Since 1997, the Barbara Dex Award has paid homage to the fashion disasters that help make Eurovision so memorable. The winners regularly choose outfits so unflattering and unattractive that they make viewers shout “WTF?” From their barely-there dresses that could be described as lingerie to the misuse of tin foil and leotards, these “winners” look truly heinous.

This year offered plenty of thrills. Germany’s Jamie-Lee looked like she’d fallen out of a Halloween flick. Switzerland’s Rykka showed up with smoke emanating from her bra. And Finland’s Sandhja wore a jumpsuit that showed us her camel toe. But who of this year’s acts had you calling the fashion police the quickest?

As Europe debates the winner of the Barbara Dex Award 2016, we decided to run our own poll to preview the potential winner. According to the House of Eurovision, 2016 will be the final instalment of the award that honours Belgium’s 1993 contestant, who famously made the mistake of sewing her own costume and ended up looking like a lampshade. So let’s get behind them and take this out with a bang!

You can vote for as many acts as you would like, but you can only vote ONE time — so make it count! Then sound off in our comments box below.

Picking our Barbara Dex Award winner for 2016

Barbara Dex Award 2015: Trijntje wins

Poll

[polldaddy poll=”9423079″]

 

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Alex
Alex
7 years ago

I think the talk about cultural appropriation (the more appropriate word for the accusation is “imperialism,” not “appropriation”) of Jamie-Lee’s dress is just flat-out inaccurate. It doesn’t fit into any pattern of Westerners stealing *modern* Japanese fashion and denigrating Japanese folks for this fashion choice. The folks who actually dress like this in Japan might likely find it cool to see someone representing Germany wearing these clothes and wouldn’t necessarily agree with the criticism. And I doubt any Japanese people would see this as a mockery of their culture, when it is indeed quite evocative of Japanese street fashion. In… Read more »

ESCaddict
ESCaddict
7 years ago

I applaud people who dare to be different so I’m loving Nina & Jamie-Lee’s outfits.
Worst dressed for me was Rykka. Her outfit completely lacked any interesting or creative ideas. It looked frumpy & unflattering. She was the worst dressed.

Pollaski 3: Rise of the Machines
Pollaski 3: Rise of the Machines
7 years ago

@Azaad Ah yes, feeeelings. The SJW’s ultimate motive- the protection of people’s feeeeeelings. Doesn’t matter what reality is, its all about how you feeeeel. You can’t control someone’s feeeeeeelings. So why worry about them? People who feeeeeeeel offended WANT to be offended. A sane (read: non-victim fetishist) Japanese person’s going to look at Jamie Lee and have one of two thoughts. 1. Hey, cool! She’s totally into our street culture. 2. LMAO THAT GIRL LOOKS LIKE AN IDIOT. Anyone who would actually clutch their chest and have a panic attack over this should just go all the way and have… Read more »

an esc fan
an esc fan
7 years ago

Barbara Dex outfit was so 90’s, but it was fine, I don’t see what was soooo wrong about it to become the definition of ”worst dress”.
Maybe because she said she did the sewing herself, and designers can’t forgive her for that. You can have the most beautiful dress in the world, if you sew it without a profesional, you will be punished : ”How dare you to put designers out of business.”
In my opinion, all artists have the right outfits for their songs.

RexC
RexC
7 years ago

Poli by a landslide.

Marto
Marto
7 years ago

I said it before and I will say it now… if there is a World 4th place contest – Bulgaria will be 4th again :O 😀

Azaad
Azaad
7 years ago

@Pollaski speaking as a proud SJW…. I do recognise Jamie Lee’s age- I don’t think she should have been punished for being a weaboo- she shouldn’t have won but she should have at least made the top 20. I just feel that many Japanese viewers would feel offended because many people who are Japanese, or of Japanese heritage, might feel that the outfit makes a mockery of a huge section of their culture, and because of that, the outfit might deserve the Barbara Dex award because the outfit actually might’ve offended people…besides, it was not suited at all to the… Read more »

Allen
Allen
7 years ago

1. France
2. Croatia
3. Switzerland

Ranting Ruby
Ranting Ruby
7 years ago

Come on, Wiwibloggs! It’s time to take over the mantle and continue the Barbara Dex award in-house! Launch a hostile take-over! You KNOW it’s the highlight of ESC for most of us – and it couldn’t find a better home than HERE! (PS I voted for Sandhja, seriously, did the poor girl not own a mirror?)

