Julia Fox defends blood-soaked Jackie Kennedy Halloween costume after backlash, says it’s about trauma, power

Actor and model Julia Fox has responded to criticism surrounding her controversial Halloween costume, which recreated the blood-stained pink suit worn by Jacqueline Kennedy on the day of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

Julia Fox defends the blood-stained Jackie Kennedy outfit for Halloween

Julia Fox said the outfit was not meant to shock but to make a statement about grief, trauma, and strength.

Fox, 35, attended Julio Torres’ Halloween party on October 30 dressed in a blood-splattered pink skirt suit, paired with white gloves and a matching pillbox hat — a striking recreation of the outfit the former First Lady wore on November 22, 1963, when her husband was fatally shot while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas.

The look quickly went viral, drawing accusations of insensitivity across social media platforms.

In an Instagram post on October 31, Fox addressed the backlash directly, explaining that her costume was “not a mockery but a statement.” She wrote: “When her husband was assassinated, [Jackie] refused to change out of her blood-stained clothes, saying, ‘I want them to see what they’ve done.’ 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 (sic).”

Fox went on to describe the First Lady’s choice as an act of “extraordinary bravery,” adding that it symbolised “trauma, power, and femininity as resistance.”

Internet reacts to the outfit

While Julia turned the comments off on her Instagram post, people took to X to share their thoughts.

The outfit had the audience divided into sections. While one section praised her and said, “A powerful reminder of how grief can become a form of defiance and dignity (sic),” and “the concept of being mad at someone representing actual death and horror on halloween lmaoo (sic),” the other section of people criticised her choice.

A person wrote, “Julia Fox will witness one historical tragedy and be like “actually it’s about being a baddie with layered grief and rhinestones (sic).” Another person commented, “Her trauma isn’t a halloween costume for you (sic).”

A third person wrote, “It wasn’t performance. It was shock. What does femininity have to do with watching your husband be killed in front of you (sic).”

What was the story behind the blood-soaked outfit wore by Jackie Kennedy?

Jacqueline Kennedy’s real-life decision to remain in her bloodied Chanel-inspired pink suit has long been seen as one of the most powerful images in American history.

Despite being urged by staff and aides to change into a clean outfit after the assassination, she refused.

Hours later, she stood beside Lyndon B. Johnson aboard Air Force One as he was sworn in as President, still wearing the stained suit.

When questioned, she reportedly said, “I want them to see what they’ve done to Jack.”

Historians and fashion scholars have since interpreted her decision as both personal mourning and a silent political statement — a refusal to sanitise the brutal reality of her husband’s death.

The outfit itself, now preserved but sealed from public view by the National Archives until at least 2103, remains an enduring symbol of grace under unimaginable pressure.

While Julia Fox’s reimagining of the look has divided opinion, her explanation has prompted some to see it as a provocative artistic commentary rather than a tasteless gesture. As one follower commented on X, “She wanted the killers to see their handiwork.”