No, Lisa Wasn’t Wearing Rosa Parks Underwear at the Met Gala
On Met Gala Monday, a sizable chunk of the internet leaned forward, squinted at their screens, and asked, “Uh … is that civil rights icon Rosa Parks parked on Lisa’s crotch?” The answer is no, according to the artist who collaborated with Pharrell Williams on the Blackpink singer and White Lotus star’s highly-scrutinized outfit. “The figure featured in Lisa’s Louis Vuitton look is not Rosa Parks, but one of Henry’s neighbors,” a representative for artist Henry Taylor confirmed in a statement to Vulture. “The faces seen on this look, as well as on previous LV garments featuring Taylor’s artwork, are all drawn from his personal life – family members, friends, and neighbors. These figures come directly from Henry’s existing artworks, which he provided to LVMH for Pharrell’s debut collection with Louis Vuitton in 2023. None of the individuals depicted in any of the garments are Rosa Parks or other well-known figures from Black cultural history. They are all people from Henry’s own life.” The New York Times and Hyperallergic both previously also reported that the faces on the lacy bodysuit and blazer were depictions of people that the renowned painter knew.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that the internet is going to give Lisa’s ass a break, though. The theme of this year’s Met Gala was “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” and the event honored and celebrated Black dandyism; in a behind-the-scenes final fitting video for Vogue, Williams told Lisa that her outfit is a moment to “highlight the taste level and the taste buds of Black people.” But Lisa’s attendance came at a time when some people were already feeling wary about whether she could tastefully engage with Black culture, given past controversies. Many of the viral tweets critiquing her Met Gala outfit bring it up in the context of her alleged past use of the N-word. Last month, videos began circulating online that purportedly show Lisa and two fellow Blackpink bandmates using the racial slur multiple times while covering songs prior to their 2016 debut. (None of the members have publicly acknowledged the controversy, and representatives did not respond to Vulture’s request for comment.) Lisa rapped an often-cited example of butchered AAVE in K-pop (“You gon’ finna catch me”) in 2017, and in 2021, she apologized to a fan who brought up concerns over box-braid hairstyle in a music video. For some, the very idea that Lisa would agree to wear a Black activist’s face on her crotch and backside — even though that turned out not to be true — seemingly just felt like the offensive cherry on top of an already-controversial cake.
Related