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Thursday, March 3, 2016

A woman is not worthy if she doesn't wear a dress


The Oscars came and went. I was really excited to get up that morning, and the first thing I googled was »leo oscars«. I was so happy to see that, after more than a decade since his first nomination, Leonardo DiCaprio finally got the award he deserves, and, that he used the opportunity to speak about one of the most important topics: our environment. Go, Leo!


But, while the night was definitely a night of joy for some, it was not so much the case for others. At some point of the event, the winner of the Academy Award for Best Costume Design was announced. But when Jenny Beavan, who won an Oscar for her costume design in Mad Max, got up and strutted confidently towards the stage, there was a moment of silent shock. It seemed like she decided to abandon the dress code of super formal dresses and gowns, and instead, opted for an all black outfit of trousers, shirt and leather jacket, along with a red and gold scarf.

The sight of Mrs. Beavan's everyday styling and the fact that she seems to be wearing little to no make-up, apparently shocked other Oscar attendees so much, that they forgot to clap for the recepient. In fact, their shock and dismay are so disturbingly apparent, that the moment has been made into a Vine:




Just look at all those faces: some portray surprise, some smirk meanly at Mrs. Beavan as she passes by, and others, most obvious being another Oscar winner Alejandro González Iñárritu (Best Director, The Revenant), sport the look of absolute disgust.

But why? Why did the woman get so much hate just for being different? The Guardian proposes a list of ten hilarious conspiracy theories as to why people did not clap for Mrs. Beavan as she went to receive her award, my favourite being the following:

* The bejewelled skull on Beavan’s leather jacket was modelled after Iñárritu’s dead grandmother.
* Jenny Beavan is actually Donald Trump doing a weird Mrs Doubtfire turn.
* They were reminded of the old nursery rhyme “If you publicly clap a woman named
* Beavan, none of your children will go to heaven”. (Source: The Guardian)

No, but seriously. What's the deal here? Why hate on a person because of their looks? She did state that her outfit was a nod to her Mad Max costumes, that she wanted to be comfortable and that she doesn't wear heels because of her bad back. But why she wore what she wore is completely beside the point.

I, for one, love that she wore what she thought was best, and that she didn't give in to wearing something she would have felt horrible in, just for the looks. Please, don't get me wrong: I have nothing against these gowns, nor do I have anything against women who wear them. If you feel good in it, or you are willing to not feel good to look good, that's fine by me.

What I'm trying to say is, we all need a bit of Jenny Beavan in our lives. We need to be proud of who we are and never, ever do something because we think others might look down on us if we don't. Because what's the point of that? Is being accepted really so important that you are willing to abandon yourself for it? I hope not. Can you really be happy living like that?

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