Nicole Kidman has defended her decision to wear a Miu Miu micro miniskirt on the cover of Vanity Fair’s Hollywood Issue last year.
In February 2022, the 56-year-old actress graced the cover of the magazine in the skirt and bralette set, which was designed by Miuccia Prada for the spring/summer 2022 collection and is an ode to the Y2K low-rise trend.
The viral set first hit the runway in Milan last October and has since been seen on different celebrities like Hailey Bieber, Zendaya, and Emma Corrin.
For her controversial photoshoot, the Eyes Wide Shut actress accessorized her Miu Miu look with calf-high socks and pointed leather loafers.
Check out Kidman's cover below:While the ensemble showed off the Oscar-winning star's incredible physique, she became the center of debates around ageism and beauty standards as some fans accused Vanity Fair of allegedly using too much photoshop, and for infantilizing her.
Now, the Big Little Lies star has opened up about the viral cover and daring get-up in a new cover story for Australia’s Stellar magazine.
"I make the most random, crazy choices. I call them 'teenage choices' because I just don’t ever think of consequences," Kidman said of her style, according to PEOPLE.
"Part of my brain just doesn’t think like that. I just go, 'Oh, I’m going to wear that; it reminds me of my school uniform.' Or, 'Oh my God, yeah, I’d love to do that,'" she continued. "I try to [stay] in that place because I think otherwise you get scared or worried."
Reflecting on the online criticism, the Moulin Rouge star said she avoids looking at it, explaining: "Don’t tell me, I don’t really want to know - it will stop me doing what I want to do.
"There are times when you hear things and you go, 'Oh my gosh, that’s really hurtful,'" she said, adding, "Because you can’t be under a rock.
"But at the same time, I really try to stay free in the choices because otherwise, before you know it, you’re just closed off and you can’t step anywhere.
"I want for myself just to keep going, 'Oh, well, I’m trying something or I wanted to do it. It was fun. That was my choice.' And yeah, I own it. I’m accountable. Whatever. I take responsibility. Nobody else chose it," the Boy Erased actress acknowledged.
This isn’t the first time Kidman has addressed the backlash to the controversial cover. In a 2022 Vogue Australia interview with director Baz Luhrmann - who worked with the actress on the 2001 film Moulin Rouge - she revealed that her stylist on the shoot, Katie Grand, had prepared a different outfit for the cover.
But then she saw the Miu Miu set and asked if it was an option, recalling: "I was like, 'No, no, I like this one! Am I allowed to wear that?'"
The question caused stylist Grand to wonder whether she'd heard the actress correctly. "Katie was like, 'You're willing to wear that?!' And I said, 'Wear it?! I'm begging you to wear it!'", she recounted.