Some people need to command a lot of space. This was never truer than for Tems, the singer-songwriter whose “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” track “Lift Me Up,” performed by Rihanna, was nominated for best original song. She attended the Academy Awards show in a huge white gown that wrapped around the back of her head and shoulders, blocking the view of dozens of people sitting behind her.
The singer was heavily criticized on social media. The gown prompted plenty of reactions on Twitter. Many called her selfish and rude.
“I’m cryinnnnnnn,” wrote one user alongside a video of Tems sat in the audience. “Tems got that lady fighting for her life.”
“Imagine waiting your whole life to be at the Oscars and you end up sitting behind a stratus cloud,” tweeted one person.
One person said: “I guess the people behind the white veil don’t get to see the show.”
Not everybody criticized Tems for her dress, however.
“If you’re sitting BEHIND greatness that is known as Tems, then perhaps you’re just not that important,” one person said.
Another tweeted: “Perfect. She should not be apologizing.”
Sadly for her, she did not win. The song “Naatu Naatu” from the Telugu-language film “RRR” made history by becoming the first Indian film song to win an Oscar as it won the award for best original song.
Despite that disappointment, she could be confident that she was the center of attention. Who could miss her even in that crowd of thousands?
