Rapper Kid Cudi is a trendsetter and a risk-taker. He experiments with his music and his fashion and gets a lot of press for his choices. He donned a dress for an SNL performance a while back that got a lot of people talking. However, Kudi had support from where it mattered most.
Kid Cudi Wore Dress On SNL After Being Inspired By Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain was a groundbreaking artist in the early ’90s for several reasons. His choices in gender expression were part of his appeal, and he often wore women’s clothing and painted nails. Cobain wore a floral dress in 1993 on the cover of The Face Magazine.
“The image of seeing Kurt Cobain in the dress was very rock n roll to me. It was huge.” Kudi says he decided years ago that he wanted to wear a dress and that the SNL performance was the perfect opportunity. He went on to say that he wanted to inspire kids to be themselves as well. “And it’s cool because I’m also giving confidence to the kids and telling them to be themselves and do what they want to do.” Cudi designed the dress with Virgil Abloh, who made it custom for the performance. Following his set, Cudi tweeted, “Virgil designed the dress for me. I told him I wanted to show love to Kurt [with] a floral print sundress, and this man made a masterpiece. Thank You, @virgilabloh ur a genius!! Love you, man, we did it!!!”
Kid Cudi Wore A Wedding Dress To CFDA Fashion Awards In 2021
Cudi’s desire to shift fashion norms continued when he showed up to the CFDA awards in a dress as well. The outfit was covered in lace and reminiscent of Madonna in her wedding dress era. It came complete with a veil and a black Jesus pendant. He also wore heavy mascara, a blazer, and pink hair. The outfit was designed by CFDA’s American Emerging Designer of the Year nominee, Eli Russell Linnetz. When he described his reasoning for putting it on, Cudi explains that “I trust this man, so I was down to take it wherever his mind went.”
Kid Cudi Expected To Face Backlash and Piss People Off
Kid Cudi was prepared for the backlash and took it pretty well. He claims he has a “f—-em” attitude and really tries to not focus on the negativity when making his choices. Ironically, leaders in the LGBTQIA+ community criticized him most, claiming that the outpouring of positivity towards his choices pointed toward a double standard for queer artists. Munroe Bergdorf said on IG, “as fab as it is to see cisgender straight men embracing femininity through fashion, let’s remember that they also won’t face nearly as much hatred or the physical danger that visibly queer folk will when they do the exact same thing.” Others felt that Cudi’s display discredited his black masculinity, with Meek Mill calling it confusing and deciding to take a break from social media following it.
Rapper Kid Cudi Praised By Daughter For Wearing Dress On SNL, Said He Looked ‘So Pretty’ In His Dress
Despite any backlash or confusion, Kid Cudi says he got confirmation from the one person who mattered most to him. His 12-year-old daughter Vada Wamwene Mescudi texted him following the SNL performance and told him, “Daddy, you looked so pretty in your dress.” He shares Vada with ex-girlfriend Jacqueline Munyasya and she was born on March 26, 2010. Their connection is important to Cudi because he almost lost access to her following years of substance issues He is clean now and has been able to help co-parent with Jacqueline. He shared a video of her announcing his single back in 2020.
And now a word from Princess Vada the chosen… pic.twitter.com/xmgIMkUntz
— The Chosen One : I 💖 YOU FRESHIE 4EVER (@KidCudi) July 8, 2020
Comments under a post sharing her response were mixed. While some applauded Cudi for displaying “healthy masculinity,” others felt he was just setting his daughter up for confusion. “lmfao. saying a [man] shouldn’t wear dresses is toxic now, the kids bound to be all [messed] up,” said one person.
