If ever there were an awards red carpet all about what the stars aren’t wearing, it’s the Grammy Awards.
Jennifer Lopez turned heads when she wore her iconic Versace dress to the 2000 Grammy Awards. The stunning red carpet appearance was the famous inspiration behind the creation of Google Images.
The singer — who rewore the gown to close out Versace’s fashion show in 2020 — later recalled how she felt wearing the dress each time.
“The first time I wore it, I actually didn’t have another dress. Usually I have choices. It was a last-minute thing that caused a sensation that was unexpected,” she told Vanity Fair in September 2020. “The second time was very planned-out.”
Lopez continued: “Donatella [Versace] said, ‘You know, this year is the 20th anniversary of the jungle dress. I think I’m going to do a whole show about it. Would you come?’ And I said, ‘Of course. Just call me.’ It’s all timing, schedules and stuff. And then she wound up calling and said, ‘I want you to walk at the end, and I want you to come out in the dress.’ The same dress. We’ll make a new one for you.'”
The Hustlers star recalled the emotions that came with wearing the ensemble again, saying, “The second time I wore it and walked out there, it was such an empowering thing. Twenty years had gone by, and I think for women, knowing you can put on a dress 20 years later — it resonated. It was like, ‘Yes, you know, life is not over at 20!'”
While filming her Netflix Halftime documentary, Lopez said she struggled with the comments made about her body due to the iconic outfit.
“When I started working, the beauty ideal was very thin: blond, tall, and not a lot of curves. I grew up around women with curves. So it was nothing ever I was ashamed of,” she detailed in the 2022 documentary. “It was hard when you think people think you’re a joke, like you’re a punch line.”
At the time, the New York native admitted she thought about quitting because of negative comments about her.
“No matter what I achieved, their appetite to cover my personal life overshadowed everything that was happening in my career,” she continued. “I just had very low self-esteem. I really believed a lot of what they said, which is, I wasn’t any good, that I wasn’t a good singer, I wasn’t a good actress, I wasn’t a good dancer. I wasn’t good at anything. I just didn’t belong here. I felt like I was in this really abusive, dysfunctional relationship.”
Later in the film, footage showed Lopez receiving a hug from Vogue editor Anna Wintour when she put on her Versace gown for a second time.
Scroll down to see the most scandalous, revealing and daring dresses worn to the Grammys:
