Met Gala 2025: BLACKPINK's Lisa gets backlash for wearing American civil rights icon on underwear

BLACKPINK'S member Lisa, who was among the attendees at the Met Gala 2025, faces criticism after being spotted wearing an outfit that had the face of American activist Rosa Parks on her underwear.

Making her debut at one of fashion’s biggest nights, the BLACKPINK's Lisa wore a Louis Vuitton outfit comprising a black bejewelled bodysuit paired with a sparkly blazer and sheer tights, ditching pants altogether. She styled her hair in a messy updo and opted for a sleek necklace.

However, the K-pop idol garnered a significant amount of backlash after sharp-eyed viewers online spotted the face of American activist Rosa Parks on her undergarment that seemed offensive.

As Rosa Parks is such an important figure in the black rights movement, the similarity of her face as observed in Lisa's outfit irked netizens in a major way.

One user called called the usage of the image of Rosa Parks a “blatant lack of respect and sensitivity towards Rosa Parks’ legacy”.

Several netizens find the choice of clothing vulgar, with one user stating, "How do you come back from this? Lisa, being an ethnic minority in a country that heavily discriminates against poc (people of colour), having a historical figure like Rosa Parks worn in a vulgar way is wild."

There were also few fans who have supported her action, with one user commenting that the outfit intended to “get people talking about civil rights and activism” and adding “Clearly it worked.”

Some users have also stated that it would be more appropriate to blame the designer instead of the K-pop idol. One user commentet, "Why don’t you blame the black stylist who created this piece y’all just want to throw hate when lisa just wore it to represent black people.”

Who is American activist Rosa Parks?

Rosa Parks was a prominent figure in the black community who fought for civil rights and is best known for her defiant act of not giving up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, back in 1955.

Her defiant act sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, which is considered the beginning of the civil rights movement which led to the end of racial discrimination on public transportation.