The Story Behind One Of Cher's Most Controversial Oscars Outfits Of All Time
Perennial pop icon Cher is no stranger to causing controversy with her daring wardrobe. The outfit she wore while performing on the USS Missouri for her "If I Could Turn Back Time" music video in 1989 was so revealing that the U.S. Navy caught flak for allowing her on board, and MTV temporarily banned the video from the airwaves. But while Cher's mesh catsuit hit all the wrong notes for some, it doesn't seem like she really intended to offend anyone with it. In contrast, the "I Got You Babe" singer was very deliberately trying to ruffle some feathers with the getup she wore to the 58th Academy Awards just three years prior.
At the 1986 Oscars, Cher wore a black, midriff-baring gown and matching feathered headdress while presenting the award for Best Supporting Actor to Don Ameche. In the 2024 documentary "Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion," the Goddess of Pop explained that the outfit was her way of saying "f*** you" to the Academy for not giving her a Best Actress nomination for her 1985 film "Mask." "They thought I wasn't serious," Cher said (via People). "I didn't dress like a serious actress, and I had ... my boyfriends were strange." But this gave Cher an idea. According to fashion designer Bob Mackie, "[Cher] said, 'I'm giving out this award, and they haven't seen me look like I used to look.' ... She was playing kind of down and dirty characters. ... They hadn't seen her get all dressed up."
Cher eventually did win the Oscar for Best Actress in 1988
Cher's frustration regarding the 1986 Oscars didn't come out of nowhere. She had indeed received significant Best Actress buzz for her portrayal of Rusty Dennis in "Mask," but the actual nomination never came. Granted, Cher had previously been nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Dolly Pelliker in "Silkwood" at the 56th Academy Awards in 1984. A win wasn't in the cards for Cher that year, though, as the Oscar ended up going to Linda Hunt for her role in "The Year of Living Dangerously." However, just two years after her spiteful wardrobe moment, Cher would finally win the big one. The singer took home the honor for Best Actress for her role in "Moonstruck" at the 60th Academy Awards in 1988.
"When I was little my mother said, 'I want you to be something.' And I guess this represents 23 or 24 years of my work, and I've never won anything before from my peers," Cher said during her acceptance speech at the 1988 Oscars. "I'm really, really happy. ... And I don't think that this means that I am somebody, but I guess I'm on my way." Cher also took the time to thank her fellow nominees, including long-time friend Meryl Streep, who herself had earned a Best Actress nod for her role in "Ironweed." Cher and Streep had previously acted opposite one another in "Silkwood," which had earned Streep a Best Actress nomination in 1984.