Whoopi Goldberg's style confidence dampened by reaction to her 1993 Oscars look

20 October 2023

Whoopi Goldberg says her feelings were hurt after she was ridiculed for her 1993 Academy Awards outfit.

Whoopi Goldberg says her feelings were hurt after she was ridiculed for her 1993 Academy Awards outfit

The ‘Sister Act’ star, 67, was met with titters and a wave of criticism for donning an out-there look that consisted of a purple and green bedazzled jumpsuit with a long, poofy purple jacket with a bright green lining at the Oscars. and has now revealed it impacted her style confidence for years afterwards.

She told Page Six Style: “It kept me from dressing up for a very long time. You have to remember, in those days, they would say things, and you’d think, ‘Do I really look that ridiculous?’”

Whoopi added the outfit was inspired by one of her comedy icons, ‘I Love Lucy’ star Lucille Ball and her “great ensembles” she wore on set of the groundbreaking 1950s sitcom.

She said: “Lucy would always come out in these great ensembles, and I thought, I would like to wear that! And green is not a color I would normally wear; let me try it.”

When asked if she stood by her choice, Whoopi said: “Absolutely.”

‘The View’ star has previously spoken about the importance of wearing what “makes you happy” while slamming ageism in fashion commentary.

Whoopi told InStyle magazine in 2019: “People will always say to somebody young, ‘Oh, you’re dressing so old,’ and they will say to an older woman, ‘Oh, you’re dressing too young’.

“The clothes that we made, you could be 21 and wear it, you could be 65 and wear it, you could be whatever age you are and look good in it. And feel good in it. You’re not too old to wear anything that makes you happy. That’s the key. The only important voice, ever, is your own.”

Earlier this year, the comic got tongues wagging when she wore a pair of clear platform shoes packed with cut-off Barbie doll heads to celebrate the release of ‘Barbie’ but revealed she had owned the shoes way before the Greta Gerwig-directed blockbuster based on the Mattel doll, which starred Margot Robbie, 33, and Ryan Gosling, 42.

Whoopi added to Page Six Style: “Someone sent them to me and I thought, what are these?! It was about three years before Barbie. I did Barbiecore first!”