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Olivia Culpo

People hate Olivia Culpo's wedding dress, and Christian McCaffrey is clapping back

Jay Stahl
USA TODAY

Christian McCaffrey is taking his talents from field turf to the comments section − and defending new wife Olivia Culpo.

The former Miss Universe and San Francisco 49ers running back tied the knot in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, last weekend. From the exclusive photos in Vogue magazine, it all seemed to go without a hitch.

But the happy couple's nuptials hit one snag: Some on the internet hated Culpo's covered-up wedding dress. The classic Dolce & Gabbana custom design paired well with their traditional ceremony, but clashed with other people's opinions.

"I didn’t want it to exude sex in any way, shape, or form,” Culpo told Vogue about the dress. "I wanted it to feel effortless and as if it’s complementing me, not overpowering me. There’s so much beauty and simplicity.” 

“When I think about Christian and what he loves and the moments that he thinks that I’m most beautiful, it’s absolutely in something like this: timeless, covered and elegant,” she said.

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Now, McCaffrey is clapping back at their haters.

Olivia Culpo, Christian McCaffrey marry:See her dress

Christian McCaffrey slams critic of Olivia Culpo's wedding dress

In an Instagram and TikTok video posted after the McCaffreys' ceremony, stylist Kennedy Bingham fueled the harsh criticism being leveled at Culpo's modest look, calling the dress "nothing" with an "absence of personality.” But the second eldest son in a dynasty of American football players didn't come to play.

"What an evil thing to post online. I hope you can find joy and peace in the world, the way my beautiful wife does," the Stanford University alum wrote on Bingham's video.

The typically mild-mannered McCaffrey is the son of former NFL player Ed McCaffrey and his three brothers have also played the sport: Miami Dolphins coach Max McCaffrey, University of Northern Colorado quarterback Dylan McCaffrey and Washington Commanders wide receiver Luke McCaffrey.

"@christianmccaffrey So what's evil is pointing out the potential internalized misogyny behind her reasoning, your (imo) patriarchal comment, and the racist/homophobic/fatphobic history of the designers she worked with?" Bingham replied to the football star.

Christian McCaffrey is defending his new wife Olivia Culpo following criticism surrounding her wedding dress.

Others pointed out that Culpo also wore a showy, less modest look for the couple's cake cutting, which Vogue described as "a silk bodysuit with a mini cage skirt."

Dolce & Gabbana has been at the center of previous controversies in the past decade.

in 2015, the design duo apologized after shocking the fashion world by rejecting gay adoptions and children conceived through in-vitro fertilization − though Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are themselves gay.

In the much-criticized comments, the designers referred to kids born through IVF as "synthetic" and "chemical offsprings and rented uterus."

In 2018, the Italian duo apologized after a social-media backlash over a video in which Asian models ate Italian food with chopsticks, which many deemed disrespectful of Chinese culture. 

'From Miss Universe to Miss Pick Me,' stylist Kennedy Bingham says of Olivia Culpo

Bingham's post, which she captioned "from Miss Universe to Miss Pick Me, Olivia Culpo is earning her crown," sparked backlash from both critics of her and Culpo.

The TikTok star, who boasts 1 million followers, told viewers that there was "nothing wrong" with Culpo's "modest attire," but said Culpo's statements "went beyond just wanting something modest for herself and pushing this idea of what she thinks all brides should look like."

Some commenters took issue with Bingham's stance, saying "this is seriously just so unnecessary and rude, the internet is wild" and "This is reaching." Other said, "It’s not that deep, she got married in a church and takes her faith seriously and wanted a dress that reflected that" and "you should be soooo embarrassed of this take."

Some accused Culpo of furthering the "trad wife" perspective of conservative content creators who are gaining attention on social media, with one writing on Bingham's video, "do not tell us this dress is unique when there are plenty of beautiful modest dresses out there without all the gross tradwife context."

Another wrote: "A winter wedding dress here in RI when it’s hot ... That’s an insane choice. I know she was baking."

Then, of course, McCaffrey chimed in, too.

Contributing: Maria Puente, Cydney Henderson and David Oliver

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