Why everyone dressed like Britney Spears at the 2024 VMAs

Now, it’s possible that guests felt especially inspired to mention their favorite pop stars because of the event’s 40th anniversary. But it still says something that Spears seemed to have more influence on the younger generation’s fashion choices than anyone else last night. At the height of her career, Britney often found herself on worst-dressed lists, criticized for being too revealing, too sexy, or even too Latin. But the outfits she wore then — the printed T-shirts, the lingerie-inspired minidresses, the sparkly stilettos — are now considered vintage perfection, not just because she wore them, but because they changed our idea of ​​pop star style.

Her looks have become synonymous with the VMAs over the years, perhaps because it was the only awards show where she got the respect she deserved. She only attended the Grammy Awards a few times and won just one during her entire career (in 2005 for Best Dance Recording for “Toxic”). But the VMAs? That was Spears’ domainAnd her appearance over the years influenced the next generation, who grew up with a love of experimentation and a refusal to take dressing too seriously.

Sometimes the greatest creative forces are people who never tried to be influential and still don’t let that bother them. After the new pop girls posed on the VMAs carpet last night and openly displayed their love for Britney, the star posted a video on Instagram. As she often does, she danced alone in her living room in a glittery minidress. She didn’t have to be at the party; it was as if she was already there.

Bianca Betancourt is the culture editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, where she covers all things movies, TV, music, and more. When she’s not writing, she enjoys baking impromptu cookies, listening to the same early 2000s pop playlist over and over, and following Mariah Carey’s Twitter feed.