In the last few years, Joy Villa has become more well known for her hateful Grammys outfits rather than her music. On Sunday night, she – unsurprisingly – made a spectacle of herself when she showed up in yet another eye-roll-inducing outfit. On one of the biggest nights for the music industry, Villa dressed as a wall, complete with barbed wire.
Underneath a sparkly silver cape, Villa wore a black-and-white dress with a brick pattern. The words “Build the Wall” were emblazoned on the back side of the dress – designed by Desi Lee Allinger-Nelson of Desi Designs Couture. She accessorized with a “Make America Great Again” purse and barbed wire.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, she attempted to justify her bigoted style. “I believe in building the wall to protect our southern border, not to keep people out but to protect the citizens of our country,” she said. “I’m part Latina, I’m Black, and I believe in what the president’s saying. This to me is a representation of that, in a very visual way. … I always make a statement.”
And while she said she doesn’t want to keep immigrants out, her language – which mimics President Donald Trump’s – isn’t fooling people. She and Trump want to “secure” the southern border (and not the northern border) because of who it will keep out. Despite Trump claiming there’s a crisis, border crossings on the southern border have been decreasing for years. The wall is not only racist and unnecessary, it also poses an ecological and environmental threat.
But once again, Villa – who has worn an anti-abortion and MAGA dress at past events – was given a platform for her hateful rhetoric. So why does she keep getting invited to the Grammys?