‘WORST DRESSED’ LISTS ARE OUT OF FASHION
SO, here we are in this post-Weinstein, post Cosby, #MeToo world. We’ve had black dresses and white roses and Time’s Up on the abuse or mistreatment of women.
We have mental health first aiders in our workplaces and body positivity bloggers, we have models with stretchmarks and seventysomethings on the runways... we have even got an all-female Ocean’s movie opening next week.
Trump may still be in the Whitehouse but we are supposed to be living in enlightened times. We are ‘woke’ as the kids say.
So why are we still seeing ‘worst dressed’ articles making fun of women’s clothing choices, their shape, size or style?
Just this week one national newspaper served up its ‘worst dressed’ of the weekend’s British Soap Awards. I won’t say which paper.
It was not particularly clever and, in my opinion, unnecessarily snipey. And chances are the piece would have disappeared under a tidal wave of Love Island clickbait had the writer not criticised 17-year-old Emmerdale actress, Isobel Steele – winner of the night’s Best Young Actor award – for being too covered up in her Gucci-esque floral gown.
The author (a woman) at least had the decency to acknowledge that it was ‘pretty’, but then suggested the young star ‘have some fun and flash some flesh’.
I am struggling to find the words to say how inappropriate that comment is in this climate.
Luckily I don’t have to. Corrie star Sally Ann Matthews spoke for me when she took to Twitter shortly afterwards to call the comments, ‘Utterly abhorrent’, adding that Isobel ‘looked radiant, classy and beautiful’.
Sally, who plays feisty Jenny Connor in the show went on to reveal: ‘When I was 17 a tabloid columnist called me a ‘little pudding’, I know the impact it had on me.’
Other Corrie stars also jumped to Isobel’s defence including Catherine Tyldelsey (Eva) who tweeted, ‘She looks beautiful... this is outrageous.’
The writer responsible for the article has herself since apologised on social media, calling it ‘bad journalism’ and saying she ‘didn’t know Isobel was only 17.’
That kind of misses the point though. Criticisim of your looks or your frock is tough no matter how old you are.
Now, before you tell me that unless I am without sin I should step away from this particular pile of rocks, I will admit I am not. Swept up in the showbiz magazine era of ‘circles of shame’, for a long time we ran a ‘dressed in the dark’ feature. It is not something I am proud of. It didn’t feel nice to write it and eventually we made the editorial decision that, you know what it’s not nice. It’s also not necessary, so we stopped.
As have many other media outlets which is good to see.
But isn’t it time for a total sea change here?
Walking a red carpet, being photographed from all angles is difficult enough without the fear that you are going to be ripped apart because your dress was too short, too long, too tight, too yellow...
Perhaps the last word here should go to Isobel herself who tweeted: “Wow, why is there a worst dressed article from last nights soaps?? Why are we trying to knock people’s confidence?!
“I’d like to clarify that I am in no way bothered that someone didn’t like my dress. It’s just a really mean concept and so unnecessary after such a positive night.”
Talk about the wisdom of youth.