It would be understandable to think that that Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, or even Miley Cyrus invented the provocative red-carpet beauty look. They are, after all, the stars who make news with their raw meat accessories, rainbow wigs, and rage-inducing hair choices. But upon closer inspection, they're merely following a long line of risk-takers, like Cher, Madonna, and Gwen Stefani.
Hollywood may not have much in the way of seasons, but it does have one that's all its own: awards season. (Better known to the rest of us as winter.) To celebrate this yearly hailstorm of newsworthy beauty moments, we've rounded up a visual history of some of the wildest beauty looks awards season has brought us. It's a torrential downpour, charting at 15 inches looks, so grab an umbrella and start clicking.
Cher
Picking just one of Cher’s rule-breaking looks was no easy task, but this Oscars combination is a great example of how she pushed the boundaries. It may look tame by today’s standards, but her long, free-spirited hair, soft makeup, and bronzed midriff were taboo for the 1973 ceremony, a traditionally formal affair. It also just so happens to be one of the most-copied beauty looks, even today.
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images.
Madonna
Taking her inspiration from — you guessed it — Marilyn Monroe, Madonna arrived at the 1987 American Music Awards with bold brows, red lips, almond-shaped red nails, and a freshly bleached crop. It was Marilyn, but you know, a bit edgier. Translation: The birth of many a trend.
Photo: Ron Galella/WireImage/Getty Images.
Gwen Stefani
Not so fun fact: Cultural appropriation isn’t new. Way back in the Tragic Kingdom days, Gwen Stefani wore bindis and henna on the regular, as seen here at the MTV Video Music Awards, paired with blue bantu knots and a faux fur bikini top.
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images.
Beyoncé
Bey’s 2004 Grammy night was far from uneventful — by our count, she won five awards that night — and her makeup was no exception. Her vibrant lavender shadow was applied from the brow all the way to her undereye, while her blush was blended well onto her temples.
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images.
Jennifer Lopez
Holy curls! J.Lo’s ringlets were big, bouncy, and oddly provocative back in 2002. But, of course, that wasn’t her most surprising red carpet look...
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images.
Drew Barrymore
Body Glitter! Vampy lipstick! Daisies! Drew Barrymore’s 1998 flower child-inspired Oscars look caught the attention of an entire generation.
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images.
Katy Perry
For the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, Katy Perry donned an electric blue wig, turquoise eyeliner, and bright pink lipstick. Sometimes, all it takes is a lot of color to make a splash...
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images.
Lady Gaga
...but sometimes, foodstuffs can work, too. Lady Gaga famously wore raw meat as a dress and hair accessory at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Which, mind you, we had not seen before. (In case there was any confusion.)
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images.
Britney Spears
It was a look (also worn by pop star rival Christina Aguilera, but more on that later) that made an entire generation of girls go deep into the back of their bathroom cabinets to fish out that old pink crimper. But unlike the inspiration — the ‘80s, duh — this was a strategic crimp job. Does nostalgia get any better than this moment from 2000?
Photo: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images.
Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera and Spears were the Tom & Jerry of our teen years: Were they secretly friends or did they hate each other? What we do know is that they gave us dueling ways to embrace the crimped hair trend. Those on team Aguilera skipped the curls and opted for chunks of red color, instead — like Xtina wore to the same MTV Video Music Awards show as Spears on the previous slide.
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images.
Rihanna
Big, voluminous curls in the brightest of red is just one way that Rihanna has challenged traditional red-carpet beauty looks. This was back in 2011 and is still one of our favorite rainbow color moments. Why? When everyone else was thinking about getting streaks of cotton candy pink, she tapped into something deeper, edgier, and more thought-provoking.
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images.
Lil' Kim
Think rainbow hair is new? Let’s all take a second to remember the original Queen B of colorful red-carpet ‘dos. Lil' Kim never showed up in anything that wasn't wild — and her 1999 MTV Video Music Awards look is, undoubtedly, the reference point that many a young musician uses when planning a look that will be splashed across the headlines. Slow clap.
Photo: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images.
Nicki Minaj
Take, for example, Nicki Minaj. Her extra-tall, artistically colored, platinum wig at the 2011 Grammy awards is nothing short of headline-making, although we do wonder how she fit in her limo.
Photo: Lester Cohen/WireImage/Getty Images.
Sia
Speaking of wigs...just last year, Sia made the news at the Grammys thanks to her new approach to red-carpet hair: It should be big, blonde, and hide her face. Of course, this was more than a beauty statement, which you can read all about, here.
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images.
Miley Cyrus
Did you really think we would leave Miley Cyrus off our list? This look, from the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, was a cultural pain point for many, which begs the question: When do these news-making looks go too far? Tell us your feelings about appropriation versus appreciation in the comments.
Photo: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage/Getty Image.
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