Lorde has a habit of making people look. Not just look, but stare—and sometimes feel a little bit of that weird, prickly discomfort that comes from seeing something too private in a public space. If you’ve been anywhere near the music side of the internet lately, you’ve probably seen the chaos surrounding the Lorde Virgin vinyl pictures clear pants controversy. It’s the kind of thing that makes you do a double-take while scrolling.
Honestly, the whole thing is a lot.
People were already buzzing when she dropped the cover for her 2025 album Virgin. It’s a blue-tinted X-ray of a pelvis. You can see the bones, the zipper of her jeans, and—most notably—her IUD. It was a statement on bodily autonomy and transparency. But then the physical vinyl started arriving in fans' mailboxes, and things got much more "explicit," as the parental advisory sticker warned.
That One Insert Everyone Is Talking About
Inside the gatefold of the Virgin vinyl is an eight-page booklet. It’s not just lyrics. Tucked away in those pages is a photograph taken by Talia Chetrit that has basically set social media on fire.
The image is a tight, grainy close-up of Lorde. She’s wearing clear pants—totally transparent plastic or vinyl trousers—and nothing else underneath. No underwear. No strategically placed shadows. Just her body, leaning back against a piano. You can see her navel, her thighs, and her pubic area in stark detail.
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It’s jarring. It's meant to be.
A representative for Lorde eventually had to confirm to Entertainment Weekly that yes, that is her. It’s not a model. It’s not a body double. In an era where most pop stars use Photoshop to look like plastic dolls, Lorde decided to use actual plastic to show how human she is. Some fans on X (formerly Twitter) were horrified. Others were obsessed. One fan summed it up pretty well: “I was not prepared for the insert.”
Why the clear pants?
Lorde has been pretty open about her "war" with her body. During the Solar Power era, she felt exposed in a way she didn't like. For this record, she flipped the script. Instead of being caught by a paparazzi lens, she took control of the gaze.
By wearing clear pants in the Virgin vinyl pictures, she’s playing with the idea of "full transparency." She has synesthesia, meaning she "sees" music in colors and textures. For this album, she told fans in her newsletter that she was obsessed with the textures of bathwater, ice, and glass. The clear pants are a physical manifestation of that—a window into a person who is tired of hiding.
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The Artist Behind the Lens
You can’t talk about the Lorde Virgin vinyl pictures clear pants without talking about Talia Chetrit. She isn't a typical celebrity "glam" photographer. Chetrit is known for work that explores power dynamics and the human form in ways that feel almost clinical but deeply intimate.
- Front Cover: Shot by Heji Shin (the X-ray).
- Inside Photography: Talia Chetrit (the clear pants).
- Creative Direction: Lorde herself, alongside Thistle Brown.
This wasn't an accident. It wasn't a "leak." It was a coordinated artistic choice to pair the "inner" view of the X-ray on the cover with the "outer" transparency of the clear pants inside.
Breaking Down the Misconceptions
A lot of people are getting the timeline and the context mixed up. Let’s clear some stuff up because the internet is a game of telephone.
First, this isn't the Solar Power cover. That one was a photo of her jumping over a friend on a beach, taken from below by Ophelia Mikkelson Jones. People thought that was "hardcore" back in 2021, but compared to the Virgin insert, it looks like a Gap ad.
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Second, the "Lordussy" memes—yeah, they’re everywhere. But Lorde’s intent seems less about being "pornographic" and more about being "feral." She’s used that word before. She wants to be seen as a biological entity, not just a pop product. The presence of the IUD on the cover and the unshaven, natural look in the vinyl booklet are deliberate middle fingers to the "perfectly waxed" expectations of female celebrities.
It’s art. It’s also a lot of skin. Both can be true.
Why This Actually Matters for Music Fans
The move to include such "adult images" (Lorde’s words on her webstore) is a risky one for a major label artist. It means the vinyl can't be sold in certain big-box retailers without being censored. It limits her reach.
But for the fans who bought the "Bathwater" or "Blood Red" vinyl variants, it’s a collector’s item that feels authentic. It’s a rejection of the digital age where everything is filtered. You can’t filter a physical vinyl insert. It just exists there, in your hands, clear pants and all.
Actionable Insights for Collectors and Fans
If you're looking to grab a copy or just trying to understand the fuss, keep these points in mind:
- Check the Version: The "explicit" photo is specifically in the 8-page booklet included with the Virgin vinyl. Digital versions and streaming platforms use the censored X-ray art.
- Look for the Stickers: Official copies that contain these images are marked with a "Parental Advisory" and "Adult Images" warning. If you’re buying second-hand, make sure the booklet is actually included.
- Context is Everything: To really "get" why she did this, listen to the lead single "What Was That." It deals heavily with her relationship with her own reflection and the public eye.
- Appreciate the Craft: Whether you like the photo or not, the vinyl production—specifically the Pallas pressing from Germany—is high quality. The gatefold is a "high gloss" finish designed to mimic the clinical, wet look of the album's themes.
Lorde isn't asking for permission anymore. The clear pants are a choice. The nudity is a choice. And in 2026, where AI can generate anything, showing the most human parts of yourself is probably the most radical thing a pop star can do.