American actor and writer Julia Fox has defended dressing as Jackie Kennedy Onassis in the moments after the assassination of her husband and US President John F. Kennedy.
The 35-year-old was met with waves of criticism online for modelling her version of the pink Chanel suit Onassis wore in Dallas, Texas, which was stained in blood as she cradled Kennedy’s head after he was shot and killed on November 22, 1963.
Onassis continued to wear the suit in the hours after the assassination as Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as US President, saying she wanted “them to see what they’ve done”.
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Social media users slammed the actor’s decision as “absolutely shameful”, with Onassis’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, airing his grievances.
“Julia Fox glorifying political violence is disgusting, desperate and dangerous. I’m sure her late grandmother would agree,” Schlossberg wrote.
“Are you seriously posting this Halloween pic? This is up there with the worst of them,” an Instagram user said.
“You should take this down. It’s atrocious,” another said.
Julia Fox said her Halloween outfit embodying Jackie Kennedy in the moments after her husband JFK was assassinated is a statement not a costume. Credit: Instagram
The wave of criticism spurred Fox to issue a statement in defence of the outfit, saying it was worn “not a costume, but as a statement”.
“The image of the delicate pink suit splattered with blood is one of the most haunting juxtapositions in modern history. Beauty and horror. Poise and devastation,” Fox’s Instagram post reads.
“Her decision not to change clothes, even after being encouraged to, was an act of extraordinary bravery. It was performance, protest, and mourning all at once.
“A woman weaponising image and grace to expose brutality. It’s about trauma, power, and how femininity itself is a form of resistance.”
Fox concluded the post with “Long live Jackie O”.
While some praised the actor for the “beautiful message”, others still saw the outfit as “disrespectful and very insensitive”.
“I still think it’s problematic,” one said.
“It doesn’t come off tastefully at all. I hear you but I think this was very insulting to their family,” another said.
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