Cate Blanchett is gorgeous, classy and is not afraid to shut down sexist comments aka she’s awesome!
I think the first thing I ever saw Cate Blanchett in was The Lord of the Rings trilogy and she really does make the perfect elf. Ten-year-old me was terrified of when she went all green and scary over the One Ring though and to be honest, when I do my yearly rewatch of The Lord of the Rings, she still freaks me out a bit.
One of the things that I found out about Cate Blanchett fairly recently was that she’s Australian – I’m not sure how/why I never realised this but I hadn’t and it surprised me. I think it’s because I’d seen very few interviews with her and only films where she had an American or an English accent. People who can seamlessly change their accents always impress me.
I loved the moment on the Screen Actors Guild Awards red carpet last year where Cate Blanchett actually asked the camera if it does the slow pan up the body to the men, like it does the women. I’m a big fan of women calling out sexist questions on the red carpet as it’s one of the biggest platforms they can have. The video of that wonderful moment is below for your viewing pleasure.
Cate Blanchet has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars just for showing up at events wearing a dress and looking gorgeous. These red carpet events are like live fashion shoots and asking for the cameraman to not film her dress is like a model on a fashion shoot asking the fashion photographer to stop taking pictures and respect her damn privacy!
She was obviously feeling a bit self conscious about earning her money mostly for being gorgeous, rather than being clever like a scientist, or hard working like an oil rig worker. She should enjoy her enviable career as an actress and Hollywood celeb and stop acting like such a diva. How demeaning is being filmed wearing a designer dress while chatting on the red carpet compared to cleaning toilets or emptying other people’s trash cans for a living or any other normal job?
If she doesn’t want people looking at her dress she should show up in jogging pants, or some other boring outfit like the suits that the men wear. But then she wouldn’t get invited as much and wouldn’t make as much MONEY.
Boo hoo life is so unfair for Cate! 😦
I don’t think that was what she was feeling when she made this comment. I believe Blanchett was simply pointing out the fact that Hollywood treats male celebrities differently than female ones.
It’s okay for a woman to dress up and feel pretty. She shouldn’t be shamed for that. A woman can wear a beautiful dress and still be taken seriously for more than what she’s wearing. I think that was the point Blanchett was trying to make.
I see your point.
However, whether a woman is a scientist or an actress you can experience sexism is the workplace and in the case of Blanchett she is pointing out the different way men and women are treated in the same industry. If she (or any actress) wore jogging bottoms and a t-shirt on a red carpet, she would still get attention. And women have worn suits on the red carpet before and have had just as many pictures taken of them and comments made as the women who wear dresses. No woman should be judged by what she choices to wear.
Thank you for stopping by to comment, one of the reasons I chose women in film as my theme for this blogging challenge was in the knowledge that it would prompt discussion and it has so thank you.
She is EXTREMELY versatile. Her range amazes me.
Stephanie
http://stephie5741.blogspot.com
Yeah I love her action films and the dramas she’s in.
Cate Blanchett rocks! I thought this was such a fabulous, funny, and cool way to address the sexism that still occurs in Hollywood. She brought it up a great point, and allowed for us to have dialogue about the sexism in Hollywood, and in America in general.
Yes exactly! She wasn’t mean to the interviewer, just made a point in a quick and fun way that helps allow dialogue to happen about sexism in the film industry.
I love that about her. I think she went about it the right way. She made a great point that some people may not have thought of before, and she did it in a lighthearted way. It was tactful, classy, and just fabulous. 🙂
I had no idea she was Australian, assumed she was British. Thanks for an interesting and informative post. Enjoy the Challenge!
Faye at Destination: Fiction
I always assumed she was British too! And I’m British so you’d think I’d know which actors are from my own country! Thank you! I’m hoping to prompt interesting discussions on women in film during this challenge.
Same to you and good luck! 🙂