Anyone else fed up with hypocritical Hollywood?
By Rebecca Hartill
I’ve arrived in the movie star capital of the world without any clue of who is who and what is what. Hollywood and the entertainment industry is to me an unknown field, which is partly why I find my time in L.A so interesting. Something that has not slipped my attention however is the #metoo earthquake, and being a political science major, the issue of social representation and its connection to individual rights is a topic that lies close to heart. The #metoo movement has apparently not rocked the boat enough to upset the status quo, as we this year saw the fewest female winners in six years while the ethnic representation remained highly westernised.
As a firm believer that habits rather than talents are key to success, I’m perplexed by all the high heels and close fitted low-cut dresses leftover from a conservative world that sought to sexualise women. Females are highlighted for how they look and males for what they do. Males dress in the identical black-tie outfits not by coincidence, but because the assumption is that they do not need to dress in any other way. You see males are carried by their brains, while females are successful though their looks.
The #metoo movement has apparently not rocked the boat enough to upset the status quo, as we this year saw the fewest female winners in six years while the ethnic representation remained highly westernised.
However, I suppose I should cut Hollywood some slack and realise that it, just like me, is a product of its social circumstances (I too wore a tight dress and stilettos to work during the Oscar evening). Maybe it isn’t my place to say, since I don’t even recognise half of the people walking the red carpet.
Whether it be a sign of ignorance or a receipt of how out of touch Hollywood is with the rest of the world, I find it almost amusing that a film portraying Winston Churchill as a faultless national hero can receive so much praise when Mr Churchill in fact made quite a few doubtful choices during his political career. Maybe historical accuracy is of only secondary concern to the Academy, but I know one or two who would categorise the film as an infotainment way to present an ”alternative truth”. This is ironic, considering that Hollywood spends so much time worrying about the wide reach of the very same phenomenon.
Nonetheless, someone did catch my eye, and both her persona and her outfit are a refreshing sight. Fatma Al Remaihi, who does not have a wikipedia site (yet), is the CEO of the Doha Film Interview and carried her Middle Eastern heritage down the red carpet with fascinating gusto, just like she does in her work.
