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Olivia Culpo responded to those who didn't like her wedding dress.
Former Miss Universe and San Francisco 49ers player Christian McCaffery got married last month in Rhode Island. For the ceremony, Culpo wore a custom Dolce & Gabbana gown with long sleeves and a high neckline. “I didn’t want it to exude sex in any way,” she explained in an interview with Fashion on her choice of dress.
Shortly after, people began taking to social media to criticize her choice of dress, with some claiming that her choice of dress and minimal makeup were evidence that she was a “pick me,” a term used to describe those who seek male validation.
However, in a recent interview with PeopleCulpo further discussed what made her choose that specific dress and why she was surprised to find out that not everyone liked it.
“I wanted to feel like myself in every sense of the word,” she told the outlet about the type of wedding dress she was looking for when she began her search. “And I think that’s where my decision to be more simple came into play.”
As for the backlash she received for the dress, the former Miss Universe noted that it was unexpected. “I was definitely very surprised,” she admitted. “I feel like I personally like to give people the benefit of the doubt. And unfortunately, I feel like the words that I said were taken out of context to fit an agenda that I didn’t have.”
“I loved every part of my wedding because I love my husband and the people we celebrated with that day,” she added. “The decisions I made were because I wanted to feel like they were decisions I could be proud of 50 years from now. And that’s it.”
Culpo went on to defend her choice of wedding dress, explaining that it simply fit the look she originally wanted for the ceremony. “Stylistically, I had a vision. Stylistically, I felt like I was making a choice that would stand the test of time, and that’s it,” she said, before adding that the dress was also comfortable.
“I felt very comfortable, for what it’s worth. I was in the water and there was a really nice breeze.”
As for what she would tell future brides after her own wedding, Culpo told them to “stay true to yourself.”
“Stick to the vision you have in your head and don’t worry about anything else,” she said. “No matter what you wear, no matter what decisions you make, from makeup to hair to dress, you will look absolutely beautiful because it’s a beautiful day.”
Despite the criticism, some people have come to Culpo's defense of her choice of dress. Susan Sarandon's daughter Eva Amurri recently gave her own take on the criticism in her latest blog post.
She was brought up on the subject after receiving criticism for her own wedding dress, which some claimed was “inappropriate” for her ceremony with chef Ian Hock.
While “processing” the comments she had received, someone pointed out that Culpo also received criticism for her clothing.
“I clicked on [Culpo’s wedding feature inVogue] “And I immediately saw Olivia looking stunning in what can only be described as the exact opposite of my own wedding dress. Very covered, simple and unadorned, with a princess skirt and long sleeves,” Amurri wrote.
“When I looked at the images of Olivia on her wedding day (and by the way, I don’t know her at all), I wasn’t looking at whether her dress would be right or wrong for ME, I was looking at a woman moving gracefully and powerfully into the next chapter of her life, and doing it on her own terms, on HER DAY.”
