Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Cannes Not


Cannes Not

No matter how hard we try, it is almost impossible to escape the culture of celebrity.   Even the casual observers -those enlightened few who, rightly, see it as nothing more than  trivial piffle more akin to cartoon than reality - should take heed for they are not immune to its influence.   No, wander deep into some uncharted rainforest, where the native people run free of clothing, prejudice and electricity, and I’d bet you a nickel they’d know at least one of the ample-bottomed Kardashian sisters.  One can find this total saturation of inanity amusing at a distance, but that’s the insidious thing about it:  it rarely stays at the distance it deserves.  Instead, it slyly stretches its fuzzy tentacles into certain unused corners of our consciousness, pushing aside those dusty remnants of our past no longer needed for ready recall - things like pay phones, VCR’s and vinyl records - to take up residence, unnoticed, yet alive.  

This fascination with celebrity has existed for centuries, of course.  Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire.  Evelyn Nesbit.  Lady Caroline Lamb.  Each could readily attest to the insatiability of the public’s interest in their doings.  But it seems that today we literally hold the world in the palm of our hands and these ubiquitous devices we cradle give power to the most insignificant crumbs of foolishness rendering them not only available, but unavoidable.  Is it any wonder the culture is affected?

While I know I’m walking the rapier edge of crankdom as I say it, just try to find something unique and wonderful on a popular radio station.  Stroll through the women’s clothing department of your local store and try to choose something gorgeous that doesn’t make you look as though you’re auditioning for a rap video.  Stand in the mainstream and strike a chord for individuality, and you sing alone.

Like many other women I was a bit irritated by the fashion kerfuffle that boiled up during last month’s Cannes Film Festival.  Seems a decree went forth that women would not be allowed on the red carpet unless they were wearing heels.  No, I am not joking.  Flats-wearing women were actually turned away, deemed unacceptable by their appearance.  This caused me to wonder…. would the exquisite Audrey Hepburn have been banished if she’d dared show up in those delicious ballet flats she wore?  Would Dame Judi Dench, brilliant, beautiful and eighty years old, been required to wear Sex and the City heels?  Have we been so thoroughly indoctrinated in the celebrity dictum of mile-high, toe-crushing footwear that this is now a requirement for the modern-day, well-dressed woman?  

While it’s true that I came into the world with a prickly sense of outrage at being told what to do or how to think, this fashion fiat made me see red.  In fact, it made me want to fly to France and crash that red carpet in my peach espadrilles. 
There are nights when I love to wear heels. 
 Just don’t tell me I have to.
Opinions, please?

“Fashion should be a form of escapism, and not a form of imprisonment.”
Alexander McQueen 

17 comments:

  1. Good post
    The red carpet turn away snafu irritates me as well. The actaul policy doesn't mention heels are a must. Publicity issue or just an over zealous organizer? I expect next year there will be more women in flats, and a bit more attention to the red carpet at Cannes.

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  2. You mention Judi Dench - I am sure if she had been there she would not have been turned away - they wouldn't be able to stand the adverse publicity that would bring them. I think the whole area of celebrity is ridiculous and the farmer and I, living as we do deep in the country and rarely watching television, manage to avoid a lot of the hype. We still read it in our newspapers though and it never ceases to annoy us.

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  3. Love your posts and felt I need to chime in on this one! Being 5'10" heels are most certainly not part of my wardrobe and nor will they ever be. How can anyone be turned away for wearing what they want? Shame on them.

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  4. Pamela though I rarely wear heels , let no one tell me not to!! Please, just dress appropriately celebs, we do not want to see everything hanging out!! Simply for press!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena
    Coco Chanel

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  5. This is unreal. Valeria Richter, a film producer whose left foot is partially amputated and is unable to wear heels, was turned away four times at one Cannes film viewing for wearing flats, which prompted the headlines. Of course festival officials claim there is no rule about heels, but others have complained about being turned away for wearing flats, so it is a genuine problem, and not just for handicapped or disabled, but for all women. Men are wearing flats, after all, and have for centuries, so why not women? Gah.

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  6. I agree with Alexander McQueen. To each his own, flamboyant or not, but I'm looking forward to the day when the Kardashians will be a thing of the past, and that day cannot come soon enough. And speaking of designers, have you seen the movie "Dior and I" which is now playing in our area? Also, "Iris," about the delightful Iris Apfel?

