one who feels bad for the people behind this white dress?”
There are also fans of Tems who are defending the choice of dress. Some say she accomplished her goal of standing out at the big event, and others compare it to some of the bizarre outfits Lady Gaga used to wear to awards show while on her ascent. Other defenders are suggesting that the criticism against Tems has more to do with the Nigerian singer’s ethnicity.
“Tems did the unimaginable, the unthinkable - she dared to STAND OUT & BE NOTICED as an unambiguous AFRICAN WOMAN at a global event,” as one tweet reads. “Where was all this concern for people’s wellbeing when Lady Gaga wore a meat dress?? She made people sit next to decaying flesh & people were commenting on what an ‘icon’ she is. Rot in hell, you pernicious bastards!!!”
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Celebrities Are Weighing In
Some celebrities are even getting in on the conversation.Star Warslegend Mark Hamill couldn’t help but crack a joke by writing onTwitter, “With my luck, I’d get Oscar tickets, then be seated directly behind the woman wearing that gigantic white veil.”
Posting an image of an arrow pointing to the area behind Tems,CasperandChuckystar Devon Sawa also tweeted, “I’m seated right here. Good news is, I’m at the Oscars. Bad news is I can’t see a thing.”
In any case, the dress has gotten a lot of people talking, which means more attention has been brought to Tems. You can see some more of the various reactions people are having about the viral dress below.
