With the Golden Globes and the Indie Spirit Film Festival already firmly setting the tone for this year’s awards ceremonies, Oscars attendees are using their platform to make a political statement.
If you’re wondering why stars were donning big blue ribbons, it’s a part of the American Civil Liberties Union’s “Stand with ACLU” initiative.
The non-profit organisation takes on the toughest civil liberties cases, including full equality for LGBT people and preserving the right to have an abortion, in order to defend all Americans from government abuse and overreach.
Best Actress nominee Ruth Negga of Loving added the blue ribbon to her stunning high-neck Valentino red gown, a statement which is particularly relevant to her nomination.
Loving details the lives of an interracial couple in 1958 who broke Virginia’s ‘miscengenation’ laws banning marriage between blacks and whites. After writing to Robert F. Kennedy for help, the real couple was referred to the ACLU who then represented them in the landmark Supreme Court case, Loving v. Virginia (1967). It was this case that saw the Court rule state bans on interracial marriage were unconstitutional.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who’s nominated for best song, and his mum are also wearing blue ribbons – a fact of little surprise given the strong themes of pro-immigration and urgency to force change in his hit musical, Hamilton.
Action movie legend Jackie Chan, who will be receiving the Lifetime Achievement Oscar today, also made a statement with two plush pandas wearing UNICEF badges (and some stylish sparkly ugg boots).
Chan is renowned for his work as a panda ambassador, adopting two of the real bears in 2009. UNICEF works in 190 countries to ensure “the survival, protection and development of every child, with a focus on the lives of children who are the most disadvantaged and excluded.”
Emma Stone used her time on the red carpet to subtly support Planned Parenthood, with a small pin on her dazzling gold dress. Planned Parenthood has vowed to fight back against the Trump government’s threats of defunding the centre that provides preventative and reproductive health care to men and women across America.
And, of COURSE we had to mention the celebrities making their political views known on a certain President Trump.
Host Jimmy Kimmel began the proceedings by pretending to roast the “underrated” Meryl Streep, of course making reference to Trump’s now infamous tweet about Streep.
He made fun of her “lacklustre career”, which is “overrated and uninspiring” stretched from “mediocre early work in The Deer Hunter and Kramer vs. Kramer to underwhelming performances in Sophie’s Choice”.
“Let’s give a totally undeserved round of applause, the highly overrated Meryl Streep everyone.”
Two men also weren’t there to collect their gongs because of Trump’s immigration order.
Khaled Khatib, a Syrian cameraman on the Netflix doc, The White Helmets, was barred from entering the U.S. and therefore couldn’t attend.
And Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who won ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ boycotted the event because of the immigration ban.
Of course, the only thing everyone will be talking about is the epic screw-up that was La La Land being announced as the winner of Best Picture when it was really Moonlight.
Until next year…
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