pears first performed "I'm a Slave 4 U" at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City on September 6, 2001.[31] The performance featured a number of exotic animals, including a white tiger and a live albino Burmese Python on her shoulders.[32] The inclusion of the animals in the performance brought a great deal of criticism from animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).[