Let’s face it: this year’s Oscars were not great. The red carpet fashion wasn’t the best, and the actual show was kind of a snooze (although, to be fair, the pace actually improved A LOT this year). Kobe Bryant and Gary Oldman won Oscars. Ryan Seacrest is a douchebag and most people ignored him. For hours on the carpet, everything just felt un-fun, like people were walking on eggshells and no one wanted to be there. And then Tiffany Haddish came up and it was clear that she was having a ball and living her best life. Suddenly everything seemed brighter and happier. She is JOY personified.
On the red carpet, Tiffany wore a traditional Eritrean costume ensemble because she made a promise to her late Eritrean father that she would. She told ABC News: “He said one day I would end up here and if I ever ended up at the Oscars to honor my people so I’m honoring my fellow Eritreans.” She was full of joy on the carpet, and then… when she actually got to sit down inside, she was full of joy. She was having the best time, and she got to present with Maya Rudolph and every single person in that auditorium was in love with Tiffany. My constant mood now is Timothee Chalamet loving every second of watching Tiffany.
Oh, and when she presented with Maya? She wore that same Alexander McQueen white gown that she bought and wears everywhere. She’s worn that to awards shows, she’s worn that on SNL, and she’s worn that to the Oscars (now). She’s incredible.
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.
Her commitment to that white McQueen gown gives me life!
Also the Eritrean gown is gorgeous!
Yes and yes.
She paid $6,000 for that white McQueen and she already warned you all on SNL that if you invite her to your wedding, she is coming in it. She was not joking.
Also its just occured to me how well repped the mother continent was. Tiffany – Eriteria, Danai – Zimbabwe, Lupita – Kenya (insert Wakanda “X” here)
I love the McQueen gown too, I would also repeat it if I owned it and it looked that great on me.
The first look was… memorable.
YES. I loved everything about her looks. And that white dress…YES.
And it looks absolutely incredible on her-love it! The jeweled neckline is beautiful.
I love her and I love that she honoured her father and Eritrea. She was a true Eritrean princess last night! I also love that she keeps wearing her white dress – my god she looks amazing in it, why the hell not??? I love so much about her!! I did not love that she spoke to Ryan Seacrest and told him she loved him but I guess no one can be perfect.
That Alexander McQueen is a gorgeous dress though. I do not blame her one whit for wearing it again and again. (Kate Middleton better be taking some effing notes here btw!!!!!!!! This is how you do repeats / recycling!!!!!)
The Eritrean ensemble made me tear up. I can’t remember where I read this, but someone on Twitter or elsewhere was watching the Oscars w/ their Eritrean doorman in the lobby or something. And apparently the gentleman just lit up when he saw Tiffany Haddish come on, and started talking about the embroidery and stuff. I honestly love her so much.
At first I was like oh no, this is some Dolce religious-icon crap. But once I learned about it I’m 100% on board. Good for her! It was sweet. And as always, she was hilarious.
I hope she brings more attention to Eritrea, the people of Eritrea deserve better
TRUTH. The Eritrean regime probably has a price on my head as a result of some briefs I have written in support of asylum for its citizens. Sorry not sorry.
@Kaiser: Respectfully, it’s a traditional Eritrean *gown* not “costume.” I’m Nigerian American and get so frustrated when our gowns and clothing are referred to as “costumes.” We aren’t dressing up for a performance or Halloween.
THIS!!!!
I was going to say the same thing- it’s not a costume. It’s a traditional dress/gown worn for festive events such as parties and weddings. I’m Ethiopian and wearing something very very similar to my future wedding including gold jewelry.
@Sasha: Then you’re going to be beautiful at your wedding.
They were so funny together. Tiffany high-energy, Maya a bit mellower, but just as funny. Buddy-buddy comedy?
And I just looked up her age -did you know Tiffany was 38!!! I had NO idea! I thought she was 25 /26. Girl looks GOOD!
Happiness = Fountain of Youth?
I’m so jealous. This spring I found out I am part Nigerian and I so desperately want to wear some teaditional clothing, learn how to prepare Nigerian meals, become familiar with the language etc but I have no confidence that Nigerian born Americans won’t laugh at me. Has anyone else felt this way about their heritage.
Which tribe?
That should be your starting point.
Who cares if they laugh? You have just as much right to explore your heritage and enjoy learning more about where your ancestors came from as any other person in this country. Go for it.