Tony KuKo
7 years ago

The Barbara Dex Award cannot end, it’s a tradition. Why doesn’t wiwibloggs take over???

nn
nn
7 years ago

For me
1.Bulgaria
2.Croatia
3.Germany

Steven
Steven
7 years ago

Croatia or Germany

SpirK
SpirK
7 years ago

My vote went to Nina Kraljic. I don’t find rykka awful, it was just mediocre. Jamie Lee was representing a specific style, so I can’t say she was badly dressed. But I didn’t like Ninas dresses! The first didn’t do any favors, as it was like a creature with no hands or other parts except the head whatsoever. And the second was just pure bad, nothing was elegant to me in any way. A t shirt and a pair of jeans would have done a better job if you ask me, Croatia deserve it’s placing because of Ninas fantastic performance,… Read more »

Andreas Røsseth
Andreas Røsseth
7 years ago

Ukraine, Spain and Bosnia had the worst outfit IMO..

BTW why isn’t Norway on the list? Not that Agnete’s outfit was bad, but every other country is on this list and not norway 😛

Andy B
Andy B
7 years ago

I don’t think there were any truly bad outfits this year but I thought Agnete from Norway’s dress was quite bad but for some reason I can’t vote for it.

Colin
Colin
7 years ago

I guess our Nina will be known as the last Barbara Dex Award winner! That should also count for something. 🙂
I voted Bosnia, incredibly cheap looking, especially that aluminium looking capes.

Fenistil
Fenistil
7 years ago

For me it’s Poli Genova, by far. The song is great and any outfit couldn’t have ruined it, but well… that was a disaster, just every single thing about that outfit was utterly terrible.

Jamie Lee or Nina will probably win, but I actually like how they were dressed. Nina’s outfit was risky, but very tasteful in my opinion. I enjoyed looking at her much more than listening to her voice. Jamie Lee just sticks to her style and she actually represents a whole style of fashion. It quite matches a lovely girl like her.

Alex
Alex
7 years ago

Absolutely IVAN. That face point and his clothes were just beyond lackluster.

CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
7 years ago

@Robyn: I must concur, with regard to Rykka. With regard to her song (“The Last Of Our Kind”), and the lyrics within, I was expecting her to hit the stage in something that was a 3-way cross between ‘Terminator Salvation’, ‘Appleseed Alpha’ and ‘Mad Max Fury Road’. What she had on stage, she might have been better off wearing something similar to what she wore at Die Entscheidungsshow.

@Pollaski: ‘TRON’, indeed (Poli Genova)! Why didn’t I think of that? 😛

CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
7 years ago

@BE: If eurovisionhouse.nl ends this award, bet your horse money that the OGAE will restart it.

karminowe.usta
karminowe.usta
7 years ago

In my opinion for Barbara Dex Award deserved Poli Genova, Jamie Lee from Germany and Nina Krajli?.

The best dress: Sergey Lazarev, Jamala, Sanja Vucic and Justs:)

Niki
Niki
7 years ago

Why is Ireland in last place atm?!?
His jacket was just awful….. :O

Niki
Niki
7 years ago

I loved Jamie-Lee’s outfit!! ???

cheesecake
cheesecake
7 years ago

Does anyone know why they dump the award?

Huh
Huh
7 years ago

Rykka was exhibiting the Madagascar’s Afro Circus realness.

sonic0201
sonic0201
7 years ago

@Pollaski
To tell the truth, actually I copypasted your username, because it was too long xD

Stan
Stan
7 years ago

Barbara Dex is still performing, and I wouldn’t mind if she represented Belgium again. She has a great voice! Maybe she’s actually win the award!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDYyUzXNvYo

Stan
Stan
7 years ago

I voted for Serbia because I really didn’t get the connection… A BDSM-Dominatrix should just love a good portion of domestic violence!

SLY
SLY
7 years ago

1. Poli
2. Nina
3. Hovi

Vogzal Odessa
Vogzal Odessa
7 years ago

If we were to stick to what the “Barbara Dex Award” really means – the most unoriginal, the most forgettable, the most boring outfit of the contest – because that’s what the original B. Dex styling really was – than the prize should definitely go to Sweden. In the same vein is Hungary for me. Freddie is definitely a handsome man but I think a big stage like this demands something classier. A tailored navy suit would be a much better choice for him. Now, for the big night’s extravagance failures: yes, Croatia’s dress choice (was it a choice, then… Read more »

Pollaski
Pollaski
7 years ago

@Robyn

Everything about the Swiss act pretty much suggests they took one look at the odds and predictions and just utterly gave up.

Still, I think Rykka actually looked kinda cute in that. Nina and Poli looked batcrap crazy.

Pollaski
Pollaski
7 years ago

@Sonic0201

Its so adorable how everyone actually goes through the formality of typing out the entire SN that I use for my alternate device ^_^. As if truncating it at all would be a total major offense.

Hate to break it to you, but being the worst IS an achievement. A dubious one to be sure, but an achievement nonetheless

As a wise person once said, tis better to be infamous than nothing at all.

Max
Max
7 years ago

ok if yall think that rykkas hot mess was better than ninas alien princess glam gown (post costume change) then you should probably seek professional help

Ron
Ron
7 years ago

@fikri – Lmaooo…imagine if they did. Showed up to eurovision all layered up.

