At the 75th Golden Globe Awards, many attendees walked down the red carpet in all-black attire. Their fashion choice was to support the anti-sexual harassment group Time’s Up.
While the blackout may have raised awareness, I have to wonder if there is a better way for the attendees to spread awareness and support the issue of sexual assault in Hollywood.
We see an increasing amount of headlines regarding sexual assault in Hollywood, and while it is great to see these things coming to light, the time to raise awareness has passed.
This may seem harsh, but one has to think of the resources (especially the funds) these black-clad actors and socialites have to raise awareness about sexual assault. I find no fault with the effort to raise awareness, but for many of these people, wearing all-black will be the full extent of their fight against sexual assault.
One actress, Blanca Blanco, showed up in an all-red dress rather than following the trend to wear black. She was the recipient of tons of online hate because of her outfit choice.
“Blanca Blanco doesn’t necessarily have to conform to the #WhyWeWearBlack dress code, yet to show up in a gown that’s not only bright red but extremely skimpy seems like a crass f— -you to the whole movement,” Twitter user @pattymanuelle tweeted.
In an industry where women are most often the recipient of sexual harassment and other snide comments, I find it ironic that she was receiving such hate due to an outfit choice. It may seem harsh, but her decision to wear red won’t increase or decrease the number of women who are sexually assaulted. It may seem even harsher, but I doubt wearing black will change these statistics either.
Twitter user @ilockyouforlife put it into words perfectly.
“How hypocritical of people to criticize Blanca Blanco for wearing a dress that they say supports ‘sexual misconduct.’ I thought it doesn’t matter what you wear?? If you’re going to believe in something, believe it at all times, not when it’s convenient for you,” she tweeted.
Rather than choosing to wear a certain color, I would encourage people in the public eye to use their words.
So many people idolize their favorite celebrities, and the internet makes it extremely easy for idols to reach fans. A simple tweet could reach hundreds of thousands of people and provoke a conversation about sexual assault that survives past an award ceremony.
The issue is much bigger than a red or black dress.
