We Urgently Need To Bring Fun Back To The VMAs Red Carpet

The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards have come and gone, and I, for one, am happy it’s over. To be fair, there were highlights: Madonna bringing out Sabrina Carpenter and Charli xcx was a gay man’s fever dream and the best way to open the show, and people like PinkPantheress and Sienna Spiro leaving with hardware made me happy. But in the fashion department, there was a lot left to be desired, and made me question when people stopped having fun with getting dressed.

It would be almost insulting to go over the sartorial history of the VMAs for you, dear reader, but suffice it to say that since its inception in 1984, the ceremony has been irreverent, in-your-face, bawdy, and a place for celebrities to let their hair down. In its almost 40 years of existence, the VMAs red carpet has seen red meat as a dress, a fully sequined nipple cover, a pink fuzzy hat that’s been recreated hundreds of times, and two-inch-long denim skirts that surely kick-started religious furor. It’s meant to be a wild night of celebrating music videos, culture at large, and the fashion is meant to be casual, fun, campy, and silly. So why, in 2026, are celebrities wearing red-carpet gowns suited for the Golden Globes or the Grammys?

There are a few reasons I can point to. The viciousness of online comments can lead people to play it safe, lest they get meme-ified to the point of no return, and wearing a basic floor-length metallic dress can be a surefire way to fly under the radar. Stylist Ron Hartleben, who works with Tyla and Camila Cabello, agrees: “Everyone is so concerned with what the Internet will say and how they’ll be picked apart. I think real stylists need to throw more caution to the wind and start making moments again versus the safe, ‘nice’ option that may get them favors with a big brand or PR firm. It’s just fashion!” The nonstop global press machine also makes it hard to stand out, and there are 500 events for every 5,000 stars making the rounds. Maybe, in a word, everyone is tired and running out of ideas. I, too, am tired, of those not willing to step outside the box.

To be fair, there were a few girls at this year’s ceremony willing to break the rules and show a little crack (literally). Tyla pulled up to introduce Lisa’s performance in fresh-off-the-runway Mowalola, with a waistline dipping just so to show off her assets. She paired it with a turquoise snakeskin choker, a Chopard watch on her ankle (because why the hell not), and snakeskin Le Silla pumps that could injure someone if thrown correctly. It was pure sex, a little campy, and yes, absolutely fun.

Charli xcx also teased a bit of crack in custom Saint Laurent that showed off her body and upped the sex factor where others hid away under tiers of tulle. When she popped up on stage with Madonna to sing “Danceteria Afterhours,” she kept the ass-forward fun going in a re-creation of a Dsquared Spring/Summer 2004 look that was cheeky in all the right places. And, best of all, to present Madonna with the Best Dance VMA, she wore a simple henley shirt and blue jeans — no fussiness needed to enjoy the show and take the stage with her bestie Troye Sivan.

“I think we are in a famine of fun and excitement when it comes to celebrity dressing,” Hartleben says. “I grew up in the days of Diana Ross slapping Lil Kim’s pasty, Rose McGowan being next to naked holding hands with Marilyn Manson, and Pam Anderson wearing a hat twice the size of her. This kind of risk-taking and nonsensical styling used to be what the VMAs were all about.” The lesson to be gleaned from all this is that fashion isn’t supposed to be so serious all the time. Playing it safe, ironically, was an easy way to not only piss me off last night, but miss an opportunity to enjoy one’s self — and even fail. At this point, with thousands of carpets and custom looks flying around the world, I’d rather see someone take a risk and flop than show up in yet another perfectly acceptable sequined dress. Life is too short — and it’s the god-d*mn VMAs.