The ‘Baby One More Time’ Schoolgirl outfit. The one where she wore a snake as an accessory. The red latex music video bodysuit. The denim from head to toe Justin Timberlake and Ms. Spears matched in (and that has spawned celebrity fashion homages from Megan Fox and more over the years). All are iconic looks, but none may take the cake more than the time Britney Spears went basically nude, then covered her body in a bunch of rhinestone crystals. Or was it a sheer bodysuit? TikTok just can’t seem to agree.
The outfit in question was one Ms. Spears wore in 2003 as part of the promotion for her popular song “Toxic.” There were actually two looks to come out of the music video for “Toxic.” The first is a blue, futuristic flight attendant outfit. The second is the sparkly, rhinestone-covered look.
glued on her body and posted it to TikTok, where fans immediately started discussing whether or not this was a case of the Mandela Effect, a noted phenomenon where many people remember the same thing, even though it never happened. Most fans thought she had on a bodysuit, but in this case, plenty of fans came to Brit’s defense.
Is This The Mandela Effect At Work?
Speaking with host Jonathan Ross years ago, Britney Spears confirmed the rhinestones in the “Toxic” music video were literally “glued” all over her person to achieve the glittering effect.
They’re just hand diamonds painted on me. Well, glued on me. Glued on my body. I don’t remember what I did [to get them off].
The effect is stunning, but a slew of people remember the incident differently, with some even noting they remember a piece of fabric tucked between her fingers denoting a bodysuit. Some of these recollections seem very specific.
- Is this a new Mandela effect? I’m Suree she was wearing a bodysuit.
- No way. This was a sheer suit! There was string wrapped around her finger holding the sleeves on!
- I just watched Toxic. With the necklace and bracelet I can see why it looks like a bodysuit.
Regardless, many fans defended Britney, noting that in MTV’s famous “Making the Video” segment, those involved said something very similar. Honestly, for as many comments as there were implying bodysuit, there were a slew of others implying, “You’ve all never watched the making of ‘Toxic’ on MTV and it shows.”
Truly, both Britney Spears and the director of the music video Joseph Kahn confirmed the jewels were simply added to her body and placed in the perfect formation to not show too much on camera.
Right now we’re shooting the jewel set, but you’re not [speaking to MTV] allowed in there because Britney will be completely naked except for a couple of jewels covering certain parts of her body. Lucky us, unfortunate for you.
Later in the episode, Britney Spears was spotted in a towel on the day the shot for the music video filmed, and she confirmed the diamonds were on her person.
I have nothing on. I just have a bunch of diamonds glued all over my body. So it’s a really intimate, sexy moment.
So, why do some fans seem to have this false memory? There could be a reason.
Why Are Fans Remembering A Bodysuit?
Back in those days, Ms. Spears was still performing live quite often in those days, and the diamond-covered look was not a particularly new idea for the singer. In 2000 at the VMAs, the singer came out in a black, sparkly suit, and ripped it all off to reveal a nude bra and pants covered with diamonds.
During another ABC TV experience when “Toxic” was just getting released, Britney Spears wore a sheer bodysuit covered in tattoos. Remember earlier when a fan said they distinctly could remember a string wrapped around her finger “holding the sleeves on”? Well, that’s actually the look from her ABC performance, and she definitely wasn’t nude and covered in rhinestones for network TV. Take a look.
All in all, Britney Spears always looks great, no matter what she’s wearing, and these days she’s become almost as synonymous on social media for her fashion shows as she has for her infamous dancing videos. But no rhinestone-covered videos have quite made an appearance yet.