Throwbacks don’t always have to occur on a Thursday.
American costume designer Arianne Phillips, particularly known for her work on Walk the Line and A Single Man, has delighted social media by sharing two polaroid photos taken backstage at the VMAs in 2003.
The photos show pop princesses Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in full bridal getups shortly before their iconic performance of ‘Like a Virgin,’ starring Madonna and Missy Elliott.
During the rendition, which was voted the most outrageous VMA moment of all time in an MTV poll in 2011, Madonna popped up out of a giant wedding cake wearing a tuxedo, the superstars bumped and grinded and Madonna and Britney shared a kiss (much to the apparent displeasure of Justin Timberlake, who was in the audience watching).
The performance was celebrating the 20th anniversary of ‘Like a Virgin,’ which is now 33 years old. Watch a (grainy) video of the scandalous performance here.
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Write to Kate Samuelson at kate.samuelson@time.com