![Most iconic red carpet looks of the decade]()
The 2010s began with a meat dress and ended with the world's tiniest purse.
It has been a wild 10 years of red-carpet fashion. The decade saw Hollywood stars going bolder with their style as social media turned even more eyes on their showstopping looks.
We've seen stunning couture gowns make their way from the runway to the red carpet, along with a (fake) severed head, sky-high slits, a papal tiara, and yes — plenty of naked dresses.
From Rihanna and Beyoncé to Billy Porter and Lady Gaga, the Oscars and Met Gala to the Emmys and Cannes, here are 50 of the decade's most iconic red-carpet looks.
Zoe Saldana refused to play it safe at the first Academy Awards of the decade in March 2010, wearing a bold purple gown.
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Saldana's Givenchy Couture gown featured a glittering top and a purple ombré skirt that turned from silk into voluminous layers of tulle. It was a risk that paid off; the daring look put Saldana at the top of many best-dressed lists for the night.
Few looks of the decade became more famous than Lady Gaga's meat dress at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.
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The pop star, whose dress was made entirely out of raw meat, later told Ellen DeGeneres that she was protesting against the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy against gay soldiers.
"If we don't stand up for what we believe in, if we don't fight for our rights, pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones," she added.
President Barack Obama signed a repeal of the policy into law two months later.
A pregnant Natalie Portman absolutely glowed in this romantic gown from Viktor & Rolf at the 2011 Golden Globes.
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Portman may have made headlines that night for her joke about then-fiancé Benjamin Millepied during her acceptance speech, but it didn't outshine the "Black Swan" star's gorgeous red carpet dress.
The custom silk gown featured a big red rose in the middle, which was covered in Swarovski crystals.
Cate Blanchett brought high fashion to the 2011 Oscars red carpet with this couture gown by Givenchy.
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Blanchett later told InStyle that she was drawn to how "architectural" the dress was, noting that the breast plate was "made all out of elastic."
"The color combination, I couldn't believe it when I saw it in real life," she added. "People get so worried about dressing for other people, but you've got to wear what you like."
Jennifer Lawrence made her Oscars debut in 2011 with this custom red gown by Calvin Klein.
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Lawrence, who was just 20 years old at the time, instantly became one to watch on the red carpet with this simple but stunning gown.
Two years later, she would take home the best actress prize (but not before a famous spill on the steps up to the stage).
Mila Kunis brought lavender to the red carpet with this gorgeous Elie Saab gown at the 2011 Oscars.
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Kunis joined Lawrence at the top of the Oscars best-dressed list that year with her stunning chiffon gown, which featured sheer panels and plenty of stunning lace for a look that felt both romantic and modern.
Angelina Jolie has been a Hollywood star for decades, but no red-carpet moment was more iconic than her famous leg pop at the 2012 Oscars.
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Jolie put the thigh-high slit in her black Atelier Versace gown to good use at the 2012 Oscars, delivering a leg pop that would inspire countless imitations, memes, and even its own Twitter account.
This year, Jolie revealed that she had actually been planning to wear a different dress that night.
"I had a more complicated dress and I wore the more comfortable dress, which was that one," she told People. "And I think I was just so comfortable that..."
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Meryl Streep also stunned at the 2012 Oscars with this gorgeous gold Lanvin gown.
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Streep doesn't often go for glitter on the red carpet, so she pleasantly surprised many when she arrived at the Academy Awards in this gold lamé gown.
Hours later, Streep would get a matching accessory after winning an Oscar for the first time in 30 years, taking home the best actress award for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady."
While most stars stuck to column dresses at the 2013 Oscars, Amy Adams went for drama with a full tulle skirt.
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Adams' stunning silver gown was designed by the late Oscar de la Renta, who was inspired by a black-and-white photograph that she had given him for inspiration.
"It was sort of a real 'aha' moment for him when he saw this one specific photograph," Cristina Ehrlich, Adams' stylist, told People at the time.
Kim Kardashian West went viral after wearing a head-to-toe floral gown at her very first Met Gala in 2013.
