Monday, September 20, 2021
Costume Design Plagued By Gender Bias & Pay Inequality
www.refinery29.com: It’s been 73 years since the first Oscar for Best Costume Design was awarded. Back then, the category was divided into two awards — for black-and-white and color films — with Roger K. Furse winning the former for Hamlet and Dorothy Jenkins and Barbara Karinska taking home the gold statue for Joan of Arc. While their names went down in history, these costume designers did not enjoy the celebrity of today’s pros like Sex and the City’s Patricia Field and Gossip Girl’s Eric Daman.
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7 comments:
First of all, and probably of the least importance, Emily In Paris truly looks like a hot, shallow mess. I've seen plenty of reviews about how there is very little substance in the show and the outfits, which are supposed to be a highlight, are not indicative of French culture at all. But I digress. Far as I have heard (which is quite often, considering many of my friends are costume designers and makers), costume designers and craftspeople are consistently some of the lowest paid people on production crews, and it is certainly no coincidence that the costume industry is dominated by women. This was a big deal with Cruella when it came out, I think, where the work of costume designers are lauded but they have very little agency over their pieces once they are put out and barely make a penny off them especially when they blow up and are picked up by greater powers.
I feel that there is a new emphasis on fashion in pop culture because of its prevalence in media. According to the Common Thread Collective, “The fashion industry is worth $759.5 billion when we look at the e-commerce market. It’s predicted to be worth over $1.002 trillion by 2025”. This new appreciation of fashion on social media attributes to this, as the costuming process becomes more accessible to everyone. People on social media who celebrate and credit these designers for their work are innovating the industry. Hopefully, this will also attract attention to the inequitable pay and gender issues. There is a lack of respect for designers in the entertainment industry, especially costume makers because of gender stereotypes. To me it is shocking that men can still be heavily favored in a female dominated field with so many prominent inspirational female designers, it just goes to show how dominated our society is by stereotypes and prejudice.
The roles and responsibilities of costume designers and their teams are often ignored and underestimated in more ways than this article mentions. It focuses on the pay of the designers themselves, but doesn’t touch on the other issues that plague the department everywhere. Oftentimes I’ve found that the budget for the costume shop is grossly underestimated as people tend to think “it’s just clothes.” As well, the costume departments are often understaffed and given less than opportune locations in the theater because people figure the clothes can just be carried up and down stairs even though racks can weigh two hundred pounds. I agree with the article that these underestimations come from the belief that costumes are a woman’s job, and that the “manly” parts of theater are worth more somehow. I hope that this does change as the article says it will, and I hope that it trickles down to the stitchers and the drapers who also deserve their due respect.
This article called my attention due to the “Gossip Girl Reboot” cover. Nevertheless, while reading it, I was taken back to my time at Interlochen Center for the Arts (ICA) where while learning about the different roles in theatre our professor deviated into a tangent regarding pay inequality in the industry. Coming from Mexico City, Mexico, where the concept of “workers’ rights” is more of an ideology and/or a form of corruption (on behalf of the government), I imagined the United States to be the polar opposite. To my surprise, however, that was not necessarily the case. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe the United States is doing “better” than Mexico; however, it is instances such as these– where an evident gap exists and no one addresses it, that we come to understand the underlying lack of appreciation for an individuals time and effort, and most importantly a deeply rooted idea of misogyny come to light.
This article highlights an important issue that many similar industries are also facing. In terms of costume designs, this article explains that not only is credit not being given, but also designers are not being compensated for their work. For example, many characters in storylines have defining clothing pieces that make the viewer remember that character’s trait or style. This connection doesn’t just happen. Costume designers thoughtfully plan out what a character is wearing and WHY they are wearing it, how it adds to their storyline, how it influences other characters, etc. Therefore, there is no reason costume designers should be compensated any less than other department heads. This article mentions that this industry is predominantly made up of women, which makes me wonder if the reason costume designers are not compensated monetarily equal to their counterparts is because in our society, women aren’t paid as much as men. In the theatre industry, many people who work behind the scenes are also often not given credit deserved. This is because unless you know and understand the industry, a theatregoer pays attention to the actors on stage and maybe their costume, but doesn’t necessarily think about the thought that went into making that costume and how those lights perfectly complemented the entire scene, etc.
-Reading this article made me think a lot about my role as a male costume designer in a 90% female dominated field. Its so saddening to realize how plagued the film and theater industry is by pay inequity and gender bias. As Perez, costume designer on the Mindy Project, put it “The majority of costume designers are woman, and they are ignored.” I hate to think that simply because I am a male costume designer I have a better chance of receiving better pay and jobs, but that is sadly the reality in the industry right now. On top of that I’ve seen time and time again how little credit costume designers and makers get for the work they do. Often times simply because of a movie, entire tends of style can become popularized and costume designers are barely given credit. It also saddened me when I worked at a costume production house to see so many incredibly talented costume makers get paid little to nothing after quite literally producing the very garments seen on stage and screen. Costume designers and makers need to be valued more in the industry, because they make up and contribute such a valuable role to film and theater.
I think it’s extremely unfair that designers only get their credits when the media starts praising them. For example, when Cruella was released and its costumes got all viral over the internet, that’s when audiences started learning about the designer Jenny Beavan. Obviously it’s a good thing that her works are recognised and acknowledged, but she deserved to be known regardless of how viral her works are on the internet. We always learn about the directors and producers, but hardly ever the costume designers. The article made a point with the majority of the designers being female, and that perhaps the gender bias has led to them being not as well recognised and paid. I think it is also a common misunderstanding that costume designers have the easy work -- “it’s just shopping, my wife can do that”. But this is not true at all. I’ve heard so many comments on tv series or dramas saying that the actors are not dressed prettily enough or that they look too pretty to be historically accurate for a period drama. All of these criticisms come for the costume designers, but barely any compliments go to them directly.
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