Paris Jackson Will Never Live Down Her Inappropriate Outfit At The 2017 MTV VMAs

One of Paris Jackson's most inappropriate red carpet outfits was undoubtedly the head-scratching Christian Dior number she wore to the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards. The first thing that drew the eye was the colorful folkloric embroidery etched onto her sheer, mesh dress. Unfortunately, the beauty of that stunning design would be dulled, as people were naturally left to wonder why she had chosen to wear a nude bra and briefs underneath instead of more fashionable modesty amenities.  

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The bottom half of the dress only made things less cohesive, especially because the large light-colored embroidery patches didn't seem to have anything to do with the design on top. There were also seemingly random large patches of red, yellow, and cream embroidery that led the eye to the bottom of the dress and its many oversized images, which again didn't match the vibe of the outfit. 

Paris was obviously feeling particularly confident on the night of the 2017 VMAs because she ditched her golden strappy heels and walked the red carpet barefoot at one point. As a whole, though, Paris' edgy, non-conformist red carpet look just came across as unfinished.

The one thing that remained constant through the stunning style of transformation of Paris Jackson is her love for a good sheer dress. In April 2017, a few months before her confusing VMAs dress moment, she attended the GLAAD Awards in a semi-sheer dress that had similar vibes but worked much better overall. The Yanina Couture dress, which was aptly titled "Bird of Happiness," featured a blue peacock print that first drew attention to her waist before branching out into a multitude of colorful feathers on the top and larger prints on the bottom. 

Thanks to the eye-catching print, her grey shorts became a complete afterthought rather than the center of attention. For some extra drama, the skin-baring outfit also came with a cape. Unlike Paris' VMAs outfit, this one was a cohesive ensemble that fit the event's theme perfectly. With time, though, Michael Jackson's daughter grew bolder with her sheer dresses. In March 2025, she attended Stella McCartney's show at Paris Fashion Week in a skin-revealing sheer black dress that left little to the imagination. 

Taking to her Instagram Stories shortly afterward, Paris admitted she couldn't understand why that risqué outfit had earned backlash, saying, "I don't really understand why the human body is a driving force for such discomfort in so many people. It's just a body ... we look at other naked animals all the time ... we're just animals" (via People). While that may be true, there's no denying that the number gave us flashbacks to Paris' inappropriate outfit at the 2024 Academy Awards party, which she will never live down.