Julia Fox shocks in bloody Jackie Kennedy costume inspired by JFK assassination
Julia Fox is facing backlash after dressing as a blood-soaked version of Jackie Kennedy for Halloween.
The actress was photographed Thursday at the Cursed Amulet Halloween party in New York City, dressed in a pink tweed suit and matching pillbox hat — much like the outfit Jackie famously wore on the day her husband, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated.
The controversial costume also featured white gloves, a black bag and a dark brown wig, and was finished with fake blood meant to represent the fatal shooting of Kennedy as he rode in a motorcade through Dallas in 1963.
The outfit sparked vitriol online, with commenters saying things like “Tragedy is not a costume” and “This is the most tasteless thing I’ve ever seen.”
Fox responded to the ire on Instagram, explaining that her outfit was not so much a costume but a “statement.”
“When her husband was assassinated, she refused to change out of her blood-stained clothes, saying, ‘I want them to see what they’ve done,” Fox wrote Friday afternoon. “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,” Fox continued. “It was performance, protest and mourning all at once. A woman weaponizing image and grace to expose brutality. It’s about trauma, power and how femininity itself is a form of resistance. Long live Jackie O.”
Shortly after her husband’s murder, the first lady was photographed in the outfit next to then-VP Lyndon B. Johnson, who was quickly sworn in as president.
“She went out in her blood-stained suit and stood next to Lyndon Johnson,” historian Steve Gillon told People in 2023. “Despite these horrible circumstances, she was willing to stand for a photo because she understood what it meant for the nation to have continuity in government. She understood that she had a role to play in helping the nation transition to a new president.”
When Jackie finally removed the Chanel suit the following morning, it was placed in a box and later stored in the attic of her mother’s home. The suit, which was never cleaned, was eventually given to the National Archives, where it has been kept out of public view ever since.
Fox has a history of making provocative statements with her outfits, including the nearly naked dress she wore to the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March.
Last year, the 35-year-old told the New York Times that she’s “exhausted” from “pretending” to be normal.
“It’s not easier [to try] to be normal … eventually freaks are like, “I’m going to be myself and live my truth because I can’t pretend anymore. Pretending is draining; it’s exhausting; it’s depression. Being a freak’s not an easy thing, but it can be a very beautiful thing.”