in brief: cate blanchett questions red carpet double standards
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Amidst the award season chaos, there have been a few standout moments that remind us just how normal all of those glamorous celebrities in designer gowns are.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards for 2014 have given us a few of those moments, which include Jennifer Lawrence claiming that her dress is giving her what she calls ‘armpit vagina’ – yeah, you really have to watch that one to fully understand it.
Another precious moment comes from Australian gem and all-around awesome lady, Cate Blanchett.
Blanchett was being interviewed by E! News reporter Giuliana Rancic, when she called the channel out on their ‘glam cam’ panning of her whole body.
Blanchett pointed directly at the camera and asked, ‘I’m just wondering, do you do that to the guys?’
The ladies over at Mamamia.com have said that Blanchett’s comment ‘is about something bigger than our preoccupation with pretty dresses… What doesn’t have to be the norm is how we view the people in those clothes.’
While I agree with what they, and Cate, are saying about subjecting the women and not the men to full body, panning shots and endless questions about their dresses, I have to disagree with the reaction they’re having.
E! News is simply capitalizing on the ‘red carpet season’ that comes with awards shows. They’re employing people, and giving their audiences more to watch, therefore increasing their own numbers, with the broadcasts of beautiful women in expensive gowns.
I don’t believe for a second that they’re objectifying the female celebrities for the sake of the interviews – they are simply giving their viewers what they want (beautiful ladies done up in dresses we will never be able to afford), which is basically the whole point of E! News.
That being said, Blanchett is still a rock star for not wanting to put up with it.
What do you think of Blanchett’s call out, Lipsters?
Share with us in the comments!
“they are simply giving their viewers what they want (beautiful ladies done up in dresses we will never be able to afford)” –
I guess the viewers ‘wanting’ beautiful ladies is exactly my issue. It reinforces the belief that a woman’s appearance is the most important thing about her. The viewers want women to be objectified and so ‘giving viewers what they want’ entrenches this sense that men are for interviewing, and women are for looking at (and asking where they got their dress from).
Yeah have to say I agree with you Kristine. I think it’s uncommon that objectifying women, or being racist or discriminatory on another basis, is deliberate or the sole purpose of someone’s behaviour. This doesn’t mean it isn’t harmful or that we shouldn’t call it out. In fact, we MUST react to these issues because they appear totally acceptable and so easily escape scrutiny.
Go Cate is what I say!
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