The Truth About Lil Kim's Controversial VMAs Outfit

When Lil' Kim showed up on the red carpet at the 1999 MTV VMAs in a breast-baring jumpsuit, the look (understandably) stirred up some serious reactions. However, it turns out that the initial idea for the outfit was a nip-slip joke made by fellow star Missy Elliott. While opening up about her iconic look on BET+'s American Gangster: Trap Queens (via People), Lil' Kim revealed, "The girls used to laugh at me and Missy said, 'Girl, your nipples pop out so much. One day, you need to just come outside with one nipple out." Apparently, while the others were left laughing, stylist Misa Hylton's "lightbulb went off and she just went from there."

As for Lil' Kim's matching wig, well, that was actually a mistake. While the wig was meant to be blonde, the star explained that the hairstylist "oversaturated something and the whole blonde wig came out lavender." Although there was a bit of a panic due to the fact that they "were literally 45 or 30 minutes away from showtime," Kim recalls that Hylton apparently soothed the situation, saying, "Did you say lavender? Kim's outfit is lavender. It's perfect!" As for Lil' Kim, she noted, "I'm always with the s**t. I was like, 'Let's do it! Put it on me.' I'm always excited to see what I'll look like in different colors."

What the team ended up with was a look that will forever be a part of VMAs history.

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