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  7. Ridiculous. I've never worn heels and would never. A few years ago some friends of mine and I went on a trip to Paris. We hired a local to take us behind the scenes. She told us not to wear sneakers. Now, all the magazines show sneakers (especially the designer ones) on Parisians. Seems to be the hottest thing in Paris.

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  8. So, let's see....JLo (just one example), can walk the red carpet practically naked, but flat shoes are not allowed! What has happened to reason in our world? Back in a younger day, on a trip to London, I mistakenly packed only heels, because at 5' 1" that's all I wore. Three hours in, on the London sidewalks, I was finished! As I combed one boutique after another looking for a pair of comfortable shoes, all I saw were flats. It took three blisters for me to learn what the Brits knew all along.

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  9. Oh I couldn't agree with you more. The whole thing is absurd. However, just to be the devil's advocate, why do some establishments require a man to wear a coat and/or tie. I'm sure many men don't want to. I believe in dress codes, only because many people don't know how to be appropriate anymore. And by appropriate, I just mean neat, clean, and presentable. But, there is absolutely no reason why a woman can't wear flats. Why is it considered fashionable to wear ripped, torn-up jeans? This celebrity obsession is just a bunch of bs, excuse my French.....oh, I guess that wouldn't be acceptable language in France! Bravo to you, Pam!

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  10. The very best thing about growing older and starting your "golden years" is the wonderful feeling of not caring what other people think anymore. Wouldn't it have shown character and courage if just one of those "stars" had said "Okay, then I'm not going.....? If it had been a major actress with a possible award in her future, it would have been great publicity for her. Or better yet, a few men should have shown up in heels.....made the whole thing ridiculous. So many more important things to think about.....for example, the Kardashians. Gag me with a spoon as they used to say.

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  11. Oh, it is SO ridiculous, isn't it Pamela ? I cannot bear the likes of the Kardashians ….. what do they actually DO ? They are just a very rich family who have zero talents !! …. and, at my age, I don't know who half of the celebrities are !!!! ….. and don't get me started on the ' high heels on the red carpet ' rule in Cannes !!!!!!! It's probably going to get worse before it gets better I'm afraid !! XXXX

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  12. Pamela, had not heard about this ridiculous dictum from Cannes. Really can't imagine that they would bar a Cate Blanchett or Tilda Swinton from walking the Red Carpet because of their choice of footwear. Am actually hoping that Tilda takes on the challenge! On another note, I totally agree with you on the lack of choice in seemingly all things - not just radio and women's clothing. Am very weary of corporate marketing whizzes determining what we read, watch, eat, drink and wear. There was a recent NYTimes article that gave me hope for the future. Seems that many young women are moving away from thongs and back to basic undies... http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/fashion/young-women-say-no-to-thongs.html?_r=0 ...am hoping they keep challenging the status quo in all things and we begin moving back to more choice in the marketplace. Thanks for the wonderful post! Jaime A

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  13. Pamela, so sad to realize that even in 2015 the "Fashion Police" still exist when it comes to women's foot wear and clothing, or lack thereof. Near nudity is considered appropriate, but wearing flat shoes is not unless one is Ellen Degeneres. I'm a fan of hers and would love to hear what she thinks though I'm pretty certain I already know.

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  14. Poll-Parrot shoes. I was explaining to the youngest 'Cost Centre' that in the Scotland of my youth they used to x-ray your feet. You put your foot on/in ( the finer details escape me ) a light box and the foot was x-rayed. The resulting photo helped the shop assistant determine what size and width the shoes should be.Did this happen in the US ? Or was it only the Scots who had radiological innocence ? 'The Font' remembers the same thing happening in Sweden.

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    1. It never happened to me, but The Songwriter remembers it vividly.
      I did, however, take part in "Duck and Cover" exercises in school. This involved crouching beneath our desks in order to remain "safe" during a nuclear attack. Radiological innocence indeed.

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  15. Standing in the x-ray device was a 1950s back-to-school shopping trip tradition in the Southern U.S. of A. I would linger there fascinated by the bones in my feet while my mother chatted with the shoe salesman. Wonder I didn't become a radiologist.

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  16. I am 66 years old and feel I have been a feminist all my life. This no flats on the red carpet seems like a flash back to the 50's. But we are talking the entertainment industry, which at its worst perpetuates stereotypes and demeans women. Love your outrage at his Pamela. Thanks for blogging about it.

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