Britney Spears made fashion and music history when she performed at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards wearing a green bra and low-rise embellished shorts. The singer was just 19 years old when she sang “I’m a Slave 4 U” in an embellished two-piece set while holding a 25-pound, albino Burmese python. Almost 21 years later, that memory hasn’t faded.

Spears took the stage in a rich-green, cutout bra top with pink jewels adorning the center and straps. Putting her belly piercing on full display, she paired it with low-rise shorts accentuated with a bedazzled butterfly motif and bejeweled detailing at the waist. The fitted bottoms also featured multiple scarfs attached around the waist that swayed as she danced around the stage. Her stage look was the work of famed costume designers Kurt and Bart, who also styled Spears’s flight-attendant uniform in the “Toxic” music video.

Spears finished her look with a matching pair of bejeweled heeled boots and jeweled tattoos. That night, Spears energized the audience not just with her vocals but also with her performance skills. Who else could manage to sing while expertly handling a snake?

Ahead of the 2022 VMAs, appreciate the details of Spears’s famous performance look.

— Additional reporting by Shelcy Joseph