The most recognizable face among Beyoncé’s posse at the MTV VMAs red carpet on Sunday night may have been the youngest one—her 4 1/2-year-old daughter Blue Ivy, sporting a fierce tutu—but her squad also included a group of many of the women and girls featured in her visual album Lemonade, which is nominated for 11 awards.
Posing on the red carpet with Queen Bey were 13-year-old Annie actress Quvenzhané Wallis, sibling musicians and Bey protegees Chloe x Halle, Canadian model Winnie Harlow and child model Ava Clark, among others. Harlow and Clark, who have vitiligo and albinism respectively, are known for redefining beauty standards, while Wallis, the youngest Oscar nominee in history, withstood an ugly backlash for portraying the lovable orphan, originally a fair-skinned redhead, while black.
Beyoncé, who will perform at the awards ceremony, also brought along Lezley McSpadden, Gwen Carr, Wanda Johnson and Sybrina Fulton, the mothers of Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant and Trayvon Martin, respectively. Three of the four mothers appeared in Lemonade holding pictures of their sons. Brown, Garner and Grant were killed by police officers, while Martin was shot by neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman in 2012. The performer has spoken out in recent months against police brutality and injustice, both in her music and in interviews.
VMAs 2016: See Celebrities on the Red Carpet
Beyoncé attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Larry Busacca—Getty Images Nicki Minaj attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty ImagesKim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty ImagesBritney Spears attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty ImagesNick Jonas attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty ImagesAmber Rose attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty ImagesHeidi Klum attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty ImagesMichael Phelps and Nicole Johnson attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty ImagesFuture attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty ImagesRita Ora attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty ImagesJaden Smith attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty ImagesSwizz Beatz and Alicia Keys attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty ImagesSean Combs attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Nicholas Hunt—Getty ImagesAriana Grande attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty ImagesDJ Khaled attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Kevin Mazur—Getty ImagesNaomi Campbell attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty ImagesRupaul's Drag Race All Stars attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty Images2 Chainz attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty ImagesHalsey attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty ImagesFashion designer Jeremy Scott and model Stella Maxwell attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Nicholas Hunt—Getty ImagesLance Bass attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty ImagesBaddie Winkle attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty ImagesNicole 'Snooki' Polizzi attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty ImagesJay Pharoah attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty ImagesChance the Rapper attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Nicholas Hunt—Getty ImagesFabolous attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty ImagesTinashe attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty ImagesCassie attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Nicholas Hunt—Getty ImagesTy Dolla Sign attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Nicholas Hunt—Getty ImagesFlo Rida attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty ImagesDesiigner attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Nicholas Hunt—Getty ImagesFarrah Abraham attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty ImagesHailey Baldwin attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Nicholas Hunt—Getty Images