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K-pop star and White Lotus actress Lisa made her Met Gala debut on Monday night (May 5), wearing in a sparkly Louis Vuitton blazer and lace bodysuit with embroidered faces – an ensemble that landed her amongst the best dressed celebrities on the red carpet this year.
But what appeared to be a nod to the evening’s theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” – a celebration of Black dandyism, where Black individuals embrace traditionally European tailoring to challenge racial stereotypes – instead sparked controversy online.
Netizens were quick to notice what they claimed to be a face resembling American civil rights activist Rosa Parks embroidered on the crotch area of the Blackpink star’s bodysuit.
Parks was known for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in 1955, an act that sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It's considered a pivotal moment in the US civil rights movement, and the activist was involved in ending racial discrimination and segregation.
Blackpink's Lisa in Louis Vuitton at the Met Gala 2025. (Photo: Louis Vuitton)
The outfit had sparked backlash online, with some criticising the look as “disrespectful” and “disappointing” to have a Black activist’s face depicted on her crotch as per several Instagram comments under her Met Gala post.
However, a representative for artist Henry Taylor, who collaborated on Lisa’s look with singer-designer Pharrell Williams, has clarified on entertainment news site Vulture after the Met Gala that none of the individuals illustrated on Lisa’s look were civil rights figures.
“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 neighbours,” the representative said.
