Okay, let’s face it: Beyoncé won the VMAs. There’s no denying the Video Vanguard recipient’s 17-minute medley had us humming “serfbordt…serfbordt” all through class on Monday. It’s just a fact that when Beyoncé gets involved, everyone else tends to become background noise. So, before they fade into distant memories, let’s relive once more three moments from the 2014 VMAs that made us feel, well, some type of way.
1. Katy Perry and RiFF RAFF’s homage to one of the most iconic VMA outfit duos. That’s right, 13 years after the original fashion sin, Katy Perry and rapper RiFF RAFF brought back Britney Spears’s and Justin Timberlake’s oft-hailed, oft-heckled denim-on-denim-on-denim getup. But this time, Perry and RiFF RAFF did it in custom Versace. Perry tweeted at Spears earlier in the night “@britneyspears I did my best impression, hope u likey!” Sadly, like much of what Katy Perry does, the outfit rendition came off a bit lackluster and simply done before. And really, no one can pull off such a jean-saturate outfit quite like fashion-illiterate early-2000s pop stars. Maybe ironic fashion is cooler, but it’s just not as fun. Nothing’s going to beat the original here.
2. Miley Cyrus gets socially aware. In contrast with her headline-making 2013 VMA performance, Cyrus opted for a decidedly lower profile this year, even when “Wrecking Ball” took home the biggest award of the night: Video of the Year. In lieu of making a speech herself, Cyrus left the floor to her date Jesse, a once-homeless teen who used his airtime to advocate for donations benefiting homeless youths to be made via Cyrus’s Facebook page. Using her fame as a platform for good is a mature move for Miley, who has once again proved to the world that she is anything but a one-trick pony.
3. Nicki Minaj’s perfectly-handled wardrobe malfunction. The 6-minute whirlwind opening performance featuring Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, and Jessie J was perhaps a little too jam-packed. After delivering a supercharged execution of her new hit single “Anaconda,” Minaj returned to the stage just in time to lay down her verse in “Bang Bang,” clutching shut her revealing black YSL dress. “We ran out of time getting the dress zipped up,” Minaj explained to reporters backstage after the performance. Regardless, Minaj gracefully navigated this near-miss, holding the dress together onstage like a pro while finishing out the number.
All in all, the VMAs were a night to be remembered – at least for a few days’ worth of Twitter hashtags, that is. Even though most of the night’s acts were forgettable at best, 120 minutes of groan-inducing celebrity stunts is worth 17 minutes with Queen Bey. Flawless, always.
