Whitney Houston's Iconic 1991 Super Bowl Performance Almost Looked Very Different

26.12.2022 - 18:43 / glamour.com

was. A cultural reset. Inarguable proof of A bar set so high that there will never be a “” that supersedes it. To understand Houston’s triumph, you have to understand the context of the moment. Super Bowl XXV took place during a tense time.

America had entered into the first Gulf War only 10 days prior. "We were a nation on edge, even on a night when football is our escape," . "And one voice united us all." As 750 million people watched worldwide, she answered the swirling anxiety of the country by collectively joining us.

Her voice, her performance became a grand gesture. Houston answered the wary, worried nation with a distilled moment of emotion, of hope, of optimism, of patriotism.There was no bigger stage. There was no bigger moment.

And Whitney, like she did with every performance that came before it, rose to the occasion.  This content can also be viewed on the site it from.As much as Houston’s Earth-shattering talent and gospel-infused arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner” contributed to the impact of the moment, so too did the surprising fashion choices she made. The iconic American moment almost looked very, very different. Whitney's original game plan: . Robyn Crawford's memoir, , recounts her decades-long, intimate partnership with the singer, including that one momentous Sunday in Tampa.

Houston and her personal assistant, Silvia Vejar, had packed a sleeveless black cocktail dress and high heels for the Super Bowl performance. But, when the star landed in Tampa, the temperature had dropped and the weather was much gloomier than the forecast had predicted. Crawford and Vejar suggested Whitney pivot to an unexpected backup from her limited luggage: a Le Coq Sportif tracksuit. "You won't be out of place,"