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Beyoncé & Ed Sheeran's Stage Outfits Ignite Gender Standards Debate

"Men can stand more on their hard work and talent alone while women often have to 10/10 everything."

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Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran took to the Global Citizen Festival last Sunday to perform their #1 duet, "Perfect," but fans were paying attention to more than just the music.

\u201c.@Edsheeran and @Beyonce's performance at the #GlobalCitizenFestival was #Perfect \ud83d\ude0d\u2764\u201d
— Warner Music Canada (@Warner Music Canada) 1543884130

After images from the show circulated around Twitter, a heated debate sparked over what the two superstars were wearing on stage. Beyoncé dons an intricately beautiful (and most surely expensive) pink gown while Sheeran sports a simple t-shirt (with a long-sleeve shirt underneath) and jeans.

— (@)

The debate is one that has hovered over the pop music world for years. While women pop stars are expected to have elaborate looks and/or several costume changes during their shows, men are free to perform in the most basic of outfits, sometimes just sweatpants and a tank top—or even shirtless.

It begs the question: is there a double standard for our entertainers?

Twitter obsessed over the question:

\u201cThis photo is v v v v representative of what we expect from men and women at the top of their game, isn't it?\u201d
— Daniel (@Daniel) 1543927173