This star means business.
Doja Cat shocked fans by ditching her signature wild style for a buttoned-up skirt suit to perform at the 2023 VMAs Tuesday night, stripping down to a more bare outfit as the show went on.
The “Woman” singer, 27, changed from the see-through, spider web-covered dress she wore on the red carpet into the office-appropriate look for her performance, which took place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Doja walked through the audience in a buttoned-up gray blazer, white dress shirt and short gray skirt, accessorizing with librarian-like eyeglasses and a prim updo instead of her shaved head as she performed a medley of her hit songs.
She then removed the jacket and glasses (and let down her hair) as she hyped up the crowd with “Paint the Town Red,” strutting on stage in a pair of red ankle booties.
She finished her performance by unbuttoning her top to reveal a red bra at the awards show to match her dancers, who were covered in red body paint.
Follow the 2023 VMAs with our up-to-the-minute coverage:
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- VMAs 2023 live updates: See the full list of winners so far
The singer is nominated for five VMAs, including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of Summer, Best Art Direction in a video and Best Direction.
Doja’s performance comes after a week of bold fashion moments at NYFW, including a see-through bra top and a black slip dress that caused the rapper to lash out on social media over how uncomfortable it made her feel on the Victoria’s Secret World Tour red carpet.
“It’s crazy when you got a dress on and your whole vagina is out the whole night and the straps on the dress pull ur tits all the way down to your knees and all you asked for was a slip dress but i disgress,” she wrote in a now-deleted Instagram Story.
Doja will show off another edgy look when she performs during Victoria’s Secret revamped fashion show — which will stream on Amazon Prime September 26 — while wearing a sheer latex outfit with a bra featuring pierced nipples.
As for her attention-getting ensembles, Doja said she takes it all in stride, telling Harper’s Bazaar in August, “My theory is that if someone has never met me in real life, then, subconsciously, I’m not real to them.”
“So I put my wigs on and take them off,” she added. “I shave my head or my eyebrows. I have all the freedom in the world.”
