There have been a lot of articles circling the web discussing whether or not it is sexist to ask a woman about her dress on the red carpet - to me, it isn't sexist in the slightest to ask them that, as long as it is not the only question they are asked. When it comes to these events, the men tend to look sharp in their suits, but there's rarely a surprise in terms of what they are wearing. Women, however, are afforded much more choice when it comes to fashion - will they go for a classic little black number, or something more outlandish? Of course then, women are more likely to be asked about what they are wearing than men are.
The problem arises when that is the only thing they are asked about. If the questions are "Who are you wearing?" and "How long did it take you to get ready today?", and then time's up, that's a problem. These are incredibly talented women, actresses, directors, producers, writers, and so much more than just a pretty dress. So Reese's instagram post yesterday, offering up a number of potential questions to ask the women on the red carpet got a massive thumbs up from me.
HOWEVER. I think there can be a totally different type of problem when we start to attack the idea of red carpet fashion, or criticise the interest in it in general. Being interested in fashion and wanting to discuss it does not make you a bad feminist - the entire idea of feminism is that men and women should have equal rights, and everyone should be given the opportunity to be completely themselves, and embrace all of their interests at once. That includes beauty and fashion, for men and women.
So tonight I want to embrace both! I want to support the call to #AskHerMore, because it is incredibly important - we have to stop consistently prioritising what people look like. But I also want to embrace the fact that I love perusing the red carpet fashion reports, watching the photos come in on Twitter, and dreaming of the day Elie Saab, Badgley Mischka or Chanel designs my dress for the Oscars *cough, a girl can dream, cough*.
Ask her about her process, why she chose to take the part, what the challenges were, who her favourite director/actor has been this year, and then have a chat about how completely stunning she looks in that gown. Do the same with the men, and everyone wins.
So here is Reese's brilliant instagram snap, followed by a few of my personal favourites from last night! All image sources are linked at the end of this post :)
Source: The Guardian
I thought Reese Witherspoon looked so elegant in this Tom Ford monochrome gown. Emma Stone was, as per, stunning in Elie Saab and I just love Cate Blanchett - the epitome of class in this all black Maison Martin Margiela gown.
Jamie Chung was so stunning in Yanina Couture (her hair and makeup were perfection too). I actually preferred Lupita Nyong'O's dress at the after party (Calvin Klein), and she just looked glowing!! Anna Kendrick is always beautiful, but I particularly liked this Thakoon dress, and again, the hair and makeup was lovely.
Some nude coloured gowns now - I wasn't quite sure about the waist on Chloe Grace Moretz's dress, but I liked it otherwise, and she just always looks so cool. I'm not usually one for fussy dresses, but I thought J-Lo's princess-style dress from Elie Saab was gorgeous (they rarely fail to deliver) - wasn't keen on the pink makeup though. And I loved the simplicity of Zoe Saldana's cutsom Versace gown.
I know a few people on Twitter weren't keen on the colour of Julianne's Chanel gown, but I thought she looked beautiful. Rosamund Pike's Givenchy Haute Couture gown was the talk of the town, and I have to admit, even though I wasn't one hundred percent sold on the split, it was a striking choice and she did look gorgeous. And finally, we have Jennifer Hudson at the after party - her yellow red carpet number was beautiful too, but what can I say - I'm a sucker for a LBD.
What was your favourite look from last night?
Thanks for reading :)
Image Credit: All images sourced from Vogue and ELLE.
