Sheeran responds to criticism of his dressing choice with cheeky Instagram story

After singer Ed Sheeran sent the internet in an uproar for being underdressed during his duet with Beyonce Knowles, the Grammy winner had a funny response to it.

In a nod to the backlash, Sheeran reposted an article on his Instagram story, titled ‘People are angry Ed Sheeran wore a shirt while Beyonce wore couture during their Global Citizen performance’.

While performing together for the Global Citizen Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday, fans were quick to criticise Sheeran’s choice to wear a black T-shirt and sneakers on stage, while Beyonce opted for an extravagant pink gown with ruffles, reports people.com.

“Swipe up to ‘get the look,” he wrote alongside the cheeky hashtag, #dresstoimpress. As he acknowledged the clashing looks, he joked about where to find more of his “amazing fashion choices”.

The controversy sparked memes from the performance and a real conversation about male privilege.

“Ed Sheeran is a 27-yearold man. The fact we’ve enabled him to feel it’s ok to dress like this at all, let alone next to Beyonce really boils my piss,” wrote one Twitter user. Another pointed to the gender expectations in the music industry saying, “This photo is representative of what we expect from men and women at the top of their game, isn’t it?”

Many Sheeran fans pointed to the fact that he regularly performs in similar looks on stage.

PHOTO: JOHN PHILLIPS/GETTY IMAGES Ed Sheeran was dressed casually during a performance in Johannesburg, South Africa