After Ed Sheeran sent the internet in an uproar for being wildly undressed during his duet with Beyonce Knowles, the Grammy winner had a funny response to it.
In a nod to the backlash, Sheeran reposted an article on his Instagram story titled, "People are angry Ed Sheeran wore a shirt while Beyonce wore couture during their Global Citizen performance."
While performing together for the Global Citizen Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday, fans were quick to criticise Sheeran's choice to pair a black t-shirt and sneakers on stage, while Beyonce, 37, opted for an extravagant pink gown with ruffles.
Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran singing Perfect Duet is probably my favorite thing right now pic.twitter.com/iciPlrR1CY
— brendon skolat (@brendonSkolat) December 2, 2018
"Swipe up to ‘get the look," he wrote alongside the cheeky hashtag, #dresstoimpress.
As he acknowledged the clashing looks, he joked about where to find more of his "amazing fashion choices".
View this post on Instagram
Lmao you gotta love him😂😂 #dresstoimpress
A post shared by Ed Sheeran Updates (Fanpage)(@edsheeran_eu) on Dec 5, 2018 at 6:07am PST
The controversy sparked hilarious memes of the pair during the performance and a real conversation about male privilege.
"Ed Sheeran is a 27-year-old man the fact we've enabled him to feel it's ok to dress like this at all, let alone next to Beyonce really boils my piss," wrote one Twitter user.
Another pointed to the disparity of gender expectations in the music industry saying, "This photo is representative of what we expect from men and women at the top of their game, isn't it?"
As Twitter debated his wardrobe choice, many Sheeran fans pointed to the fact that he regularly performs in similar looks on stage.
While Sheeran seems to be taking the controversy lightly, he has been targeted by online bullies in the past.