54 Scandalous Dresses That Made People Lose It

54 Scandalous Dresses That Made People Lose Their Sh*t What's Hollywood without the hotness? Over the years—over <em>many</em> years, actually—stars have shown major skin. The best part? It doesn't matter whether they're <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/g18370542/red-carpet-awkward-moments/" target="_blank">hitting a red carpet</a>, starring in a movie, or simply going about their daily life. Some particularly revealing looks have been so ~culturally groundbreaking~ that they caused scandals still talked about to this day. To celebrate all the <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/red-carpet-dresses/g23549427/sexiest-kardashian-jenner-outfits/" target="_blank">sexiness</a>, take a look back at some of the <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/g43281765/naked-dresses-red-carpet/" target="_blank">dresses</a> celebrities wore that made people lose their minds.</p>" data-next-head/>
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54 Scandalous Dresses That Made People Lose It
Oh, what a little skin can do.
By Janaya Wecker , Helin Jung Published: Nov 02, 2022 1:37 PM EDT
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What's Hollywood without the hotness? Over the years—over many years, actually—stars have shown major skin. The best part? It doesn't matter whether they're hitting a red carpet , starring in a movie, or simply going about their daily life. Some particularly revealing looks have been so ~culturally groundbreaking~ that they caused scandals still talked about to this day. To celebrate all the sexiness , take a look back at some of the dresses celebrities wore that made people lose their minds.
Theda Bara, 1917
Getty
Actress Theda Bara—one of Hollywood's first ever femme fatal sex symbols—starred in the title role of 1917 silent film Cleopatra , wearing expensive and racy costumes that included a coiled snake bra.
Josephine Baker, 1920s
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Dancer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker found fame in Paris during the 1920s. Her most iconic routine was the danse sauvage , in which she wore a skirt made out of artificial bananas and twerked before twerking was even a thing.
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Jean Harlow, 1932
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Jean Harlow was hugely popular in Old Hollywood, and liked to do this thing where she wore really clingy dresses without a bra (the horror!). Here she is with Clark Gable, her co-star in Red Dust .
Jean Harlow, 1933
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It's hard not to think of the Art Deco age and bias-cut gowns without picturing this costume by Gilbert Adrian that Jean wore in the film Dinner at Eight . With its low back and beautiful crisscrossing straps in the front, it looked like it'd been poured right over Jean's body.
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Rita Hayworth, 1941
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Rita Hayworth wasn't yet known as the "Love Goddess" when she sat for this alluring LIFE magazine image in 1941, which became "arguably the single most famous and most frequently reproduced American pinup image ever" ( according to LIFE , though I'm not going to disagree). She wore a lacy silk negligee—definitely inside clothes back then—and knelt atop a bed in the Bob Landry photograph. Too risqué for the cover, per a LIFE staffer who worked there at the time, more than 5 million copies of the image ended up in the hands of American troops fighting in World War II.
Marilyn Monroe, 1955
Twentieth Century Fox
Marilyn Monroe wore her world-famous white halter dress in the film The Seven Year Itch . The subway grate scene was first shot on location in New York City, but thousands of onlookers made so much noise that it had to be reshot on a set. Marilyn's then-husband Joe DiMaggio was reportedly so upset by it that it contributed to the breakdown of their marriage.
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Jayne Mansfield, 1957
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If Sophia Loren looks like she's giving Jayne Mansfield some side eye, that's because she is. Sophia later told Entertainment Weekly she was worried Jayne's nipples were going to fall out of her dress."In my face you can see the fear. I'm so frightened that everything in her dress is going to blow — BOOM! — and spill all over the table."
Marilyn Monroe, 1962
Getty Images
When Marilyn Monroe famously sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy, she wore the O.G. naked dress. The skintight column, designed by Jean Louis, was covered in 2,500 rhinestones. It was later worn by Kim Kardashian at the 2022 Met Gala—a very controversial move, especially after allegations that she caused damage to the historic gown.
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Carroll Baker, 1964
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Pictured here at the London premieres of her 1964 film The Carpetbaggers , Carroll Baker shows off the provocative transparent top of her dress.
Bianca Jagger, 1971
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Bianca Jagger was four months pregnant when she married Mick Jagger in St. Tropez, France, in 1971. She wore a white YSL Le Smoking jacket with nothing underneath, and paired that with a long flowing skirt and a wide brim hat with a veil.
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Cher, 1974
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Cher collaborated on many looks with the designer Bob Mackie, but this is one that really got people talking—and wanting a copy for themselves. She first wore this feathery naked dress to the Metropolitan Museum in 1974, then again on the cover of TIME magazine in 1975.
Mary Tyler Moore, 1975
CBS
In the fifth season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show , Moore's character Mary Richards wears a green dress designed by a friend. Upon seeing Mary in the skin-revealing cutout dress, the live audience responded with shrieks and cheers. Mary's friend Ted Baxter says, "Get me a glass of water," because ~thirst~. Mary thinks it looks horrible, but Ted thinks it looks fantastic.
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Lady Diana Spencer, 1980
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The future Princess Diana was not yet engaged to Prince Charles when she posed for photos at Young England Kindergarten, where she was a nursery school assistant. She wasn't wearing a slip, and when the sun came out, her backlit skirt accidentally showed off her legs in a way that caused quite the scandal.
Lady Diana Spencer, 1981
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Diana wore a strapless black taffeta gown by Emanuel to her first public outing with Prince Charles. Because it was strapless, the public went nuts for Daring Di.
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Carrie Fisher, 1983
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Carrie Fisher wore a copper bikini as an abducted Princess Leia in Return of the Jedi, becoming a sex symbol instantly. Plenty of critics said the skimpy outfit was sexist and objectifying for the heroine though, including Carrie herself. She even warned Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley against wearing any similar costumes. "You keep fighting against that slave outfit," the late star told Daisy during a conversation with Interview .
Madonna, 1984
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In 1984, up-and-coming artist Madonna had the opportunity to perform "Like a Virgin" at the MTV Video Music Awards. She wore a white lace bustier top, opera-length lace gloves, and a belt that had the words "boy toy" on it.
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Cher, 1988
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Cher wore this see-through Bob Mackie gown when she attended…

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