Las Vegas Review-Journal: At the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and now at the Grammys, some female celebrities have been making headlines by calling attention to or refusing to take part in pageantry on the red carpet.
The complaint is that male actors and singers are occasionally asked about their appearance, but more attention is paid to their careers. Women, though, spend much of their time answering questions about their diet, dress and even what’s in their purse.
5 comments:
After reading this article and watching the interview clips of multiple female celebrities being interviewed on the Red Carpet, I am ashamed to admit that for many years I have played into the very superficial questions that are asked of these famous women and not famous men. Society fixates upon wealth and glamour, and I think this is one of the main reasons that interviewers on the red carpet immediately ask questions such as "can you tell me about what you're wearing," or, "so who made your dress?" For a while it didn't seem like female celebrities were drawing attention to the ridiculous nature of these questions, but it is incredible that more and more women are beginning to take a stand against being treated as intellectually inferior to that of men. By calling out the interviewers and refusing to play into the petty nature of the stereotypical woman in Hollywood, these women are demanding to be asked questions of more substance and worth and are demanding to be treated as equals on the playing field.
I love this movement among celebrity women. I don’t normally watch these red carpet events, but when I heard about this kinda creepy focus on women’s diets, clothing choices, and who does their hair, I was honestly pretty mad. Why are those considered relevant questions when these women are on the rise in their ever growing careers? I, personally, look up to these women not for their aesthetic and how they achieved it, but their networking and social skills. These women are able to land huge jobs in a very competitive industry. This lens that is being used to examine women and not men makes me wonder how the media views men at these events? Do they ask who cuts their hair so nicely, or what their ab-toning workout is like and how often they do it? Based off these news stories the answer is no. And I would love to see a shift in perspective like that happen.
I absolutely love that celebrity women are pushing back against sexist questions. It's absolutely outrageous some of the things that exist in the media. Not only on the red carpet, but in interviews and panels. I saw an interview with the woman from the Big Bang Theory where they asked if people actually think that she can solve calculus of the top of her head. She answered that she was trained in neuroscience and could actually solve calculus off the top of her head. And that was very striking to me, that the interviewers not only, didn't do any research, they assumed that that question was something the audience wanted to hear.
The way the media treats female celebrities is absolutely atrocious. And sadly, the only way to stop it is not only women pushing back against the unfair questions, but men as well.
In an interview, the male celebrity was asked what his favorite feature of the female celebrity was. He humorously answered her elbows, but a question like that forces the man to objectivity the woman against his will. So men need to try and fight back as much as women.
I love it when celebrities use their influence to pose questions that tackle the pervading sexism in our society. Honestly, we raise them to such a high pedestal that you sort of hope that they'll put it to good use! And seeing women like Cate Blanchett, Amy Adams, and Keira Knightley slaying these paparazzi by firing back, responding with the kinds of questions that should be happening a lot more often. In relation to this article, I've seen more and more mock red-carpet interviews where reporters have asked male celebrities the same questions other reporters have asked female celebrities. And the reactions of the actors are hilarious -- you can really begin to see how ridiculous it is, to be asked about "your beauty routine" or how "you manage being a family person and a working actor". However, I don't think these questions will simply die out as more celebrities are talking out against them. It's going to take an entire revolution within the superficial paparazzi industry to make this brand of sexism fade away.
Honestly, some of the treatment women receive on the red carpet constitutes as gender microaggressions and micro-inequity. Though not obvious sexism, it affects those involved and the cultural messages being broadcast across the nation. Yes, everyone attending these events are extremely affluent, despite whether they are a minority or no, and yes it is a privilege to attend award ceremonies like these, however, that does not excuse the inequality. Additionally, celebrities have immense social power and the way they are treated, treat others, and move through the world informs our cultural expectations and ideals. When a female celebrity stands up against these micro aggressions she is sending a message and asserting an ideal.
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