Pain for premium content: Cost of red carpet dominance

By Aderinola Abimbola

The 2026 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards red carpet took fans and viewers by surprise, with Nollywood stars and Nigerian celebrities transforming the award event into a arena of high fashion.

One outfit which stood out for most was that of former reality TV star, Queen Mercy Atang, whose viral outfit literally left her physically broken.

The media personality g shocked onlookers at the Eko Hotel and Suites by arriving in a massive, exaggerated silhouette gown constructed from over 500 real loaves of bread. The dress, designed and made by Toyin Lawani of Tiannah’s Empire, was inspired by Queen’s bakery business, “Swit Cakes & Desserts”

Asides the tremendous amount spent on such shocking outfit, Queen paid a bigger price as she revealed that the outfit almost ‘broke her waist’.

While speaking with BBC, Queen revealed that the weight of the 500 loaves caused her serious physical trauma.

“I literally cried while wearing that dress. The first few seconds after putting it on, I had to take it off to catch my breath and wept bitterly before finding the strength to put it back on. The weight of that dress almost broke my waist. If you check my back, I have a serious wound there,” she stated.

Although this bold move captured global headlines, it had people question the length celebrities will go, sacrificing  physical well-being just to secure “proof of life” for the internet algorithms.