Olivia Culpo is finally opening up about all the criticism surrounding her wedding!
The former Miss Universe married San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey last month during a ceremony in Rhode Island. But one of the happiest days of her life soon turned into a nightmare as she got ripped apart online over everything from her makeup to even her wedding dress. For the big day, Olivia wore a white, long-sleeved gown from Dolce & Gabbana. She told Vogue ahead of her nuptials that she “didn’t want it to exude sex in any way, shape or form” when she walked down the aisle and wanted something that “felt as serious” as the commitment of marriage. Check it out (below):
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While the 32-year-old model was going for “beauty and simplicity” with her look, social media users had a lot of other words to describe it. Many took offense to her remarks, blasting the patriarchal message behind it. Fashion influencer Kennedy Bingham, specifically, claimed on TikTok that the way Olivia talked about the dress “went beyond just wanting something modest for herself and pushing this idea of what she thinks all brides should look like.” She also slammed the bride’s gown for giving “nothing,” lacking “personality,” and being designed by a brand with a history of racism, homophobia, and body shaming.
Damn!
Olivia and her hubby fired back at Kennedy, saying her comments were “evil” and “extremely hurtful.” No matter what the couple said, though, the criticism didn’t stop! TikToker Jess Weslie then said Olivia had “pick me” and “weird” vibes — just because she spoke about keeping her makeup natural for the wedding in Vogue. Oh, and that was not all. She and Christian also got blasted by his former Panthers teammate Cam Newton for not inviting him! Jeez.
As we said, her wedding got trashed left and right! But beyond defending herself in the comments, Olivia has not spoken out about the backlash. Until now! She reacted to the whole debacle for the first time in an interview with People on Thursday, saying:
“I wanted to feel like myself in every sense of the word. And I think that that’s where my decision to be more pared down came in.”
When Olivia started to get slammed online about her look, it came as a complete shock to her! She expressed:
“I was definitely very surprised. I feel like I personally like to give people the benefit of the doubt. And unfortunately, I feel like the words I said were spun out of context to fit an agenda that I did not have. I loved every part of my wedding because I love my husband and the people we got to celebrate that day with. The choices that I made are because I wanted to feel like they’re choices I could be proud of in 50 years. And that’s it.”
Despite what criticisms some have, she loved her dress at the end of the day. Olivia continued:
“Stylistically I had a vision. Stylistically, I felt like I was making a decision that was going to stand the test of time, and that’s it. I felt very comfortable in it, for what it’s worth. I was on the water and there was a very nice breeze.”
The reality star also made it clear she went for a look that she wanted and wasn’t trying to push the idea of what other brides should look like. Ultimately, she just feels all women should “stay true to” themselves when looking for a dress for their wedding:
“Stick to the vision you have in your head and don’t worry about anything else. No matter what you wear, no matter what your decisions are from your makeup to your hair, to the gown. You will look absolutely beautiful because it’s a beautiful day.”
It sounds like Olivia isn’t letting all the backlash ruin her special day — not anymore, at least! Reactions to the dress drama, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments!
[Image via Olivia Culpo/Instagram, TLC/YouTube]