Cate Blanchett has handed the media a big slice of humble pie slamming their preoccupation with the way women look on the red carpet, rather than focussing on their work.
While she may be one of the queens of the red carpet herself, Blanchett has hit out at red carpet presenters and journalists over their obsession with the ‘what-are-you-wearing-type-questions’ that actresses are bombarded with at awards events in particular. She told Harper’s Bazaar magazine; “Since I’ve been struttin’ the red carpet, things have changed a lot. The way women are asked about those red carpet moments. Oh my God. It’s just a dress!”
And, it’s no surprise professional women are feeling frustrated when their talent and hard-work play second fiddle to the latest superficial fads like the ‘mani cam’, where celebrities offer their manicures for inspection by hoards of eager cameras.
The ‘Mani Cam’
Blanchett continued, saying that people forget women are “up there because they’ve given extraordinary performances. It’s a wonderful excuse to dress up and have F.U.N. But let’s not forget the work.”
So irate are some of our highest profile singers and actresses that a social media campaign has popped up in support under the hashtag #askhermore which condemns media for appearance-based or seemingly superficial questions that are directed at women in particular. We’re talking how they look, what they’re wearing, diet choices and other unimportant, yet usually entertaining questions, that are not asked of their male counterparts as often. #askhermore kicked off in the US by the Representation Project earlier this year ahead of the 2015 awards season and the defiant movement has garnered support from celebs like Jennifer Anniston, Julianne Moore and Reese Witherspoon who refused to place their well-manicured fingers into the ‘mani cam’.
So let’s jump on the #askhermore bandwagon and ask all the intelligent, talented, hard-working women in our lives about what they DO rather than what the LOOK LIKE!
What do you think of the #askhermore movement? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below…
