‘You Don’t Need to Be Half-Naked’: Taraji P. Henson Fans Race to Her Defense as Critics Slam Her ‘Thirsty Video Girl’ Look Months After Actress’ Unrecognizable Transformation
Taraji P. Henson can add her name to the list of Black actresses whose fashion sense is missing the mark with fans who expect so much more from them.
The “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” cast member’s red carpet look for the Peacock series is still coming under fire days after the star-studded premiere.
Henson and fellow “Fight Night” cast mates Kevin Hart, Lori Harvey, Terrance Howard, Chlöe Bailey, and others were all in attendance for the Jazz at Lincoln Center gathering in New York on Sept. 4.
Henson stepped out in a white Retrofête mini dress embellished with silver sequins. The plunging neckline that fell just above her navel and high thigh slit were an edgy look paired with her brightly dyed orange hair. She oozed that “change is goodT” in posts highlighting her wardrobe on Instagram.
Initial reactions were mixed, with some who loved the bold change and others who were on the fence. The latter groups of onlookers have since shuddered at the fashion risk she took. In a Sept. 9 post, Henson again reflected on the night, writing, “One more for this look.”
In the comments, her followers unleashed an outpouring of disapproval, calling her attire a “downgrade.”
“We have to be honest, this Is Not flattering,” read a top comment. More than a few individuals were vexed as to why Henson had chosen to wear such light clothing. Despite the dress having long sleeves, many felt that her attire was overtly sexy and a low-brow move.
Similarly, Tracee Ellis Ross and Gabrielle Union have found themselves in that same territory. All three women have faced countless quips suggesting that they dress more age appropriately — Henson is 53, while Ross and Union are 51 — by those who consider their sexy attire to be less than demure.
“Girl you need to fire your stylist! He or she is an undercover hater. You are a nominated academy award actress, a movie star! NOT some thirsty video girl/groupie,” wrote a fan.
Someone else commented, “You are beautiful, you don’t need to be naked to prove that.” When actress Tisha Campbell gave her friend a round of applause for serving up the look once more, she was with backlash.
One of the responses read, “No tish, not this way, you guys are a class act, lead this young girls by example, but please don’t drink the kool aid.” While another person told Campbell, “Please be honest with her if she is truly your friend tisha… That’s not classy.”
But those who ride for the Oscar-nominated actress countered the negative reviews with praise. “Yall buggin. She looks gorgeous. And it ain’t hard to tell she works hard for it,” read one such comment. A second reaction read, “Doin da Most in the best way ever!” A third effort to uplift the “Hidden Figures” star stated, “You look great, soooo lean, and I can tell you feel great in that outfit. It looks TF good.”
Taraji lost that little weight and is back out in these streets! pic.twitter.com/j54LunptZT
— ROYCE (@roycehuggard) September 5, 2024
The leading lady has turned heads with a head-to-toe transformation since debuting a significantly slimmer figurer at the start of the summer. Months prior, while promoting “The Color Purple,” there were no obvious signs that she was in the process of shedding extra pounds, but by June, that was no longer the case.
Amid concerns that she had joined the Ozempic bandwagon and concerns about her health, Henson shared a video of a gym workout. She aptly captioned it, “She been working.”
