Enough, enough, enough already.
Enough with asking serious, intelligent, professional women asinine, ridiculous (and downright rude) questions about their hair, their shoes, even their underpants on the red carpet.
They’re actors, not models.
They’re grown-ups, not children.
Can’t we show them a little respect?
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Take the case of Julianne Moore, who has this year been nominated for a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors’ Guild Award, and an Oscar for her performance as a woman who has received the devastating diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, in Still Alice.
Two nights ago, upon walking the red carpet to the SAG award’s ceremony, she was asked to stick her hand in a little box with a camera inside it, so the viewing public could get a good look at her fingernails.
Her fingernails!
This box is called ‘the mani-cam.’ The idea is, women – and only women – are asked to walk their fingers into it, toward a camera at the end of it, so viewers can coo about the colour of their nails.
Is that dolly-pink? Oh it’s not dolly-pink, it’s golly-pink! Wow, so that’s golly pink polish she’s wearing. And of course, it goes so well with that dress!
Well, Moore’s had enough. She said no. So has Reese Witherspoon, who plays Cheryl Strayed in Wild, the true story a young and troubled woman who walked more than 1000 miles through the California wilderness on her own after the death of her mother; and so has Jennifer Aniston, who has likewise been nominated for several awards this year for her performance as a pain-addled Claire Bennett, in Cake.
All refused to do it.
All have also expressed frustration at the stupid questions they get asked, whenever they turn up to promote or celebrate their achievements (their frustration is clearly being felt by viewers at home, who jumped on the hashtag #askhermore than just about her hair and her dress.)
Aniston probably cops its worst. All she ever seems to get asked about is Brad.
Also, why she hasn’t had a baby yet.
You can argue that women at awards ceremonies bring this on themselves, and there’s some truth to that.
No awards ceremony would be complete with a ditzy bimbo in a head-turning dress, and she can hardly complain when heads are turned.
You may also say: ‘Oh, come on, part of the reason they’re famous is that they’re pretty! They wouldn’t be in the movies if they didn’t look great.’
There’s some truth to that, too.
Moore was none too pleased when E!’s Maria Menounos asked her to oblige with a mani shot.
No question, there are female actors in Hollywood who get cast – and then get famous – because they’re as hot as hell, and the (male) director wants a woman who looks good naked in his film.
Hot young blokes can find themselves in the same position.
But that’s not the situation, with Julianne Moore. She turned up to the SAG awards in a dress that was entirely appropriate for the event. She looked great. And it’s quite okay to say she looked great, but how she looked is not why she was there.
Moore has been nominated for just about every acting award on earth this year not because she’s a babe, but because she did a great job.
Still Alice is based on a novel by Lisa Genova. It’s about a highly educated linguistics professor, Alice, who is told that she will soon lose her mind.
How might that feel? What impact would that have on those you love, who love you? Your husband, your children, your parents, your colleagues?
Moore took seriously her role in bringing Alice to life. It’s an enchanting performance.
Given an opportunity to ask Moore anything about that role, would you really ask about her nail polish?
And she won, by the way. She won the Golden Globe, and she won the SAG award, and now she’s up for the Oscar.
Please, let her be asked about more than her knickers when she walks the red carpet into the Academy Awards ceremony in three weeks time.
