This week:
- The pope in the age of TikTok.
- The Met Gala moment I’ll never get over.
- Lady Gaga broke a record and I have questions.
- Kelly Clarkson, iconic again.
- Countess Luann, iconic always.
The Fashion Nightmare of the Year
I can’t stop thinking about—and may never stop thinking about—the Rosa Parks panties.
When the Met Gala theme honoring Black style and tailoring was announced and we started our coverage plans for The Daily Beast’s Obsessed, I casually mentioned, “I’m sure there’s going to be some celebrity who does something horrifyingly tone deaf and offensive.”
My brain was operating in Before Times, when we could rely on a foolish white actress to do blackface or do her hair in dreadlocks. Never could I imagine that the biggest global superstar would have a portrait of a civil rights icon on her hoo-ha.
The biggest fashion story from this year’s Met Gala was Lisa, the breakout star from K-Pop sensation Blackpink who also played Mook in The White Lotus. Part of her Louis Vuitton outfit, which was styled by the brand’s men’s creative director Pharrell Williams, involved panties that had faces stitched into the design of the fabric. (Like many of the brand’s looks for the night, the outfit was confusingly pantsless.)
In a statement, the brand swears that the face that everyone assumed was Rosa Parks isn’t actually Rosa Parks, but the image of a friend of the underwear’s designer. Depending on how much you trust PR crisis damage control, you can believe that.
Is that Rosa Parks on Lisa’s panties ?!? Jumpscare ! #MetGala2025 pic.twitter.com/u0YQOpbJaF
— ru / 🐝 (@shoyurudy) May 5, 2025
Still, the snafu that it could be perceived by anyone with eyes and an education in American history to be the face of a civil rights hero sitting pretty on the private muffin of a pop star is a pretty wild error for a major fashion brand to make. And one that I may never stop gasping about.
Lady Gaga Set a Massive Record
Lady Gaga played a concert for a reported 2.5 million people at Copa Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It set a record for the highest attendance at a concert ever performed by a female artist, breaking Madonna’s previous achievement of 1.6 million.
The photos and videos of the crowd are astonishing. Just endless throngs of people, stretching back for what seems like endless blocks, all with their necks craned at massive video screens showing the concert for attendees who are way too far away to even have a prayer of seeing the singer or the stage.
Lady Gaga made history with her concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, drawing an estimated 2.5 million fans and breaking a record previously set by Madonna → https://t.co/wMaoD05FCC pic.twitter.com/wdvt5B9G2Q
— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) May 4, 2025
It’s so cool that Gaga broke this record and that fans turned out in such wildly huge numbers. That said, I have questions.
How early did people get there? How long did it take to get home when the concert was over? Food??? Bathroom???!!! How loud was the show if 2.5 million people were able to hear it? What happened to the other businesses that were at the beach? Were people just like eating McDonald’s while millions of people were dancing to “Abracadabra” next to them? And, mostly, was it worth it?
How All Songs Should Be Written
Honestly, I don’t get why more songs aren’t inspired by Meryl Streep.
Kelly Clarkson said that she wrote her new song “Where Have You Been” after being particularly moved by a scene in Only Murders in the Building between Meryl Streep and Martin Short.
The scene is when the pair talk about how they may be each other’s soul mates after years of searching. Short’s character asks Streep’s character, “Where have you been?”
Of all the reasons I love Kelly Clarkson, the fact that she wrote a banger of a love song after watching an episode of a Hulu comedy series is surging to the top of the list.
Rest in Peace, Darling
Countess Luann taking a moment to tell Pope Francis to “rest in peace, darling” while on the Bravo talk show Watch What Happens Live is a moment I will cherish forever.
What to watch this week:
Forever: A Judy Blume book that’s frequently banned from schools is adapted into a lovely Netflix series. (Now on Netflix)
Caught by the Tides: This is a small movie, but it’s a gem worth seeking out. (Now in theaters)
Fight or Flight: The Josh Harnett-aissance is alive and well. (Now in theaters)
What to skip this week:
Nonnas: Italian grandmas deserve so much better. (Now on Netflix)
The post I’ll Never Get Over the (Apparent) Rosa Parks Underwear appeared first on The Daily Beast.
