Whoopi Goldberg Shows Off Shoulder Tattoo at the Oscars

Whoopi Goldberg appeared at tonight’s Oscar ceremony and grabbed attention for a reason one may not think: a tattoo that covers her shoulder.

According to AOL News, The View co-host wore a black dress, which Goldberg said was inspired by Hollywood legend Bette Davis‘ dress in the 1950 film All About Eve. This three-quarter sleeve dress revealed the tattoo, which is said to look like a dragon.

“It’s clearly an older tattoo, as the ink is definitely faded a bit,” said Keiko Zoll, a writer for the website Romper. “But it’s still so refreshing to see someone like Goldberg show off her ink instead of hide it.”

The tattoo also caused quite a stir on Twitter, when the beauty-centric website Total Beauty shared a picture of it on their page.

However, the website received complaints when they mistook Goldberg for Oprah Winfrey. KTLA reported that the company tweeted: “We had no idea @Oprah was #tatted, and we love it.”

The tweet, which was said to have begun “innocently enough,” was deleted and Total Beauty sent out an tweet apologizing for the error; “We’d like to apologize to Oprah and Whoopi, as well as everyone we’ve offended. It was our error, and there are no excuses. We’re sorry.”

Twitter users and even the website Mashable shared their frustration at the Los Angeles-based company’s error.

Boneheaded tweet from a beauty brand mistakes Whoopi Goldberg for Oprah on the red carpet. https://t.co/8wr20g7FVt #Oscars

— Mashable (@mashable) February 29, 2016

In response, some Twitter users posted pictures of white actors and deliberately mistook them for other celebrities, according to The Guardian.

“Though Goldberg’s clearly a legend, not everyone realizes that,” said Lindsey Kupfer, of Page Six, who described Goldberg as the “Girl with a Dragon Tattoo.”

“As for whether Oprah actually does have a tattoo, the jury is out,” joked KTLA. “That’s one mystery the world may never get an answer too.”

In the wake of the blunder, the hashtag #ThatsNotOprah was created.

Whoopi Goldberg wasn’t the only case of celebrity mistaken identity. Three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell was mistaken for the British actress Tilda Swinton by commentators for E!

The Cut reported that Powell, who was dressed in a David Bowie-inspired sparkling suit and bright orange hair, was praised continuously by the commentators thinking she was Swinton. Twitter users quickly corrected the mistake.

“Nevertheless, whether sported by Tilda or Sandy, let’s just be thankful that this suit made it to the Oscars,” said Hilary Weaver, of The Cut.

On the red carpet at the Oscars, Whoopi Goldberg also addressed the #OscarsSoWhite controversy and the boycott of the ceremony, according to People.

Goldberg, who won an Oscar for her role in the 1990 film Ghost, mentioned that when she hosted the Oscars, the ceremony was boycotted by the notorious Rev. Jesse Jackson.

“The Color Purple, when we were nominated for 11 awards, was boycotted by the NAACP,” said Goldberg, who chose not to boycott the ceremony on Sunday.

“Boycotts – to me – are a pain in the butt,” said Goldberg, who was a presenter at the show, along with such stars as Pharrell Williams and The Weeknd.

Goldberg continued, “If we’re not here, then we’re really not here.”

The Oscar winner suggested that if people truly want to have a boycott, it shouldn’t be of the ceremony.

“If you really want to protest, then don’t go to the movies that don’t have the people you want to see,” said Goldberg.

On Friday’s episode of The View, Cheryl Boone, President of the Academy of Motion Picture and Sciences, spoke with Goldberg about the controversy in which the Academy didn’t nominate any actors of color this year, according to People.

Whoopi Goldberg herself had previously discussed the controversy on the ABC show noting that the outrage shouldn’t be limited to just the Oscars.

“Why is this a conversation that we only have once a year,” said Goldberg. “Every year we get all fired up and the rest of the year nobody says anything.”

(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)