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The floral gown went viral within moments after Kardashian West stepped onto the red carpet, even eliciting a response from the late comedian Robin Williams.
Kardashian West, who was pregnant at the time with her first child North, recently revealed that she cried "the whole way home" after the gala.
"I just couldn't believe it," she told Vogue. "There were all these memes about me and this couch."
But the reality star said she felt instantly better when Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen came up to her and said that they "loved" the dress.
"So none of the critics mattered," she added. "Because the Olsen twins approved."
Lupita Nyong'o cemented her status as a fashion favorite with this custom Prada gown at the 2014 Oscars.
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It may have been Lupita Nyong'o's very first Oscars, but that didn't stop the "12 Years a Slave" star from wowing viewers with her light-blue Grecian gown.
Nyong'o told Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet that she selected the dress because "it's a blue that reminds me of Nairobi," referring to her hometown in Kenya.
"I wanted to have a little bit of home," she added, just hours before taking home the award for best supporting actress.
Sarah Jessica Parker gave a touching tribute to Oscar de la Renta at the 2014 Met Gala, just months before the iconic designer passed away.
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Parker, who had been friends with the designer since 2000, revealed that she specifically asked de la Renta if she could put his iconic signature on the back of the gown.
"The point of the signature, and doing it in scarlet instead of his traditional navy, was to honor him — to scream it from the rooftop without opening my mouth," she wrote in The Hollywood Reporter after de la Renta's death in October 2014.
"This is a man who spent the last 50 years building dresses. He's singular. And that night I wanted to say thank you and pay tribute to him."
Rihanna single-handedly launched the naked dress trend with her daring look for the CFDA awards in June 2014.
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Rihanna wore the Adam Selman gown, which was covered head-to-toe in Swarovski crystals, to retrieve her style icon award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
It was a look that would be copied by everyone from Beyoncé to Kim Kardashian West, but Rihanna later revealed that she did have one regret when it came to the famous naked dress.
"Could you imagine the CFDA dress with a bra? I would slice my throat," Rihanna told Vogue in 2016. "I already wanted to, for wearing a thong that wasn't bedazzled. That's the only regret I have in my life."
Speaking of naked dresses, Beyoncé stunned in her most revealing look to date at the 2015 Met Gala.
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The 2015 Met Gala saw a slew of naked dresses after Rihanna's CFDA moment the year before, but Beyoncé's was the clear standout.
Beyoncé sparkled in the bejeweled Givenchy gown, which was covered with strategically placed gems in silver, green, pink, and yellow. The high ponytail at the top of her head added extra drama to an already showstopping red-carpet entrance.
Few Met Gala looks are as iconic as the 55-pound cape dress that Rihanna wore in 2014.
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While everyone else was imitating her naked dress from the year before, Rihanna was making new waves with Chinese couture.
The star revealed that she found the dress, designed by Guo Pei, online.
"I'm so in love with this dress, but the train is insane!" Rihanna told Vanity Fair on the red carpet. "I can't really walk in it without any help — but it's so worth it. I love this dress so much! It's handmade by one Chinese woman and it took her two years to make."
Anne Hathaway departed from her usual pastel and sparkly gowns with this futuristic custom Ralph Lauren gown for the 2015 Met Gala.
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The gold lamé column gown, complete with a hood, divided fashion fans. Hathaway made best dressed lists, but was also likened to a character from "Star Wars."
Either way, the dress was definitely a bold red-carpet moment for the former "Princess Diaries" star.
Lupita Nyong'o brought her red-carpet A-game to the Cannes Film Festival in 2015, where she wore a gorgeous jade-green gown by Gucci.
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Nyongo stole the show in this stunning custom gown, spinning around on the red carpet to show its incredible movement.
The gown, which also featured hand-painted floral crystals, was later dubbed "grasshopper green" by Nyongo in an Instagram post.
Taylor Swift brought crop tops and color blocking to the red carpet at the 2016 Grammys.
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The songstress turned heads with this stunning departure from her usual glittering gowns, instead opting for a custom tangerine Atelier Versace crop top and fuchsia skirt with a thigh-high slit.
