Sydney Sweeney's Oscars After-Party Style: A Modern Tribute to Marilyn Monroe?

Introducing 'Look of the Week', a regular series that delves into the most talked-about outfit from the past seven days. This week, we take a closer look at Sydney Sweeney's appearance at the Vanity Fair Oscars party.

There was something intriguing about Sydney Sweeney's ensemble at the event. Her recent 'lob' hairstyle had been transformed into a sleek, blown-out bob, and her low-cut cream halter-neck dress gave off a Marilyn Monroe vibe rather than a typical red carpet look. The 26-year-old actress definitely turned heads with her unique style choice.

Sweeney isn’t the first to imitate Marilyn Monroe, with stars like Anna Nicole Smith, Kim Kardashian, Madonna, Beyoncé, and James Franco also taking on her iconic style. However, the tribute by the “Anyone But You” star felt particularly meaningful, even though it wasn't planned.

Last week, Sweeney hosted "Saturday Night Live" for the first time, cracking jokes about being typecasted in sexualized roles, rumors of affairs with co-stars, and comments about her chest size.

With a sweeping, blown-out bob and plunging halter-neck gown, Sweeney looked more like she should be standing over a subway grate than walking a red carpet.

With a sweeping, blown-out bob and plunging halter-neck gown, Sweeney looked more like she should be standing over a subway grate than walking a red carpet.

The episode featuring Sweeney, including her role as a Hooters waitress in a skit that went viral with 3.7 million views on YouTube, sparked a lively discussion online. Some questioned whether Sweeney's appearance was a regression towards objectifying women's bodies, with one writer from Canada's National Post calling her breasts "double-D harbingers of the death of woke." Amy Hamm from the National Post pointed out that after years of being criticized for appreciating beauty, the focus on Sweeney's body ultimately boiled down to the idea that sex sells.

Zendaya arrives at the 96th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, on March 10.

Zendaya arrives at the 96th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, on March 10.

John Shearer/WireImage/Getty Images

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Sydney Sweeney has been the target of countless boob jokes since then, especially in comments on her Instagram. Many opinion pieces have emerged in reaction to this. The Cut published an article titled "Leave Sydney Sweeney's boobs out of this," while Vanity Fair's think piece lamented how "Saturday Night Live did Sydney Sweeney dirty," comparing her episode to "watching Barbie before her existential crisis."

The Marc Bouwer dress was originally worn by Angelina Jolie at the Oscars exactly twenty years ago.

The Marc Bouwer dress was originally worn by Angelina Jolie at the Oscars exactly twenty years ago.

Sweeney's after party look is truly impactful, thanks to all the elements that come together. It makes us wonder if her portrayal of another exploited female actor was meant to convey a message to the industry. The gown she wore, a satin Marc Bouwer dress previously donned by Angelina Jolie at the Oscars in 2004, was styled uniquely on Sweeney. She paired it with a golden smokey eye and a romantic bob, a departure from Jolie's winged liner and tattoos.

These days, it's hard not to associate Marilyn Monroe with sadness. More and more, we learn about her difficult past, overshadowing her glamorous Hollywood career. Instead of celebrating her success, people now focus on how she was mistreated and objectified. Biopics about Monroe are criticized for exploiting her tragic life for entertainment. Her clothes are taken from museum displays to be worn on red carpets.

The neckline of Sweeney's gown bore a striking resemblance to Monroe's infamous white dress worn in Billy Wilder's 1955 film "The Seven Year Itch."

The neckline of Sweeney's gown bore a striking resemblance to Monroe's infamous white dress worn in Billy Wilder's 1955 film "The Seven Year Itch."

United Archives GmbH/Alamy

The pressure of being seen as a "sex symbol" has been a topic of discussion among others more recently. Model and actor Emily Ratajkowski shared her thoughts in her first book "My Body" (2021), expressing, "I wasn't just famous; I was famously sexy." She acknowledged both the rewards of embracing her sexuality and the challenges of feeling objectified and limited by the label of a sex symbol.

While it remains unknown how Sweeney truly feels about the cultural conversations surrounding her image post her SNL appearance, one can only hope that she has been able to see the humor in it all from the beginning.

Editor's P/S:

Sydney Sweeney's