Norwegian born people laugh at how Norwegian Americans represent our homeland love; it doesn’t matter. It’s your heritage and you show your love for it as you like!
LAK
You’re so very lucky to “know” who you are…
*sigh* I didn’t even consider that different tribes would dress completely differently. Aargh. I wish I knew. My ancestors were dragged here as slaves so I don’t know how to discover which tribe we came from. Ironically on my paternal side I can literally trace my Scottish heritage to Robert the Bruce via John Witherspoon who arrived in South Carolina on behalf of George II. But the things I really want to know are harder to get at because of time and circumstance. It’s so frustrating. At some point I intend to travel to SC and pray that there is something helpful in the Witherspoon family records.
Chaine and Betsy
Thank you 🙂 Your response made me feel better.
Ha!~ I’ve just started saying I’m “Sorta-Rican”, because I can barely remember anything about that side of my family, and didn’t learn to make the food etc, now they are mostly passed away. I so want to be MORE than some basic white girl in the mall, but I can’t pull of heritage. Sigh.
Enough Already,
The only thing i know about Scottish migration to the USA is via history lessons about the fate of the Scots after they lost at Culloden. It’s fascinating to think that most of the Scots in NC and SC are descendants of highlanders even if the circumstances of their move was because of horrible events in Scotland.
My favourite interior design blog, cote de texas has a page on some of that history which i think you’d enjoy.https://cotedetexas.blogspot.co.uk/2015_10_22_archive.html
Regarding the other side of your ancestry, i think it’s a bonus that you can pinpoint it to Nigeria. So many people can not. I hadn’t thought about that issue when i asked the question. Is it important to you to know? I think of Maya Angelou’s book, All God’s children need travelling shoes, in which she took the bull by the horns and simply went there. Perhaps you could try that.
Being able to pick and choose from all the different tribes might end up being alot of fun.
I am glad that it is easy for me to trace one side of my family right back to Europe and Russia very easily. It is bittersweet of course because of the Holocaust, but I feel very connected to Germany and Russia.
On the other side is Louisiana Acadian and it is much harder. Of course, it can be traced back to Canada, but some people in the family tree remain a mystery. The French ancestors were easy but there are gaps, and I think it is on purpose. I have become nosey about it lately. And even more so after I questioned my parent. My Mamere’s mother is draped in secrecy.
Anyway, Good luck. I hope you find some answers. It overwhelmed me the first time I saw the cities and towns for myself and toured the areas.
LAK
“Being able to pick and choose from all the different tribes might end up being alot of fun.”
Quite surprised that this sentence put a lump in my throat but it did. I think the relationship between poc with recent vs historical ties to Africa is very much under-explored so your comments are giving me life right now… Does any one particular tribe resonate with you? Asking for a friend 😀
My ancestors preceded the Culloden Jacobites by exactly 14 years so I don’t get to claim those Scots. However, I’ve been obsessed with that period of history and will be visiting several related sites in Scotland this August. Squee!
Cote de Texas and style seem so contradictory that I confess to a snicker but omg that site!!! The archives have quicksanded me lol.
magnoliarose
Now I understand the magnolia in your name :O
My stepson graduated from Tulane so we visited NOLA quite often and the locals talk about how so many people come to their state searching for their past or at least a piece of it. I think finding your grandmother’s story would be as important as it would be thrilling. Going back in time has brought me heart palpitations, joy and sadness. For example, my great grandmother looked caucasian while my great grandfather was a black man with a medium brown complexion. Assumptions that he was living with a white woman had dire consequences for him. But then I discover that a great aunt was a nurses’ aid then nurse with the 92nd division in France in WWI. She was tall, articulate and capable so no one suspected that she was lying about her age lol.
All that to say that any time we spend uncovering our history is worth it!
I love that she keeps wearing the gown. It shows how out of this wold excessive all of this red carpet business is. I also love Frances McDormand for consistently not wearing make-up and not caring.
Yes and Yes!
Yes to both!
I love that she wore the gown again at the Oscars. And her red carpet gown is interesting and meaningful to her, that’s awesome.
such an interesting personality……me love her
Her book was iconic, for me. She was basically illiterate most of her life due to circumstance and stress. Seriously, get the book if U haven’t already!