Swift also debuted a new bob hairstyle at the awards, cementing the night as one of her most iconic red-carpet looks to date.
Claire Danes transformed into Cinderella with this glowing Zac Posen gown at the 2016 Met Gala.
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Danes' light blue dress already looked fit for a Disney ball, but it became even more breathtaking in the dark.
The gown was actually made of fiber-optic woven organza, and had 30 miniature battery packs sewn into it.
Janelle Monáe is the queen of black and white on the red carpet, as proven by this gorgeous checkered Nicci Hou gown she wore to the Critics' Choice Awards in 2016.
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Monáe rarely strays from her black-and-white aesthetic, but she still stands out with gorgeous patterns.
In 2013, Monáe told the Huffington Post that her style was a "dedication to uniformity."
"I'm a minimalist by heart," she added. "But a lot of it had to do with me wanting to have a uniform like the working class."
Kerry Washington proved that maternity wear can also have plenty of drama and flair at the 2016 Emmys.
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Washington stunned in her custom Brandon Maxwell gown, which featured a cape and daring cutouts above her baby bump.
The "Scandal" star, who gave birth just weeks later, spoke of the difficulty that comes with walking the red carpet when you're expecting.
"When you're a pregnant lady on the red carpet, you need to feel like a superhero," she told Extra before the show.
Emma Stone dressed for success at the 2017 Oscars with this gorgeous gold Givenchy dress, which matched the best actress trophy she won hours later for "La La Land."
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The Givenchy Haute Couture gown featured a fringed skirt and a bodice covered in Swarovski crystals embroidery.
Stone was the first actress to win an Oscar while wearing Givenchy since Audrey Hepburn won in 1954 for "Roman Holiday," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
A 21-year-old Zendaya made her presence known at the 2017 Met Gala with this stunning parrot-printed ball gown.
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Zendaya proved she was going to be a major red-carpet force for years to come with this gorgeous off-the-shoulder Dolce & Gabbana gown.
The former Nickelodeon star paired the look with a voluminous Afro that became a major beauty moment of the night as well.
Priyanka Chopra made sure all eyes were on her at the 2017 Met Gala with this custom trench gown by Ralph Lauren.
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The gown featured a dramatic — and seemingly endless — train, adding a major dose of avant-garde to Chopra's entire look.
It was later revealed that the ensemble was actually a minidress with a removable skirt and train, ensuring that Chopra could easily get ready for the after-party.
Few love a naked dress as much as Bella Hadid, but the supermodel gave the trend a gorgeous update at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.
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It would have been hard to top the red dress (and sky-high slit) that Hadid wore on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival the year before, but she managed to anyway with this stunning creation by Ralph & Russo.
Hadid wore the one-shoulder gown, which was covered in strategically-placed crystals, with high-waisted nude briefs and silver sandals that wrapped all the way up her ankles.
As the #MeToo movement rose in Hollywood, celebrities banded together with a blackout at the 2018 Golden Globes to show their support.
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After the horrors of assault in Hollywood finally came to light, its biggest stars decided to take a stand against sexual harassment and raise awareness for their new Time's Up initiative by only wearing black at the Golden Globes.
"It's our job right now,"America Ferrera said during an interview on the red carpet. "The time is now for us to do the work that will make women and all people more safe and more equal in their work places and in their lives."
Cardi B topped numerous best-dressed lists with this angelic white gown at the 2018 Grammys.
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Cardi B's Ashi Studio dress, which featured wings in the back, was initially going to be colorful. But the rapper and her designer made a last-minute change in support of Time's Up, which celebrities were honoring at the 2018 Grammys with white roses.
"We were originally working with a color but, at the last minute, we decided not to introduce any colors," designer Mohammed Ashi told The Hollywood Reporter. "We made something very theatrical and powerful in terms of the structure of the dress, so the structure will speak more loudly than the color."
The red carpet at the "Black Panther" premiere may have come in January, but the cast — including Donald Glover — made sure it was one of the most fashionable of the entire year.
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Donald Glover proved that a metallic orange Dolce & Gabbana suit can work, especially on a purple carpet that isn't afraid to go bold.
