Julia Fox has defended her decision to dress as former US First Lady Jackie Kennedy for Halloween after facing intense backlash.
The 35-year-old actress and photographer, known for her bold and unconventional style, recreated the blood-stained pink suit Jackie wore when her husband, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated beside her in an open-top car in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963.
Her outfit was one of the highlights of the Cursed Amulet Halloween party presented by Julio Torres on Thursday night in New York City.
Observers were quick to note Julia Fox’s attention to detail as she channelled Jackie Kennedy, wearing the former First Lady’s signature pillbox hat, white gloves and a short bobbed wig — along with gruesome blood splatter across her pale pink suit.
Jackie, who later married billionaire Aristotle Onassis, famously refused to change out of her blood-soaked suit for Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson’s swearing-in aboard Air Force One, declaring: “No, let them see what they’ve done to Jack.”
While Fox’s Halloween look made headlines for its shocking realism, it also sparked fierce criticism, with some describing the outfit as “tasteless and tacky,” “problematic,” and a “disrespectful clown show,” according to Metro.
The 35-year-old actress and photographer, however, has stood by her choice, insisting it was “not a costume, but a statement.”
In a post on Instagram, she wrote: “When her husband was assassinated, [Jackie] refused to change out of her blood-stained clothes, saying, ‘I want them to see what they’ve done.’
“The image of the delicate pink suit splattered with blood is one of the most haunting juxtapositions in modern history — beauty and horror, poise and devastation.
“Her decision not to change clothes, even after being encouraged to, was an act of extraordinary bravery. It was performance, protest, and mourning all at once — a woman weaponising image and grace to expose brutality.
“It’s about trauma, power, and how femininity itself is a form of resistance. Long live Jackie O.”
Despite Fox’s explanation, reaction online was sharply divided.
One woman posted on X: “What she did is beyond disrespectful. Who thinks it’s okay to turn someone’s real-life tragedy into a Halloween costume? It’s just disturbing.”
Another wrote: “Julia Fox didn’t just hit a moral low with her Halloween costume, she paraded it in pink tweed and fake blood. What she calls a ‘tribute’ is nothing more than a calculated PR stunt.”
Jack Schlossberg, 32, the grandson of John F. and Jackie Kennedy, also condemned the outfit, saying on X: “Julia Fox glorifying political violence is disgusting, desperate and dangerous.”
Others, however, defended the look.
“I actually thought Julia Fox’s costume ruled,” one fan wrote, while another said: “Look, I don’t like Julia Fox but the outrage at her costume is extremely un-punk rock of you all.”
“Okay, the caption saved it for me – not everyone has this type of mindset,” one viewer added, while another praised it as “an absolutely SHOW STOPPING LOOK. From the messaging to the look itself… absolute perfection.”
