The time Cher scandalized the Oscars by wearing nothing but yogurt

1988. A balmy April evening at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Hollywood is gathered to honour those whose achievements have shone brightest.

All the stars are there – Jack, Liza, Mel – but there is one actress in particular that everyone is waiting for – the favourite for the Best Actress award and star of Moonstruck – Cher.

A black limousine arrives. The chauffeur opens the door. A silence falls across the crowd. A bare leg appears from within. A hushed gasp and Cher steps from the car, resplendent in nothing but yogurt.

“The yogurt outfit is one of the most iconic moments in Hollywood history,” said fashion guru Holly Close.

“No one had ever dared to wear nothing but yogurt to the Academy Awards before, it was just something you didn’t do, but I guess that’s just Cher for you.”

The yogurt outfit was created by designer Bob Mackie who had previously designed the garden shed Cher had worn to the 1974 Met Gala to much acclaim, but this was even more spectacular.

“Well, you have to remember that under the yogurt Cher was completely nude, it was just so daring,” continued Holly.

“Imagine if a dog had run up and started licking at the yogurt? Things could have got pretty revealing.”

Cher’s yogurt dominated the evening.

Jack Nicholson could be seen smiling broadly and stating that he hoped it was black cherry as that was his favourite. Meryl Streep, who had hoped to capture the headlines with her single fig leaf, left early.

Many people commented that it was a shame Cary Grant, who had invented the Muller Fruit Corner, wasn’t alive to see the outfit.

The newspapers ranged from effusive praise to outright condemnation, even the church was moved to proclaim the wearing of nothing but yogurt to be a sin.

The legacy of Cher’s yogurt carried over to the 1989 Oscars, with host Billy Crystal walking on dressed head to toe in yogurt and Kim Basinger attempting to mimic Cher’s look by wearing nothing but granola, but sadly it all fell off and she had to run off in embarrassment.

Cher has worn countless Bob Mackie creations since – a pair of steel trousers, a bra made from the human skulls of her enemies and a dress made of nothing but air – all fabulous, all iconic, but she will always be remembered best for the time she wore nothing but yogurt to the Oscars.