Movies - TV
The Most Controversial Costumes In Sci-Fi History
By ERIC LANGBERG
Mystique's makeup
For Jennifer Lawrence, playing Mystique was becoming increasingly difficult given the hours of body paint and prosthetics. To compromise, the crew reduced the getup to a cheap-looking wig and blue face paint in “X-Men: Dark Phoenix,” which left many fans (and even critics) disappointed, with people calling the Mystique design “sloppy” and a “joke.”
Princess Leia's bikini
Princess Leia’s controversial “slave bikini” in “Return of the Jedi” set teenage hearts ablaze and raised parental eyebrows. Star Carrie Fisher even cautioned Daisy Ridley not to let her character “be a slave,” and told a father who was upset that “a giant slug [...] forced me to wear that stupid outfit, and then I killed him.”
Nipples on the Batsuit
The be-nippled Batsuit in Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies is one of the most cringeworthy moments in cinematic history (George Clooney later admitted to being embarrassed by it). Schumacher acknowledged that this would be “on [his] tombstone,” and he constantly denied any intentional gay subtext in his choice of costume design.
Valerian metal bust
At the time of its release, "Valerian" was not just controversial for its poor reviews and even worse box-office return, but also model Cara Delevingne’s bustier than normal costume. An editorial in Metro UK called the gendered outfit "annoying" and contrasted it with Captain Phasma's far more androgynous armor in "Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens."
Matrix trench coats
The iconic trench coats from “The Matrix” sparked a moral panic in the wake of the Columbine shooting, carried out by two kids who were allegedly part of a violent group called the "Trenchcoat Mafia." While this was debunked, ABC News still questioned if "The Matrix" inspired "violent or mentally disturbed individuals to act out sadistic fantasies."