But seriously, I feel like the Croatian team went through every single award that’s available at/post eurovision and they came to Barbara Dex award of the worst dressed and said…we’re gonna take this one home with us. Seriously, I $10 walmart dress would look better than what she was wearing.

Bhrister Cjorkman
Bhrister Cjorkman
7 years ago

Nina “Final Boss of Half-Life 3, Light of the Seven Seas, Warden of the Ironlands, Breaker of Eyes, Mother of Peacocks” Kraljic

Thiefo
Thiefo
7 years ago

I think Nina’s dress was beautiful. Different, weird, but in a good way, but I understand why people would think is just ugly. Not for me though. Jamie-Lee’s is a known style, again I understand why people would look weird at it, because is out of context, this is Europe, not Asia. Even so I think Jamie looked cute. The worst outfits for me were Rykka’s and Poli’s. Rykka’s dress was just plain bad and the dress-unsaturated blue hair combo killed it for me. I thought she looked good in the swiss final, she should’ve kept that outfit or something… Read more »

sonic0201
sonic0201
7 years ago

@Pollaski 3: Rise of the Machines
@The Brightest Falling Star

Yeah, I actually know why people enjoy such awards. It’s a bit wrong tho, because sometimes it looks like we treat the worst as an achievement, and worst will be remebered more than average/decent.

samra
samra
7 years ago

drama gays everywhere 😀

Pollaski 3: Rise of the Machines
Pollaski 3: Rise of the Machines
7 years ago

@sonic0201

People enjoy a celebration of the bad. The Barbara Dex. The golden raspberries. The Ig-Nobel Prizes.

Heck, I myself run a weekly poll on a sports board that “honors” the team that most spectacularly embarrassed themselves that week.

Its part of human nature to enjoy a bit of good-natured schadenfreude.

Laburnum
Laburnum
7 years ago

ALBANIA!!! Wtf was that?

The Brightest Falling Star
The Brightest Falling Star
7 years ago

@sonic0201

I find the Barbara Dex Award really interesting, but it’s actually a better idea to award the best dressed artist!

sonic0201
sonic0201
7 years ago

The outfit probably hurt Croatia and Germany the most. Germany even finished last, like Barbara Dex in 1993. Poli Genova was just ridicuolus too.
I see the hate towards Freddie is real. No one else outside wiwibloggers thinks he is Barbara Dex contener.
Irrelevant award anyway, I’m glad it will be gone next year. Maybe it’s time to award the Best Dressed from now?

ESC 4ever
ESC 4ever
7 years ago

1-Croatia
2-Bosnia & Herzegovina
3-Albania
4-Finland
5-Switzerland
6-Germany
7-Spain
8-Poland
9-Bulgaria
10-FYR Macedonia

Arina
Arina
7 years ago

i voted for Kaliopi bc i think she needs to win at least something (if it makes sense) but i think her dress were awesome

Pastora Soler haha!
Pastora Soler haha!
7 years ago

Croatia

She was looking for this…

Oxana
Oxana
7 years ago

Japanese would say “kawaii” if they will see German girl, because she dressed in best traditions of their pop idols. and her stage effects resembled consistent k-pop/jpop horror story Japanese kids would enjoy.
mada mada dane, Jamie-Lee 🙁 they know nothing about that culture.

Pollaski
Pollaski
7 years ago

@Azaad

I should have known some jackass was going to play the cultural appropriation card. This is one reason why most normal people want to punch SJW’s in the throat.

She looked ridiculous, and the term weaboo is quite appropriate in this case, because Jaimie is full on weaboo. But don’t go pulling some idiotic morality card on a 17 year old because she’s in love with the Japanese Street Scene.

Pollaski
Pollaski
7 years ago

I think there’s four major candidates here. Looking at each: BULGARIA: The only one of the four without any mitigating factors. Poli’s a beautiful woman, so why they had this need to turn her into some neo-Tron Lite Brite is beyond me. Mitigated in that she was utterly awesome no matter what she was wearing. CROATIA: The only one I think the dress actually seriously hurt the act- it was just ridiculous. Mitigated in that Croatia seemed to pretty much leave Nina high and dry with the support factor due to budget issues, so the dress came in some desperate… Read more »

Ola
Ola
7 years ago

Australia was terrible, Dami looked like her arm was attached to her head. And those terrible thighs…

Azaad
Azaad
7 years ago

I would say Croatia in that it derailed a potential winner, but I cut Nina some slack because HRT gave her little to no money. From a moral standpoint I would say Germany, as not only did it look bad, but cultural appropriation is wrong and should not be tolerated. Jamie Lee might love Japanese and Korean culture, but her outfit made a mockery out of Japanese culture. I can imagine her harassing Dami Im with her “love of Asian culture”. Oh how I loved that the two highest scoring were women of colour with a weaboo finishing last in… Read more »