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Shaming women for not wearing black at the Golden Globes misses the point

Maybe the focus should be on the men who said nothing about the issues facing women.

Photo of Audra Schroeder

Audra Schroeder

women called out for not wearing black at golden globes

On Sunday night, many women wore black to the Golden Globes to protest sexual assault and harassment in Hollywood and raise awareness for the Time’s Up initiative, which aims to provide legal resources and hold the industry accountable.

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But women’s attire was still apparently a problem. In particular, a Variety reporter’s tweet about Blanca Blanco caught some heat for its hypocrisy.

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In a statement to Refinery 29, Blanco explained that she chose to wear red because she loves the color, and not because she’s “against” the movement, or trying to “shun” it, as the Daily Mail so eloquently put it in a tweet about Blanco not wearing underwear with her dress.

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Model Barbara Meier explained why she chose not to wear black in an Instagram post, stating, “We should not have to wear black to be taken seriously.”

Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Meher Tatna wore red as a celebration of her culture, but still expressed support of women and the movement. She told Vanity Fair before the awards: “I’m really glad that they found that power, and I hope that this is a time of profound change.”

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For all the fussing over what women were wearing and what it meant, there was mostly silence from the male actors who won awards. Not one mentioned Time’s Up or #MeToo or men’s roles in fighting systemic sexism. Alexander Skarsgard was called out for playing a violent abuser in Big Little Lies and not saying a word about the real-life abuse women face. James Franco, who plays a somewhat abusive personality in The Disaster Artist, was met with reports of misconduct after winning a Globe for his role in the film.

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While there was still focus on what women were or weren’t wearing, many actresses still made sure to mention Time’s Up onstage or offer comment on the struggle women face. Natalie Portman called out the lack of representation in at least one category. The men’s silence showed how much work is still ahead. Now it’s time to see what the initiative can accomplish off stage.

 
The Daily Dot