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Blue, who is 12, voices Kiara in the upcoming Barry Jenkins film — five years after Beyoncé first voiced Kiara’s mom, Nala, in The Lion King (2019). Blue wore a gold, strapless Christian Siriano gown on the red carpet, before changing into a glittery gold minidress onstage.
Sadly, it wasn’t long before several internet users started criticizing Blue’s look, branding her dress “wildly inappropriate” for a 12-year-old.
One viral tweet with over 25 million views accused Beyoncé and Jay-Z of “over sexualizing” Blue by allowing her to wear the strapless gown and makeup, suggesting that they were “dressing her like she’s a 17-18 year old.”
Numerous fans have since jumped to Blue’s defense, arguing that her gown was certainly appropriate for a 12-year-old to wear and pointing out that this style of strapless ballgown is frequently worn by kids who dress up as Disney princesses.
The subject was discussed on Sherri Shepherd’s self-titled talk show, with guest Christina Milian jumping to Blue’s defense.
“First of all, she looks gorgeous. I think the fact that anybody has anything to say about someone else’s daughter, any minor, I think, just mind your business,” Christina said.
Sherri also defended Blue’s outfit, telling her audience, “A lot of people thought that this dress was too much for a 12-year-old… I looked at her, y’all, and I had to disagree. I think she looks like a fairy princess.”
The discourse around Blue’s dress has since sparked an important conversation around the hypersexualization of young children, particularly Black girls.
“all of this discourse just proves the adultification of Black children, ESPECIALLY girls,” someone wrote. Another user looked back on times that young white celebrities wore dresses similar to Blue’s, rightfully without any widespread scrutiny.
For example, Ariel Winter wore a similar strapless gown at the 2010 Emmy Awards when she was 12, while Miley Cyrus rocked a tight, strapless top at the 2006 CMA Awards when she was roughly 14.
Moreover, people suggested that criticism of Blue’s look was a continuation of the unfair scrutiny she’s faced since she was born.
“I feel really bad for Blue, she went from people attacking her black features when she was a baby to now being hypersexualized as a teen, and she’s barely a teen,” someone wrote.
