Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Diptyque
    • 2026 Beauty Awards
    • 'Carrie'
    • BÉIS x Rare Beauty
    • Top-Handle Bags
    1. Culture

    Beyoncé Wore a Strapless Mask at the 2021 Grammys and the Internet Is Confused

    Literally, how?!

    Andrea Park's avatar
    By Andrea Park
    Published 15 March 2021 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    There are a lot of mysteries surrounding the 2021 Grammy Awards: How was it humanly possible for Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B to put on such a showstopping, year-making performance? Who is the "someone" Elton John will hit now that Phoebe Bridgers was denied all four of her nominated trophies? And, most pressingly, how on earth did Beyoncé keep her face mask on her face without needing ear straps like the rest of us peasants?

    Let's back up. First, you should know that after skipping the red carpet, Beyoncé and Jay Z did in fact slip in to the Grammys just in time to watch the aforementioned life-affirming medley of Hot Girl Meg's greatest hits to date, accompanied by her frequent collaborator, Cardi B. For the occasion, Bey wore a black leather off-the-shoulder Schiaparelli Haute Couture minidress with a plunging neckline and matching full-length leather gloves adorned with long gold nails. She accessorized with a pair of dramatic black and gold earrings, also by Schiaparelli.

    In accordance with the show's COVID guidelines, Beyoncé went maskless onstage to accept the Best Rap Song Grammy for her own collab with Megan Thee Stallion, "Savage (Remix)," which, incidentally, helped her tie for the record of most-ever Grammy wins by a female artist—a record she smashed later in the evening. But for the rest of her time at the event, while sitting with Jay Z in the (very sparse and socially distanced) audience, she donned a pair of narrow cateye sunglasses and a matching black face mask. That's where things get weird: In mind-boggling contrast to everything we've come to know about face masks in the last year, Beyoncé's somehow seemed not to require any kind of straps to stay on her face.

    See for yourself:

    Her mask just defying the laws of gravity. The power of Beyoncé. pic.twitter.com/Ir1WphTcd5March 15, 2021

    As you can imagine, the internet was confused, to say the very least. Our best guess is that the top of the mask is tucked under her sunglasses? That said, all bets are off when it comes to Queen Bey, so it's also well within the realm of possibility that she's simply willing it to stay on her face and, obviously, it's obeying.

    You may like
    • Rihanna styled the capri pants trend during her surprise performance with Jay-Z Rihanna Returns to Performance Stage After Three Years in the Capri Pants Trend
    • vmas red carpet dress ciara miller 2026 Bras Nearly Outnumbered Gowns on the VMAs Red Carpet
    • Taylor Swift's Tamara Ralph gown at the 2026 MTV VMAs red carpet Taylor Swift's Tamara Ralph Dress at the 2026 MTV VMAs Is Naked and Bejeweled

    Here's what people have to say about the mysterious fashion moment:

    Beyoncé’s mask staying on with no straps??? Her power. #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/yyjxQEjWCIMarch 15, 2021

    of course her mask has no strings?? pic.twitter.com/rdhhWeS8tWMarch 15, 2021

    We too broke to understand. Beyoncé mask probably got a fan built in it. https://t.co/jbfCgEMHAEMarch 15, 2021

    how did beyoncé do that with her maskMarch 15, 2021

    How her mask staying on.. Beyonce is a wizard I swear https://t.co/lX9XcExi3qMarch 15, 2021

    I mean...if I were a mask, I would also just stick to Beyonce no matter what. 🤷🏾‍♀️ https://t.co/ZdspsiMGrdMarch 15, 2021

    Beyoncé’s mask floating, she just built different.March 15, 2021

    im crying why Beyoncé got a strapless mask pic.twitter.com/SEev2cVGuUMarch 15, 2021

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Explore More
    Beyonce The Grammys awards
    Andrea Park
    Andrea Park
    Social Links Navigation

    Andrea Park is a freelance writer for Marie Claire, where she writes mainly about pop culture, drawing on her lifelong obsessions with consuming every book, movie, and TV show she can get her hands on. Andrea is based in Chicago and graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Her byline has also appeared in W, Glamour, Teen Vogue, PEOPLE, and more.

    Read more
    vmas red carpet dress ciara miller 2026
    Celebrity Style Bras Nearly Outnumbered Gowns on the VMAs Red Carpet
    By Kelsey Stiegman
    Taylor Swift's Tamara Ralph gown at the 2026 MTV VMAs red carpet
    Celebrity Style Taylor Swift's Tamara Ralph Dress at the 2026 MTV VMAs Is Naked and Bejeweled
    By Meguire Hennes
     
     
    Megan Thee Stallion
    Culture Megan Thee Stallion's Reign Check
    By Brittany Spanos
    Sabrina Carpenter's performance outfit at the 2026 MTV VMAs
    Celebrity Style Sabrina Carpenter Trades a 2026 MTV VMAs Dress for a Madonna-Style Stage Outfit
    By Meguire Hennes
     
     
    Latest in Culture
    A teenage girl wearing a patchwork blouse (Summer H. Howell as Carrie), in Prime Video's 'Carrie.'
    TV shows Mike Flanagan Says 'Carrie' Season 2 Could Place Her in a "Larger Universe"
    A woman in a blue shirt (Amber Midthunder as Rita Desjardin) uses her phone while standing at the front of a high-school classroom, in Prime Video's 'Carrie.'
    TV shows In 'Carrie,' Amber Midthunder Brings a Classic Horror Story Down to Earth
     
     
    A photo of Nikki Ogunnaike with an inset photo of Frances Berwick and text reading Money. Power. Style. Nice Talk with Nikki Ogunnaike
    Culture Frances Berwick Is Bravo's Secret Weapon
    florence pugh as cathy ames wearing a choker and green dress off her shoulder in netflix's east of eden
    TV shows Over 70 Years Later, Cathy Ames From 'East of Eden' Is Still Too Complex for Audiences
     
     
    Latest in News
    Prince William and Princess Kate standing in front of a Christmas tree and laughing
    Royals Prince William Weighs in on a Major Christmas Decorating Debate
    Keri Russell attended a Barbour event in New York City in a plaid jacket, cuffed jeans, and strappy sandals
    Celebrity Style Keri Russell Styles Her Go-To Jeans With an Under $330 Barbour Jacket
     
     
    Princess Kate standing behind a cash register at IKEA serving a customer
    Royals Prince William and Princess Kate Give IKEA Shoppers the Surprise of Their Lives
    James Middleton holding his dog, Zulu
    Royals James Middleton Announces a Heartbreaking Family Loss
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.