So, you’ve probably seen the chaos on your timeline. Or maybe you opened a record sleeve and got a bit of a "jumpscare," as some fans are calling it. We’re talking about the lorde vinyl photo bush situation—that specific, unzipped, high-definition image that has the internet locked in a heated debate about body hair, boundaries, and what it means to be a pop star in 2026.
It wasn’t that long ago that Lorde was the "Pure Heroine" teen. Now? She’s releasing an album titled Virgin (ironic, she says) and including an eight-page vinyl insert that is, well, very intimate.
What is the Lorde Vinyl Photo Bush Actually?
Basically, if you bought the vinyl edition of Lorde's fourth studio album, Virgin, you didn’t just get a record. You got a close-up, high-fashion-meets-raw-realism photograph of her pelvic area. The image shows the singer wearing clear, plastic, see-through trousers. They’re partially unzipped. And yes, her pubic hair—the "bush" in question—is visible.
It’s not some accidental leak or a grainy paparazzi shot. This was a deliberate choice. The photograph was taken by Talia Chetrit, an artist who has spent her career messing with the concepts of power and sexuality. It’s meant to be jarring. It’s meant to make you look twice.
A representative for Lorde even confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that it is, in fact, her. Her official merch site even threw up a parental warning for "adult images" just to cover their bases. But even with the warning, the "Lordussy" (the internet's truly cursed nickname for the photo) went viral in seconds.
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Why the Internet is Freaking Out (And Why They Shouldn't)
TikTok lost its mind. One side of the app is calling it "revolutionary" and "free the bush," while the other side is acting like they’ve never seen a human body before.
Honestly, the reactions are kind of hilarious. You have people saying it’s "shoved in their face," and then you have the long-time fans pointing out that we just spent years praising her for the Solar Power cover where she was literally jumping over a camera in a bikini. Or the Virgin cover itself, which is a literal X-ray of her pelvis showing her IUD.
The "Is It a Bush?" Debate
Funny enough, half the argument online isn't even about whether she should show it—it's about whether it even counts as a "bush."
- Some users on Reddit were underwhelmed: "That is a well-manicured lawn, not a bush."
- Others were more dramatic: "I thought I was going to see the Amazon rainforest."
- A lot of people are just confused why we're still having this conversation in 2026.
It’s a weirdly polarized moment. It reminds me a bit of when people clutched their pearls over Madonna’s Sex book back in the day, only now it’s happening in 4K on a vinyl insert.
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The Deeper Meaning: Gender, Autonomy, and Men’s Jeans
Lorde hasn't just been doing this for shock value. She’s been pretty vocal about her "gender broadening" lately. In an interview with Chappell Roan for Rolling Stone, she mentioned that she feels like a woman most days, but some days she feels like a man.
That shift in identity is all over this new era. She told stories about duct-taping her chest and wearing men’s jeans to see how it changed her "jagged" energy. The vinyl photo—the clear pants, the unzipped fly, the natural hair—is sort of the climax of that exploration. It’s about being "translucent" and "unfiltered."
Practical Realities of the Vinyl Release
If you're looking to grab this specific piece of art, here’s what you actually need to know about the physical product. It’s not a "hidden" track or a secret variant.
- The Format: The photo is part of an 8-page booklet inside the standard Virgin vinyl.
- The Cover: The outside of the record is the Heji Shin X-ray photo (the one with the IUD).
- The Warning: Look for the "explicit" or "adult images" sticker if you're buying this for someone younger.
- Resale Value: Because of the controversy, these first pressings are already popping up on Discogs for way more than retail.
Actionable Takeaway for Fans
If you’re a collector, buy the vinyl now. Historically, whenever a pop star releases "controversial" artwork, labels tend to get cold feet for the second or third pressings and swap the photos out for something "safer." We saw it with Solar Power getting different crops in certain regions, and we’ll likely see it here too.
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If you’re just here for the music, the song “Clearblue” (named after the pregnancy test) and “Broken Glass” dive into the same themes of bodily autonomy and health that the photo represents. It’s all one big, slightly messy, very hairy piece of performance art.
Ultimately, the lorde vinyl photo bush isn't just a meme. It’s a 28-year-old artist deciding she doesn’t want to be the "polished" version of herself anymore. Whether you think it’s "too much" or "about time," you can’t deny she’s got everyone talking.
To see how this fits into her wider career, you might want to look back at the Solar Power era photography by Ophelia Mikkelson Jones, which started this whole "unfiltered body" journey.