Following the black dress code seen at this year’s Golden Globes ceremony, actresses are following the same guidelines in dressing for the BAFTAs, aka the British equivalent of the Oscars. BuzzFeed reports that many actresses arriving at the BAFTA red carpet on Sunday were in black to support the Time’s Up movement.
The official Time’s Up Twitter account referenced the reemergence of the dress code earlier that day, writing, “Tonight, at the BAFTAs and beyond, we wear black to say Time’s Up on workplace abuse, inequality and harassment.” The account also pointed out that more than half of women in the UK experience sexual harassment at work, proving that the Time’s Up movement’s message applies far beyond than Hollywood.
Tonight, black is not just for the red carpet. Tonight, at the #BAFTAs and beyond, we wear black to say #TIMESUP on workplace abuse, inequality and harassment. Tonight, join us in your homes, your community and on social media as we show the world #WHYWEWEARBLACK pic.twitter.com/hg4tuaYoj9
— TIME’S UP (@TIMESUPNOW) February 18, 2018
With female nominees such as Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie and Frances McDormand attending the London ceremony, BAFTA host and actress Joanna Lumley connected the powerful campaign to the work of suffragettes. In the UK, women first won the right to vote in 1918, now marking a century since the historic decision. In her welcoming remarks, Lumley chose to recognize “the determination to eradicate the abuse of women.”
Also present at the ceremony were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton. The pregnant Kate initially caused a bit of a stir when she arrived on the red carpet wearing green rather than black.
BAFTAs 2018: Kate Middleton defies black dress code as she dazzles in low-cut green gown #BAFTAs2018 https://t.co/iPOjEwWQlc pic.twitter.com/dNBltlZ9WF
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) February 18, 2018
According to Glamour, her green Jenny Packham dress wasn’t intended as a snub to the movement. Simply put, members of the royal family aren’t allowed to make political statements with clothing, which makes sense. Although you could argue that the fight against sexual harassment is far from being solely political, critics of Time’s Up have said that politics have inevitably become involved in the movement, causing Kate’s neutral attire.
Kudos to the actresses who aren’t letting awareness of sexual harassment and Time’s Up stay within the United States.