It’s award season and you know what that means! Yes, sitting at home in your PJs, munching on popcorn and judging all the celebrities’ glamourous attire because, you know, you’re in such a better position and do consider yourself a connoisseur of fashion! It also means that time of the year when female celebrities get asked the most sexist questions on the red carpet about anything BUT their actual work.
The hashtag #AskHerMore, which has been trending all over Twitter for the past couple of weeks due to the Golden Globes taking place as well as the Academy Awards approaching, was actually started last February by The Representation Project, an organization that uses the medium of films and generally pop culture to promote anti-sexism sentiments in order to promote gender equality. The organization has previously made use of social media in order to call out sexist advertising that objectifies women by creating the #NotBuyingIt hashtag and app earlier last year.
If we take a closer look and really pay attention to the questions directed at female and male actors of the same status, we’d honestly find scandalous differences. Whereas reporters usually gush about the appearance of the actress, they gush about a male actor’s performance in his project. A video compiled by Upworthy.com, was posted a few days ago showing a compilation of the mainstream, cliché questions female celebrities are constantly being bombarded with on the red carpet.
The comedian and ever-loved actress Amy Poehler sought to bring back the campaign during the 2015 Golden Globes through her Smart Girls organization and everyone cheered her on! Despite the fact that the initiative started a whole year ago, the red carpet has witnessed little to no change in the way female actresses are portrayed by the media.
Reporters still remain almost oblivious to the fact that an actress’ work is far more important than her sense of style; she’s being nominated for her acting skills not her choice of Louboutins. They find themselves more willing to inquire about how the actress is dealing with motherhood and about which diet she is following than about how she is dealing with the critics’ response to her performance.
Instead of attacking the reports or bashing them, the initiative is urging everyone to simply suggest more appropriate, less objectifying questions for them to ask. Tweeps who have jumped on board have suggested numerous ones, alongside adding some witty sarcasm.
Elle magazine started their own initiative to also battle the immense sexism that has been taking over red carpets for years by starting a movement called “Flip the Script” in which they ask male celebrities the same vain questions female celebrities get all the time. During the Critics’ Choice Awards, which took place on Jan. 15, they asked Kevin Costner: “How did you get ready for tonight?” to which he casually replied by talking about his day. They went on to ask Allen Leech what his “must-have beauty products” are, and Scott Speedman how long it takes for him to “get ready for the red carpet,” amongst many others.
In a nutshell, it truly is high time that reporters started recognizing and acknowledging the works of female performers and actresses, as well as their goals, objectives and interests. Pop culture definitely needs to tone down its obsession with female looks and stereotypes and start seeing women as more than just mannequins modelling designer dresses and jewellery.
WE SAID THIS: The “mani cam” is ridiculous; before asking her to show off her nails in the miniature camera, please ask her about how she thinks her role in the award-winning movie can have an impact on society!