Ok so Tiffany Haddish caused a disturbance in my apartment complex. My neighbor is Ethiopian and I guess we were both watching the red carpet/Oscar because I heard her ululate every time Tiffany was on the screen. I mean she was LOUD. lol. So this morning on our apartment email list, one of our other neighbors was PISSED at the “Xena or tribal yells from last night”.
All this to say representation matters. Thank you Tiffany Haddish for making my neighbor so happy yesterday that ululating was the only way she could express her joy.
Hahaha, glorious!
Tiffany seems so happy and full of life. It is refreshing. I wish I had that same zest… I will have whatever she is having please!
*LOVE* this and her.
Personally, I think the look is a bit much for the Oscars…but I do think its really cool that she wanted to honour her heritage and father. Plus, it does make it a more interesting red carpet, then the sea of plain dresses out there. I did love the McQueen dress she wore on stage.
If you don’t get to ‘look a bit much’ for the oscars, where can you ‘look a bit much’?
Interesting how Her comments about Bill Cosby have been forgotten. It was just a joke…… remember.
People are “emperor’s new clothes”-ing her right now. Don’t worry, there are a few who haven’t forgotten those comments she made and I’m sorry but that “joke” wasn’t funny. I find her to be abrasive and impolite.
Like I said in the previous thread, she can enjoy the Oscars but she doesn’t have to crash another person’s interview (a person who was being interviewed and rightfully should have had the spotlight on him since it was his first nomination for best actor and for an extraordinary and important film.)
She barely even acknowledged Daniel Kaluuya after hijacking his moment with that “The princess is here” choo-choo. -_- If you’re going to hijack someone’s once in a lifetime moment, at least play along with them, don’t ignore them!
The moment just felt like the obnoxious, popular kid in high school picking on and being disrespectful to like, I don’t know, an honor student or something. No need to be rude and dismissive just cause you want to start talking about yourself and can’t wait your turn. Kaluuya just said right over left and tried to play it off and she didn’t even say anything and was just, I don’t know. It was just off.
Oh how wonderful to see another who finds her abrasive. I think she’s thoughtless and conceited.
I think she’s full of Life, but hasn’t gotten into the “grit” of reality- we can see she’s soulful & optimistic, but the ‘woke part hasn’t manifested. I don’t think she’s intentionally conceited, it’s just not there yet. To give her credit, she was barely literate as a young woman due to childhood stress, etc. You’ve got to read her autobiography.
I find her abrasive and annoying as well.
I think she is high octane and could lay low for just a bit, so she doesn’t become overexposed since it can happen very suddenly.
She explained herself, and there was no need to go further. I save my anger for Cosby. Not a bad offside joke. How can there be degrees of outrage if a bad joke in poor taste is something to hold against someone. We all say stupid things we regret, but we don’t have someone writing it down and reporting it. This is how celebrities eventually learn to be bland and safe because every mistake is overblown.
She’s learning as she goes and came up the hard way so I would rather focus on actual offenders and not a woman who isn’t involved in any of it.
I need to learn more about Eritrean fashion behind this. That outfit was absolutely stunning, I want!
Tif Tif Tif. Here for Haddish 😀 Love her enthusiasm. Had no idea she was Eritrean. Such a beautiful culture. I recognized the Coptic crosses right away and thought she was going Afrocentric Ethiopian style – so excited to hear about her late Father’s vision of her becoming so famous <3 love the cape – decadent and gorgeous.
I was a bit overwhelmed by Tiffany last night. She might need to dial it back a notch or two.
she is who she is and she’s not everyone’s taste, nor should she have to “dial it back” to make her more palatable to people who aren’t a fan. she doesn’t need to pander to people. she’s found big success just being herself.
Seriously, does anybody tell j law to dial it back with her shtick? People just wanna hate on her because they don’t like outspoken black women.
@misty okay everyone tells jlaw to dial it back, jlaw gets waaaaaaay more flack than tiffsny, let’s be real.
If people find her too much, please don’t necessarily jump to the conclusion of race, as a poc, I agree with the sentiments above and it has nothing to do with her color, just her personality. We’re allowed to voice that out and have that opinion about her because for all intents and purposes, she is loud and I can see why some may find her overwhelming.
I hope there’s more Tiffany to come with some good movies!!
They were cute together. I miss seeing Maya R- she is a treasure!
Timothée watching Tiffany — TRUE
love her!