Who knew taking bathroom selfies could be so controversial?

The 2026 Vogue Forces of Fashion Gala, held in Suzhou on Oct 23, has come under fire for attempting to recreate the iconic celebrity bathroom selfies from the Met Gala.

Except instead of looking effortlessly cool, netizens thought the Chinese stars looked like they were trying way too hard.

And the bathroom wasn't even real.

The event featured a specially designed photo spot resembling a bathroom, complete with tiled walls and mirrors.

Taiwanese actress and musician Ouyang Nana, 26, who was reportedly appointed the gala's special red carpet creative consultant, was said to be behind the concept.

She gathered a group of A-list actresses, including Gulinazha, Bai Lu, Yang Chaoyue, Zhou Ye and Meng Ziyi, for a series of mirror selfies.

Sounds like a fun idea, right?

Well, netizens weren't impressed.

For those unfamiliar with the Met Gala's famous bathroom selfies, the star-studded event has a strict no-phone and no-social-media policy.

But that didn't stop Kylie Jenner from famously breaking the rules in 2017 when she snapped a star-studded group selfie in the women's bathroom.

The photo went viral, and bathroom selfies have since become one of the Met Gala's most talked-about moments, offering fans a rare glimpse of A-listers letting their hair down away from the cameras.

Vogue China's version, however, was a different story.

Unlike the Met Gala's candid bathroom snaps, these were taken at a specially constructed photo spot, with multiple cameras capturing the action for a livestream.

Not exactly the definition of spontaneous, is it?

Netizens were quick to call out the lack of originality, with many mocking the stars for trying too hard to look relaxed.

"If the original creators overseas saw this, they'd laugh their heads off," wrote one netizen.

"So tacky. Not chill at all," said another.

One even compared the event to a "village banquet".

Ouch.

Still, there was one actress who managed to steal the spotlight for the right reasons.

Chinese actress Gulinazha, 34, received plenty of praise for her stunning looks, with netizens saying she stood out among the other actresses.

Others, however, were less complimentary about the celebrities' appearances.

"These women and men all look alike! There's a 90 per cent resemblance," commented one netizen.

Another wrote: "I can't tell who's who."

Following the event, Vogue China editor-in-chief Rocco Liu took to social media to thank the celebrities who attended.

"See you next year. We'll do better and be more creative," he wrote.

His comment was seen by some as an indirect response to the bathroom selfie backlash.

Photos: HeyWarWars/Weibo, vogueaustralia/Instagram