Why we need to talk about the misogyny of best-dressed lists

The unflinching scrutiny meted out to female celebrities speaks volumes about the sexist undertone of red-carpet reports

The world of fashion criticism was once gatekept by star editors whose sought-after opinions were delivered to the chosen few. But those days are long gone. With the recently held Golden Globes Awards 2023 officially kicking off awards season for the year, the anonymity of the Internet continues to embolden unflinching scrutiny of women’s sartorial choices. Further proof of the same can be found in the case of Selena Gomez, who clapped back at the body-shaming comments directed her way after her appearance on the red carpet. In an Instagram Live session after the awards, she laughed, “I'm a little bit big right now because I enjoyed myself during the holidays [looks at sister], but we don't care.”

Her words stir up the distant echoes of artist Lizzo’s proclamation from earlier this month that “discourse around bodies is officially tired.” In a video on Instagram that called out the arbitrary beauty standards imposed on women, Lizzo said, “Do you realise that artists are not here to fit into your beauty standards? Artists are here to make art—and this body is art.”

Closer home, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s annual sojourn at the Cannes Film Festival continues to serve as a free-for-all license for self-anointed critics to assemble each year and wield the comments box like a volatile cannon, blasting through any bastions of kindness and accountability. Refusing to allow the rampant body-shaming to daunt her steps, the actress maintains that she will never endorse a size zero figure. “People have opinions and they vary, but it doesn’t matter. This is who I am,” she spoke up in an Elsewhere, Deepika Padukone’s recent stint on the Cannes Competition jury was eclipsed by the cacophony of comments about her wardrobe choices. “Fashion is fun and it should be fun, but I don't think it deserves pages and pages of news. I think what we should be talking about is the celebration of Indian talent and cinema,” she commented in an interview ahead of the festival, perhaps cognisant even as she uttered the words that her hopes would lie in vain. 

 
Sartorial scrutiny

Body-positive content creator Sakshi Sindwani, who is no stranger to unsolicited advice from strangers on the Internet, believes that the fundamental change needs to happen with our vocabulary. “If you don’t like a particular outfit, don’t say that ‘it looks ugly on her.’ It is easy to hide behind a screen and write nasty comments without being called out, but would you say that to a person in real life? It pays to remember that celebrities are people as well,” she points out. 

This notion is seconded by celebrity stylist Divyak D’Souza, who finds that the democracy of the Internet can serve as a double-edged sword. “The anonymity of the Internet has given free rein to troll culture and while men are also attacked on the Internet, there is no denying that the hate is skewed largely towards women.”

Baked within his words is a sobering truth—for any actress or female in the public eye, the morning after a red carpet appearance is followed by a familiar circus of sartorial scrutiny, pincer-like probes and ‘who wore it better?’ battles that pit women against each other with pre-pubescent fervour. It comes as little surprise then that actresses have been campaigning to be treated for their merit—the well-known ‘Ask Her More’ movement has found a champion in the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Shonda Rhimes and Gloria Steinem, while Jennifer Aniston and Julianne Moore have famously refused to parade their nails for the mani-cam. Perhaps the most decisive blow was struck by Cate Blanchett who crouched down to cut off the camera’s leisurely pan over her Givenchy gown at the SAG Awards in 2014 with one powerful missive: "Do you do that to the guys?"

A parochial outlook

The sexism rampant within red-carpet reporting is lost on no one, with even George Clooney conceding that guys have it easier. “Amal [Clooney] was looking at dresses last night still trying to figure out what she was going to wear, and I was watching the football game. It was 2 pm today and I was still watching a football game,” he once commented in an interview. His words find further heft in a study that analysed 160 million words from decades of newspapers, academic papers, tweets and blogs, and discovered that men are three times more likely than women to be mentioned in a professional context, while women are disproportionately described in relation to their marital status, age or appearance.

It is a fact that D’Souza would become sadly acquainted with when his friend Saba Azad started making public appearances with her beau, Hrithik Roshan. He elaborates, “She has always had an individualistic style, but ever since she started dating a famous actor, the kind of negative energy and nasty commentary that has been directed towards her is unfair. Just by virtue of the fact that she is standing next to a powerful man, she becomes a softer target.” 

The misogyny doesn’t end with their wardrobe choices either. “While fashion is an external element, women will always be trolled more for getting aesthetic procedures done. Nobody seems to talk about the fact that there are enough men also getting these treatments in the glamour industry, whether it is skin lightening, hair transplants, jaw sharpening or chin extensions. Any cosmetic surgeon will let you know that they are getting as many female clients as male but for some reason, we are only looking to attack female celebrities who get work done. It boils down to how the patriarchal system is designed—we need to start questioning why we are willing to do anything to keep a woman in check,” D’Souza concludes. 

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