Nicole Kidman has addressed the controversy surrounding her outfit for the Vanity Fair cover in February 2022.
For the shoot, Kidman wore a micro-mini skirt and matching bra top by Miu Miu as well as calf-high socks and pointed leather loafers.
The images sparked debates around ageism and beauty standards.
One Instagram user wondered why a 56-year-old woman would "need to be fetishized as a teen to make it on the cover of Vanity Fair?!"
In a new interview with Australia's Stellar magazine, Kidman opened up about why she chose to wear the outfit, while also speaking out about the criticism she faced.
"I make the most random, crazy choices. I call them 'teenage choices' because I just don't ever think of consequences," she said, according to the Independent.
"Part of my brain just doesn't think like that. I just go, 'Oh, I’m going to wear that; it reminds me of my school uniform,' or, 'Oh, my God, yeah, I'd love to do that,'" Kidman continued. "I try to [stay] in that place because I think otherwise you get scared or worried."
Kidman further admitted that she tried to avoid paying attention to the online criticism she has received.
"Don't tell me; I don't really want to know. It will stop me doing what I want to do. There are times when you hear things and you go, 'Oh, my gosh, that's really hurtful,'" she said.
"Because you can't be under a rock. But at the same time, I really try to stay free in the choices because otherwise, before you know it, you're just closed off and you can't step anywhere," Kidman continued.
"I want for myself just to keep going, 'Oh, well, I'm trying something or I wanted to do it. It was fun. That was my choice. And yeah, I own it. I'm accountable. Whatever. I take responsibility. Nobody else chose it,'" she added.
Kidman has previously spoken about the controversial outfit, saying during a 2022 interview with Australian director Baz Luhrmann that her stylist on the shoot, Katie Grand, had originally planned to dress her in a different outfit for the cover.
"I showed up and they had another outfit for me and I was like, 'No, no, I like this one! Am I allowed to wear that?'" she said.
"And Katie Grand, who's just fantastic, was on Zoom, and Katie was like, 'You're willing to wear that?!' And I said, ‘Wear it?! I'm begging you to wear it!'"