Entertainment

Relive the Perfection That Was the 2003 VMAs With These 19 Unbelievable Photos

The 2003 MTV VMAs proved we weren't in the '90s anymore. Justin Timberlake was no longer "in sync" with his former boy band mates, Britney Spears was not-so-innocent, and Paris Hilton just broke out as the It Girl of the early 00s. The 2003 VMAs, which took place at Radio City Music Hall on Aug. 28, were an explosion of weird Millennium madness. Want to relive all of it? Here are the pics that prove we had entered a new era.

by Kaitlin Reilly

Exhibit A

Paris and Nicole Hilton looked like one another’s clone.

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Exhibit B

Beyonce hung out.

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Exhibit C

Christina Aguilera strutted the red carpet in a dress made out of a Muppet.

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Exhibit D

Lindsay Lohan had intense bangs and ombre eyewear.

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Exhibit E

Fergie wore a track suit.

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Exhibit F

Jessica Simpson decided to ditch the bra. Also the top.

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Exhibit G

Eminem palled around with a puppet…

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Exhibit H

…which was somehow less weird than Lil Wayne, Hilary Duff, and Jason Biggs in one photo.

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Exhibit I

Britney Spears showed up in a wedding dress for the opening performance of a mashup of “Like A Virgin” and “Hollywood” with Madonna and Christina Aguilera.

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Exhibit J

Spears and Aguilera quickly shed their wedding dresses. And then it got weirder!

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Exhibit K

Wait, they’re not really going to…

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Exhibit L

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Exhibit M

So did this. (Somehow it was less of a big deal?)

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Exhibit N

Christina Aguilera got dirrrty with Dave Navarro — or maybe that’s just the spray tan.

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Exhibit O

Chris Rock hosted in a track suit, following Jamie Foxx’s lead of wearing really casual clothes to host major award shows.

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Exhibit P

Kelly Osbourne wore a crown and went for a blue-black dye job. If only she knew how radiant she would look in lilac — she may have even smiled.

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Exhibit Q

Model Omahyra Mota attended the Stuff Magazine pre-show party and thought this was an appropriate pose.

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Exhibit R

Good Charlotte was a thing. Long live GC.

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Exhibit S

And, of course, Beyonce proved she was the fiercest of them all, because some things just never change.

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