The rapper's suit featured a heart with "DG" embroidered in the middle, no doubt a touching tribute to both the brand behind the suit — and the man inside it.
Angela Bassett also stunned at the premiere in a head-to-toe yellow fringe jumpsuit.
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Bassett followed the "regal" dress code perfectly with this Naeem Khan jumpsuit.
Jennifer Austin, the actress' stylist, revealed that she had wanted something with a "Nubian tribal feel" for Bassett.
"I wanted her to look bold and sexy with beautiful texture," Austin told People. "I also wanted her to have movement – so this beaded yellow Naeem Khan was perfect!"
Nicole Kidman has never played it safe for the red carpet. She proved that once again with this cobalt-blue gown at the 2018 Oscars.
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Kidman's strapless dress by Armani Privé featured both a gigantic bow in the middle and a sky-high slit, which she happily showed off for the cameras in her own Angelina moment.
In a year of incredibly tough competition, Blake Lively stunned at the 2018 Met Gala with a regal Versace gown that took 600 hours to make.
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Lively said the custom gown was her "favorite dress ever,"and it's easy to see why. The stunning look featured a bejeweled corset, subtle sheer panels, and gorgeous embroidery that ran to the length of the long train.
If that wasn't enough, Lively was also wearing $2 million of custom Lorraine Schwartz jewelry, including a halo that featured 100 carats of champagne diamonds.
Ariana Grande wore another standout look on the night with a Vera Wang dress inspired by the Sistine Chapel.
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The stunning gown featured images that grace the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, which is the official residence of the pope. It perfectly fit with that year's theme of "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination."
Few could dispute that Rihanna took the crown that night (or should we say the papal tiara).
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Rihanna's Maison Margiela gown took 250 hours to sew and 500 hours to hand embroider. The dress and matching jacket, which she wore with a papal tiara, also featured hundreds of pearls.
"It feels expensive, it's heavy," Rihanna said on the red carpet. "They've beaded this by hand... it would be a sin not to wear it."
And Lena Waithe made a powerful statement on the red carpet with a rainbow Pride cape.
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Waithe told Vogue that she "felt like a gay goddess" in the incredible cape, which was designed by Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera.
"When I saw the cape in person, I got emotional," she added. "Not just because it was so stunning, but I knew we would be making a statement."
Lady Gaga also turned the red carpet into a powerful political moment with this oversized suit by Marc Jacobs at Elle's 25th Annual Women In Hollywood Celebration in October 2018.
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During a speech at the event, Gaga revealed that she had chosen the suit to show that women "are not just objects to entertain the world."
"As a sexual assault survivor by someone in the entertainment industry, as a woman who is still not brave enough to say his name, as a woman who lives with chronic pain, as a woman who was conditioned at a very young age to listen to what men told me to do, I decided today I wanted to take the power back," she continued. "Today I wear the pants."
Jennifer Lopez may have one of the most iconic red-carpet dresses of all time, but she wasn't afraid to go against her usual style with this hot-pink princess gown in December 2018.
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Lopez is known for loving body-hugging dresses, but she enveloped herself in tulle with this gorgeous Giambattista Valli couture gown.
The dress was so big that Lopez had to take a bus to the premiere of her film "Second Act" in New York City.
Jonathan Van Ness broke boundaries with this sparkling mesh dress at the 2018 Creative Arts Emmys.
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The "Queer Eye" star paired the Maison Margiela dress with platform booties by Pierre Hardy.
Van Ness shared a photo of his outfit on Instagram, writing: "We absolutely came to slay this lewk & f*** a gender norm."
Sandra Oh topped the 2018 Emmys best-dressed list with this plunging red gown by Ralph & Russo.
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The "Killing Eve" star also went viral that night for bringing her parents to the red carpet, where her mother sported a traditional hanbok.
Timothée Chalamet caught Twitter's attention when he wore a glittering harness to the Golden Globes in 2019.
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Chalamet later revealed he had no idea that his standout piece on the red carpet, which was a Louis Vuitton by Virgil Abloh creation, was a harness.
