When Nicole Kidman divorced Tom Cruise, the photos following the process of Kidman openly celebrating and walking down the street went viral and now lives in infamy.
The photos express such clear joy that Kidman escaped from her marriage with Cruise, and nothing will ever really quite match it unless it's 100% serious.
People have used that photo to express joy at their own divorces, leaving their jobs, or other toxic situations that caused their unhappiness.
handing in my notice tonight for a job that has caused me nothing but stress for the last six years and afterwards… https://t.co/RdOAiFtOvt— Niamh🌛 (@Niamh🌛) 1630158111.0
Current mood: those pictures taken of Nicole Kidman after she signed her divorce papers from Tom Cruise. https://t.co/giEWUPHF0Y— 💧Jheri 💗💜💙 (+1d4) (@💧Jheri 💗💜💙 (+1d4)) 1629873708.0
separating my phone bill from ex-oomf got me feeling like Nicole Kidman when she left her lawyer’s office after get… https://t.co/lrUamIy2EM— blent girl (@blent girl) 1630421279.0
And one woman's actual divorce got the picture, the outfit FROM the picture, and an entire party thrown for it to celebrate her freedom from her ex-spouse.
At a Divorce Party for @LizMaupin who had the outfit from Nicole Kidman’s iconic divorce photo custom made https://t.co/AG2I327PCN— grace spelman (@grace spelman) 1630294241.0
DID i get Nicole Kidman’s divorce outfit created for a party for the day my divorce is final? yes i did https://t.co/ppBBaz0gc6— Liz Maupin (@Liz Maupin) 1630294736.0
Liz Maupin, the woman in the photograph, and her ex separated close to three years ago, but the divorce was only final very recently.
"I wanted to celebrate the finality of it and starting a new chapter in my life," she said to Buzzfeed. "I love that photo of Nicole so much. I think it says so much about relief and freedom."
Iconic https://t.co/xOkcvv1gCf— LN (@LN) 1630377334.0
I love this https://t.co/8K3Ai2xrNb— Omo Get Inside (@Omo Get Inside) 1630372139.0
is this 30+ Twitter https://t.co/jbJUT6kJtw— omega variant (@omega variant) 1630367647.0
This is extremely my vibe to do this one day https://t.co/aMdCgTMSjO— Annie Armstrong (@Annie Armstrong) 1630364827.0
Omg…this is everything https://t.co/zj8I9JVbjs— Ashley (@Ashley) 1630362764.0
Maupin's choice to leave her marriage was "super difficult," as she recounted, but ultimately ended up being the best choice for her, she said.
"It was absolutely empowering and so fun," said Maupin of the party to celebrate her divorce.
"I chose to make the party no-boys-allowed. We had an absolute blast. I highly recommend having a divorce party if you find yourself divorced someday."
Good for her. https://t.co/YCaDmHZ9x6— ʂƈąཞყ ƙɛཞı (◕‿◕) (@ʂƈąཞყ ƙɛཞı (◕‿◕)) 1630370428.0
Lmaooooo I LOVE THISSSSSSS https://t.co/o7pmX8agam— S. (@S.) 1630344831.0
Omg this is a power move https://t.co/CEINiIun2B— Pan (@Pan) 1630343456.0
Lmfaooooo iconic https://t.co/t3aEYLryq8— 𝙼𝚘𝚌𝚑𝚊 ☕️ (@𝙼𝚘𝚌𝚑𝚊 ☕️) 1630340777.0
Maupin says she also hopes to turn some of the stigma around divorce on its head by publicly celebrating.
"I think there's still stigma around divorce, which is so unnecessary, and I wanted to really have a positive experience at the end of it all and just celebrate being me again, without a tether to another person, and starting over," she said.
"Nicole's outfit definitely helped remind me of my newfound freedom."
Congratulations, Ms. Maupin and here's to a healthy future!