Upon signing the paperwork to finally divorce Tom Cruise in 2001, Nicole Kidman strutted out of her lawyers’ office, threw her arms up in joy, and cheered. The now-iconic paparazzi photo of that moment inspired a Los Angeles writer and producer to recreate Kidman’s outfit for her own divorce party.
Liz Maupin separated from her now ex-husband in 2018, but the paperwork wasn’t finalized until this year. To celebrate the “finality of it” and welcome a “new chapter” of her life, Maupin threw a party, complete with a framed photo of Kidman after her divorce.
“I think there’s so much stigma around divorce which is so unnecessary and I wanted to have a really positive experience at the end of it all and just celebrate being me again, without a tether to another person,” Maupin told Mashable in a Twitter DM. “Nicole’s outfit definitely helped remind me of my newfound freedom.”
During the celebration, Maupin donned a custom recreation of Kidman’s shirt as a “surprise for the party goers.”
“I changed halfway through the party and emerged in the outfit and everyone cheered,” she continued. “It was so nice!”
Photos of Maupin’s outfit — complete with teal cargo capris like the ones Kidman wore — are now viral on Twitter.
Maupin added that she threw the party, despite the negative associations with divorce, to celebrate herself. While most of the comments responding to her outfit were positive, she wants to dispel assumptions that she threw the party to spite her ex. The party, she clarified, was the celebrate herself and her own joy.
“Our relationship just unfortunately dissolved over time and we grew in different directions,” she continued, noting that her experience with divorce is common. “It was of course super difficult to make the decision to leave but I ultimately knew it was the best choice I could make.”
Other Twitter users rejoiced with her.
“I absolutely feel relief!” Maupin concluded. “I feel refreshed.”