"I thought it was a bib! They told me it was a bib,"he told Ellen DeGeneres on her show. "I had a friend send me a thing that, like, sex-dungeon culture is a thing where you wear harnesses. I didn't do it for that reason."
Cardi B went vintage at the 2019 Grammys, wearing a Thierry Mugler haute couture dress from 1995.
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The dress, which featured a sheer bodysuit and a dramatic ruffled skirt, made it appear as though the rapper was emerging from a shell.
Cardi B paired the look with an arrangement of pearls on her head, as well as a single pearl over her belly button.
Billy Porter said he wanted to give men the courage to "play" by wearing this Christian Siriano tuxedo gown to the 2019 Oscars.
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In an essay for Vogue, Porter said that he was inspired to "push the status quo" after wearing a pink cape to the 2019 Golden Globes.
"I believe men on the red carpet would love to play more," he said. "This industry masquerades itself as inclusive, but actors are afraid to play, because if they show up as something outside of the status quo, they might be received as feminine, and, as a result, they won't get that masculine job, that superhero job."
"My goal is to be a walking piece of political art every time I show up," he added. "To challenge expectations. What is masculinity? What does that mean? Women show up every day in pants, but the minute a man wears a dress, the seas part."
Gemma Chan made her mark at her very first Oscars with this dramatic pink dress by Valentino.
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The "Crazy Rich Asians" star's fuchsia taffeta gown was a favorite of many, and not just because it had a pair of hidden pockets.
Glenn Close's stunning gold Oscars gown weighed more than 40 pounds.
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The gown, which was designed by Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera, featured three million beads that were each individually stitched into the gown in India.
Close admitted that the gown "intimidated" her, joking that "it's probably going to kill me."
Jared Leto turned heads at this year's Met Gala by bringing a replica of, well, his own head.
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Leto was dressed by Alessandro Michele for Gucci, who had sent models down the runway with replicas of their own head for the label's Autumn/Winter 2018 runway show.
Michele said that the heads were meant to illustrate that "we are all Doctor Frankenstein of our lives."
Kacey Musgraves perfectly emulated the "Camp" theme at this year's Met Gala with her Barbie outfit.
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Moschino helped transform Musgraves into Barbie, complete with a blonde wig and hairdryer clutch. The country star even arrived in a hot-pink convertible.
Harry Styles has become a major player in Hollywood's fashion scene, which he proved with this romantic Met Gala look.
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The ensemble, which was designed by Gucci's Alessandro Michele, featured a sheer top with a big bow on the collar, as well as lace sleeves. Styles accessorized with a single pearl earring.
But Billy Porter stole the show at 2019's Met Gala as he transformed into an Egyptian sun god.
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Porter's incredible ensemble, which was designed by The Blonds, featured a 24-karat gold headpiece and 10-foot wings.
The "Pose" star told Vogue that he was happy to see camp come to the Met Gala.
"Camp is often used as a pejorative," he said. "What I love about having it at the Met Gala, and contextualizing camp, is it brings honor to a word and genre that can be discounted very often, or thought of as cheesy. When it's done properly, it's one of the highest forms of fashion and art."
Elle Fanning cemented her status as one to watch on the red carpet with this gorgeous ode to Old Hollywood glamour.
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Fanning looked as though she was about to be whisked away by Cary Grant on the French Riviera with this Dior ensemble.
Tan France paid a loving homage to his Pakistani roots with this gorgeous embroidered kurta on the red carpet.
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The ensemble, which was created by Varun Bahl Couture, gave a modern spin to the traditional South Asian outfit.
"Representing Queer Eye, QE Crew and Pakistan at the Emmy's," France wrote in a caption alongside an Instagram of the outfit.
Lizzo went viral at the 2019 American Music Awards after pairing her ruffled tangerine dress with the world's tiniest handbag.
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Lizzo said the tiny white Valentino bag is just one of three in the world.
"@maisonvalentino bag big enough for my f---s to give," she wrote in the Instagram caption alongside her look.
The handbag inspired memes after Lizzo wore it, with one showing a tiny Lizzo being carried by a giant bag.
