Olivia Rodrigo is catching heat over what some fans believe is a fashion faux pas.
Critics have called out the pop star, 23, after she wore a babydoll dress and bloomers underneath during her performance at Spotify’s Billions Club Live on May 8.
“She is wearing pink dresses that are similar to what toddlers wear with frilly underwear beneath it,” wrote one X user in response to her outfit at the Barcelona event.
Rodrigo faced major backlash online after hitting the stage in a short white dress featuring a floral print and puff sleeves. The dress had a loose silhouette and ruffle trim along the neck and hemline, leading some naysayers to claim the outfit infantilized her.
Another social media user griped, “This is giving child clothes and with all the sexy moves she tries to pull, it kinda looks weird.” A third viral post with 21 million views declared, “Maybe I’m too woke,” to which another person replied, “Fr tho, that babydoll s*** on a grown woman is straight ick. Looks like she’s cosplaying as a kid and it’s weird af.”
The “good 4 u” singer faced similar responses when she wore a pastel pink and powder blue babydoll dress featuring an off-the-shoulder neckline trimmed with ruffled lace while filming her new music video for “drop dead.” She paired the look with lace bloomers and knee-high knit socks.
Rodrigo, however, shared her love for the style — which Taylor Swift also recently wore — during an interview with Vogue published on May 1.
“I really love the idea of a babydoll [dress],” the singer said. “I just remember being younger and having pictures of Courtney Love and Kat Bjelland from all these riot grrrl punk bands in their babydoll dresses, just owning it.”
Despite mixed feelings on the look, many of Rodrigo’s fans agree with her, even coming to her defense online. “Why do people interpret babydoll dresses in album visuals/performances as child imitation when the aesthetic is clearly distinct from actually trying to look like a child?” one person asked, while another said: “If ur seriously getting mad at olivia rodrigo wearing a babydoll dress get a life and off my tml.”
A third pointed out, “Olivia rodrigo is wearing a babydoll dress. she is not wearing childrens clothes & babydoll dresses have been a staple in fashion for years.”
“I also like that it kind of feels a little pajama-y,” she added. “The concept of the [‘Drop Dead’] video is like magical realism for me. Like, oh, I just woke up and I’m in Versailles, I’m trapezing through the halls in this outfit that I maybe could have just woken up in. That was sort of the nexus of it, and I think the colors went really well with the beautiful gold backdrop and then tied into my album imagery as well.”
After her latest gig, Rodrigo also celebrated another successful show for the books. She posted, “Forca barca!!!! thx a million 4 having me @fcbarcelona @spotify 🏆❤️.”
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