Fans are very bewildered’ by Nicole Kidman’s latest magazine cover’s’mind-boggling’ premise

Nicole Kidman’s recent cover shoot appears to have divided admirers, causing some uncertainty among social media users with its “mind-boggling” premise.

On Thursday, Vanity Fair released new photographs and a video of Kidman wearing a Miu Miu “student”-style outfit to commemorate the 28th edition of their long-running Hollywood cover issue, which is supposed to celebrate the best performances in the industry.

“Presenting our 28th annual Hollywood Issue, starring Academy Award nominee Nicole Kidman,” the publication captioned an Instagram post premiering the new photos. “The ‘Being the Ricardos’ star has held the keys to Hollywood for decades, and her latest role as Lucille Ball clinched her a fifth Oscar nomination. Still, after 40 years of acting in more than 80 film and TV projects, Kidman says she approaches each role like she is fresh out of theatre class.”

Idris Elba, Penélope Cruz, Kristen Stewart, Benedict Cumberbatch, Simu Liu, Andrew Garfield, and MJ Rodriguez are among the other A-listers featured in the commemorative issue.

You might think of Nicole Kidman as one of the biggest movie stars in the world. But the ‘Being the Ricardos’ star and Best Actress nominee says she approaches each role like she's fresh out of theater class. https://t.co/xjJmU2nV9U

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 17, 2022

Many on social media, however, were quick to criticise on the Lucille Ball incarnation’s dress, which revealed her stomach.

“One of the most prolific (and also most gorgeous) actors, yet she is shown as a skimpily clothed schoolgirl in 2022,” one reviewer commented. “Who thought this was a good idea in the first place? It boggles the mind.”

Others agreed, with one Instagram user responding, in part, that they were “This absolutely weird and unexpected sight has left me perplexed. Not in a nice way, either.”

Another user wrote: “Why is this distinguished adult dressed as a schoolgirl?” while another commenter quipped, “Is this part of the Metaverse, because it doesn’t look real.”