The 2018 Golden Globes was on Saturday, Jan. 7.  As usual, the auditorium was filled with beautiful actresses in sparkling jewelry along with spiffy-looking actors and directors in their simple starched suits and bow ties.  But those of you who have been keeping up with the news know that Hollywood has had its fair share of scandal recently.  Right at the center is wealthy film producer Harvey Weinstein, who was accused of sexual assault by 84 women.  In response to these shocking allegations, the Hollywood community collectively decided to wear black to the Golden Globes as a show of unity against sexual assault.  This action was in direct support of Time’s Up, a movement founded fairly recently in response to the Weinstein scandal and #MeToo.  The movement encourages women, of all backgrounds and financial status, to speak out against their sexual offenders and gain justice for the ways they have been violated.  The Time’s Up legal defense fund provides support for less-privileged women to bring their cases to court.

In agreement with the Hollywood community’s decision, a majority of people wore black to the ceremony.  But 37-year-old actress Blanca Blanco came under fire for wearing a red gown to the awards, a color that was markedly obvious in the sea of black in the auditorium.  Many critics claimed that Blanco’s decision to wear red was a shocking display of indifference to the rising issue of sexual assault.  Other viewers were simply dumbfounded at the reason why a famous actress would not seize the opportunity to use her platform in a beneficial way.  The task was so simple. Instead of a red dress, wear a black one!

In response to the critics, Blanco claimed that her decision was a cultural thing, something she had planned with her mother a couple of months in advance.  She explained that the color black had no place at a celebration like the Golden Globes.  Even more alarming was her argument that the recent flood of sexual misconduct charges should not hold women back from “dressing sexy,” as in wearing revealing dresses with a color of their own choice.  She basically implied that showing off her curves in a fashionable dress was more important than showing a united front against sexual assault.

Despite this implication, Blanco’s reasoning should not be completely shot down.  It’s true that women should not be oppressed by society’s expectations to “dress modest” or feel compelled to hide their curves for fear of tempting sexual offenders.  Fear is not the way to strike back.  But Blanco’s actions seemed supercilious, almost like she was trying to overshadow the show of strength portrayed by the rest of the film community, or at least most of it, since a few other actresses opted out of wearing black too.   

Now, not to deny that Blanco’s red dress was gorgeous, but maybe there’s a better time and place for it, a place that isn’t uniting for a huge cause.