Winnie Harlow Under Fire Over Whitney Houston Tribute as Fans Defend Her, Saying It Looked More Like an Homage Than an Insult
Outrage Erupts as Winnie Harlow’s Sheer Whitney Houston Tribute Has Fans Crying Double Standards
Model Winnie Harlow is catching heat over her attempt to channel the late Whitney Houston.
Harlow kicked off the holiday early by sharing videos of her channeling the legendary singer for Halloween. She tapped into two iconic moments from Houston’s career. But the portrayal of Houston’s infamous Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards is what got Harlow scolded by some online users.
In one 67-second clip, Harlow transformed into Houston’s look from her ’80s pop hit “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” music video and recreated parts of the visual. The second post was a Harlow posing as Houston in some of her promotional images for the song with a similar hairstyle and outfit.
But it was the third post that rubbed some folks the wrong way.
The 31-year-old’s Thursday clip started with Harlow imitating the toe hop dance Houston did as she walked over to the mic for her acceptance speech at the BET Awards in 2001.
Harlow wore a short feathered wig similar to the one Houston had on that evening and complemented it with a dress that was comparable in silhouette and color.
The video then cuts to a “Please Stand By” sign before Harlow appears back on screen. This time standing closer to the screen, Harlow mouths over the actual audio from the beginning of Houston’s speech where she sings “I’m Every Woman” before doing a quick rendition of Destiny Child’s “I’m A Survivor.”
Another “Please Stand By” sign appears before Harlow re-emerges once again to re-enact part of Houston’s five minute speech, where she thanks her former management and production company, Nippy Inc.
The last part that Harlow acts out is three minutes into Houston’s speech when someone in the audience yells out to her, cutting her off.
Looking out to the audience, Harlow mouths over the audio of Houston saying, “Aye wait! That’s mine. That’s mine. Let me handle this. You better chill.” She then quickly sings “You better lay low.” causing the audience to erupt in laughter.
Harlow captioned the clip, “Youuu betta Lay Low” and added, “one of my favorite iconic Whitney moments.”
\While many applauded Harlow for her well-performed portrayal of Houston and her mannerisms, others let it be known that the video didn’t sit right with them.
Under The Hollywood Unlocked’s Instagram post, a fan said, “This feels mean spirited. I didn’t like this.”
A second person said, “Nope. Whitney was high as hell. Exploiting that clip is quit trifling.”
A third said, “She nailed it but mimicking her when she was high was very disrespectful.”
Houston, who passed away at age 48 in 2012 from accidental drowning in a bathtub at her hotel in Beverly Hills, had a long battle with drug abuse. Some believe that her mannerisms and erratic behavior onstage during that infamous BET Awards moment were proof she was under the influence then.
Toxicology results after Houston’s passing revealed cocaine in her system in addition to marijuana, Xanax, and Benadryl.
Other fans defended Harlow’s video.
One person said, “I Don’t Feel Like She’s Mocking Whitney, That BET Award Scene Will Forever Be Iconic “You Betta Lay Low.”
Whitney Houston BET awards 2001 speech. pic.twitter.com/S0y7eSHHet
— Susan.mp3 (@archiveforsusan) October 19, 2024
A second wrote, “You can’t do anything in this age of time, everyone is so sensitive.”
Harlow gained notoriety at age 19 after appearing on cycle 19 of “America’s Next Top Model.” She was selected by host Tyra Banks herself after being discovered on Instagram. She quickly became a trailblazer for other models who had vitiligo, a condition she was diagnosed with at age 4, and vowed to redefine beauty standards.
Since leaving the show in 2014, Harlow has been represented by Creative Arts Agency before moving on to William Morris Endeavor. She’s worked with brands like Victoria Secret, MAC, Marc Jacobs and more. Harlow was even a judge on Amazon Prime’s fashion competition series called “Making the Cut.” Today, she is the founder of her own skin care brand called Cay Skin.
