I'm a sucker for awards shows, but the other night, to protect my blood pressure, I should have turned off The Peoples Choice Awards. I was enraged from start to finish with a sense that after decades of feminism, we're not getting anywhere. But then, as we saw on the show, it's hard to get anywhere when you're perched on long prongs that threaten to pitch you forward with every step.
So what pissed me off so much about The Peoples Choice Awards? The women were under-fed and over-dressed (except for Ellen, thank gawd for Ellen) in difficult-to-wear gowns with heels so high they prevented the women from walking.
Kate Walsh could not walk down the ramp to the microphone without desperately hanging on with both hands to a railing. She admitted it when she finally arrived at her mic. Mariah Carey's dress and shoes were so crippling that her partner Nick Cannon had to practically carry her up on the stage. She apologized.
And the men? Some were in suits, mostly without ties, and many, like Johnny Depp, were in jeans or other casual wear. The men were comfortably dressed down for hanging out; the women were painted and pinched and wobbling and tottering. And it was quite universal. I didn't see a single woman (other than that quick shot of Ellen backstage) who wasn't lurching on impossibly high heels. And I didn't see a single man who was.
Remember when women could dress in either pants or dresses for these events? Remember when "combat boots" were "in" whether with chiffon or denim? Remember when a range of possible styles were on display? No more. Either skinny down and femme up to an immobilizing degree or look for work elsewhere.
I could tie the lack of progress in women's lives to so many things: from our various ongoing wars (always bad for women)
to the continuing
economic disaster to the bargaining away of women's health and choice
in the name of legislative "compromise."
When we can't even run away from danger, our clothes have become an obstacle. Such clothing cannot be considered a style "choice" when it breaks down so utterly strictly along gender lines. I'll buy that explanation when I see some women in suits and sneakers and some men in stilettos and ruffles at an awards show.
Thanks for this! So true. And Johnny Depp can even show up with dirty, stringy hair and still be considered sexy. Let a woman try that one!
Posted by: Melanie | 08 January 2010 at 11:46
Wow, Sue. You're always good -- but this is exceptional. I just linked to this blog post from my FB page. Though I don't really want to return to combat boots with dresses, I think shoes that you can walk in, and, if necessary, run in should be what we wear for all occasions, including awards shows. What kind of message does the shoe in your photo send to young women? (I hope that we older women are past that.)
Joan Price
Author of Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty
Posted by: Joan Price | 08 January 2010 at 11:49
Joan, your point is well-taken. Last year at the Academy Awards I noted once again that the only women who had short hair and/or wore pants were either over 50 or dykes. At a wedding I went to this year, the only other woman besides me at the whole affair w/ short hair & wearing pants was a woman in her 80s.
And Melanie, I had this feeling that Johnny Depp went out of his way to get his hair to droop so greasily in his face. You're so spot on that women sporting the disheveled look are usually accused of being high/drunk/crazy.
Thanks to both of you for your comments.
Posted by: Sue Katz | 08 January 2010 at 12:03
Right, Joan. Not to mention how unhealthy very high heels are for the body - the back, the feet. If someone lives in those, they can cause long-term orthopedic issues.
Posted by: Melanie | 08 January 2010 at 12:10
Excellent point Melanie,
I've written many times about the health impact of long-term heel-wearing on the tendons and the joints. I had an elderly aunt who had to have 3-inch heeled bedroom slippers because her feet no longer could go flat.
Posted by: Sue Katz | 08 January 2010 at 12:12
Thank YOU for starting such an interesting conversation, both here and on Facebook.
Is it ok to tell your blog readers that I have a FB fan page for my new book, Naked at Our Age: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Naked-at-Our-Age-by-Joan-Price/200965361578?v=wall -- where we're talking about senior sex.
Posted by: Joan Price | 08 January 2010 at 12:13
Thanks so much for writing about the absurdity of how these women are dressing. As an active feminist in the early 70's, little could I then imagine that 40 years later it would come to this. At least we have Ellen in the midst of these bozos. I just don't get it.
Posted by: Anita | 08 January 2010 at 17:17
I have written about this stuff so often, Anita, that I'm thrilled to have so many friends in agreement (here and on Facebook). Thanks for writing!
Posted by: Sue Katz | 08 January 2010 at 17:35