From Lady Gaga’s meat dress at the 2010 MTV Music Video Awards to Tracee Eliss Ross’ “I am a voter” t-shirt at the 2018 American Music Awards, red carpet style has a huge influence on our society. Over time red carpet and celebrity fashion has become a way to make political statements and movements. No matter what you wear on a red carpet, you’re going to get press, so why not have it draw attention to an important issue.
Actor and singer Billy Porter has made a number of fashion choices in the hopes of breaking barriers. At the 2019 Oscars he wore a tuxedo gown, a perfect combo of masculinity and femininity. “What is masculinity? What does that mean? Women show up every day in pants, but the minute a man wears a dress, the seas part.” Billy Porter is all about dismantling toxic masculinity and expressing himself the way he wants. Many people loved this outfit and way of thinking but of course there were plenty of complaints.
In 2018 the “Times Up'' movement was founded. It's an organization that helps support victims of sexual assault and bring awareness. At the 2018 Golden Globes lots of actresses and actors wore black outfits to show support of the “Times Up” movement. Some accessorized with the “Times Up” logo, like Laura Dern’s purse or even a simple pin that attendees wore.
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Lady Gaga will go all out to make her voice heard but even a simple t-shirt with the words “Love Trumps Hate” will start conversation. She wore this shirt
during the 2016 US presidential election race to encourage people to vote against Donald Trump.
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Another somewhat subtle outfit that had people talking was her oversized sparkly suit. After trying on many dresses to go to an Elle Women event in Hollywood Gaga decided that a dress wasn’t what she wanted for her that night. She shared that she wore this suit to “take power back” and have her own voice be heard. This outfit was another one of many merging masculine and feminine ideas.
Fashion has the power to let voices and options that matter be heard. What’s worn at major events gets a lot of press and attention, it can inspire people and make them feel valued to see celebrities stepping outside the box in spite of negative feedback. Look below for some more red carpet outfits that had heads turning.
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