celebrity

Why everyone's talking about what Ariana Grande wore to Aretha Franklin's funeral.

 

Friends, family and fans have gathered to remember the life of Aretha Franklin at the Queen of Soul’s Detroit funeral.

The five hour ceremony, which featured performances from Stevie Wonder and Jennifer Hudson, was attended by civil rights leaders Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton as well as former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

But there was one performance that raised eyebrows in more ways than one.

Although Ariana Grande’s powerful rendition of Franklin’s ‘Natural Woman’ has been labelled as “vibrant” and “mesmerising”, there’s one aspect that fans aren’t quite sure about – Ariana’s mini black dress.

Ariana Grande funeral
Ariana Grande performs at Aretha Franklin's funeral. Image: Getty.
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On Twitter, viewers questioned whether Ariana's dress was funeral appropriate, with some fans labelling the dress "disrespectful" as it sat above the knees.

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Eagled eyed viewers also pointed out the look on Bill Clinton's face when Ariana took the stage.

But while some Twitter users were attacking Ariana's dress choice, others have supported the singer, adding that the 25-year-old likely wasn't aware of the traditional dress regulations.

Traditionally at funerals, women are generally recommended to wear black with skirts to be worn below the knee.

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No one can argue that Ariana's performance wasn't brilliant, and the 25-year-old unequivocally has the utmost respect for the late Aretha Franklin.

Whether the dress was appropriate or not surely isn't the point - but rather an extension of our cultural obsession with policing how women dress.

Ariana - it goes without saying - can wear what she likes. And the commentary has left us rolling our eyes.

The funeral was not about the distance between Aretha's dress and her knees, but about celebrating one of the most influential and talented artists of our time.

Aretha's funeral was reportedly largely planned by the 76-year-old late singer herself, with Ariana selected to perform after the soul star's family saw her perform on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show shortly after Aretha's death on August 16.

More than 100 pink Cadillacs lined up to join the funeral procession, while Aretha was dressed in a gold gown and matching Louboutin heels at the funeral.