By Shawna Healey
Since even before the beginning of the #MeToo movement back in the autumn of 2017, female celebrities have been “hitting back” at questions about what they’re wearing on the red carpet, as they perceive it to be sexist, but is it?
Male celebrities rarely get asked “What are you wearing?” on the red carpet, because more often than not, they’re wearing a standard suit and tie.
However, female celebrities showcase works of art, and works of history on the red carpet. It’s part of their job to promote themselves and what they stand for as well as fashion brands.
In 2017, Emma Stone wore a gorgeous custom blush haute couture Valentino dress, with silver star appliqués. However, when asked about, she simply responded: “It’s just a dress…. with stars on.”
 
Photo credit: Getty Images/ Steve Granitz
But it’s not just an off-the-rack dress, it’s a custom Valentino. She’s not just “wearing a dress”, but she’s representing a brand. If Emma Stone didn’t want to talk about her dress, why wear something so high profile?
In 2015, the hashtag #AskHerMore was created by the Representation Movement. The campaign aims to:
“Inspire people to call out sexist reporting and suggest ways to re-focus on women’s achievement“.
On another occasion, at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in 2015, Nicole Kidman was asked by Ryan Seacrest what she was wearing. She simply said: “I don’t know what to say.”
Of course, interviewers on the red carpet should ask these women more questions about their work, and not focus solely on their outfits. However, asking what brands celebrities are wearing simply isn’t sexist; it’s a cog in the machine that pumps out the process of designers creating a dress, a celebrity wearing said dress, that celebrity getting asked about it, and then everybody else buying clothes inspired by the dress.
And in case you were wondering, Kidman was wearing Thierry Mugler.
By Callum Baker Photography by Georgina Hurdsfield Friday saw Dirty Hit Records’ own The Japanese House grace the stage of Manchester Academy 2 to an excitable and receptive crowd. Since her emergence in 2015, which is seldom a distant memory, her success has grown exponentially, along with her confidence. Still modest and mild mannered, she…
By Georgina Hurdsfield After a hiatus that began in 2017, New Jersey’s favourite five-piece alt-indie band Pinegrove are back, with UK tour dates and the physical release of their self-released album, Skylight, on 15th February 2019, with all proceeds going to charity. Skylight boasts stripped-back, openhearted, emo-revival sounds, with little bits of indie-folk drafted in…
By Shawna Healey USA-based airline, United Airlines, has announced that it is changing its booking policies, now allowing for passengers to choose “undisclosed or unspecified” instead of male and female, and to use the title “Mx” instead of other traditional titles. The changes come just over a month after several American US carriers confirmed that they will…
By Shawna Healey Over the last day or so, a petition calling to ‘Revoke Article 50’ has reached over 3 million signatures. The petition, created in February by a self-described “frustrated remainer” Margret Georgiadou, began rapidly gaining signatures on Wednesday evening. When a petition reaches over 100,000 signatures it has to be debated in the House…
Leave a reply