If the Grammy Awards offered a prize for the most audacious red-carpet debut, Chappell Roan would have effortlessly claimed it. Her gravity-defying Mugler ensemble, characterized by its provocative nipple-ring accents, left the internet buzzing with one question: how did she and her team pull off such a daring feat of engineering?
The answer involves a surprising mix of high-end prosthetics and humble gum wrappers. Sasha Glasser, a makeup artist and special effects specialist, recently sat down with Allure to break down the technical magic. She revealed that the look relied on custom-molded prosthetic covers, meticulously painted to match Roan’s skin tone, which allowed the singer to maintain modesty while leaning into a “naked” aesthetic.
However, the hardware posed a significant structural challenge. The weight of the metal rings and the Mugler fabric was too heavy for the prosthetics to bear alone. To prevent the rings from tearing through the silicone, stylist Genesis Webb layered a durable, nude-toned mesh over the prosthetics for added reinforcement. During the assembly process, Glasser utilized gum wrappers to shield the rings from paint and debris while they perfected the skin-like finish of the covers.
“Genesis and I put it to the test,” Glasser recalled. “When we first tried putting the ring directly into the prosthetic and tugging, it ripped out immediately. It was a high-stakes trial-and-error process.”
The risk certainly paid off. By the time Roan stepped onto the red carpet, the look was flawless and instantly went viral. A single video of the outfit posted to Billboard’s Instagram account garnered over 50 million views in under 24 hours.
Reflecting on the viral discourse, Roan took to Instagram to share behind-the-scenes photos and a lighthearted response to the controversy. “Giggling because I don’t even think this is THAT outrageous of an outfit,” she told her followers. “The look’s actually so awesome and weird. I recommend just exercising your free will; it’s really fun and silly.”
After her headline-grabbing entrance, Roan transitioned into a sophisticated cream-colored gown to fulfill her duties as a presenter. Having won the Best New Artist trophy in 2025, she returned to the stage this year to pass the torch to the 2026 winner, Olivia Dean.
