When I walked into work on Monday morning, a fellow reporter asked me if I’d tuned in to the Hollywood award show known as the Golden Globes, which was broadcasted the previous night. I had not—in fact, I didn’t even know it had aired.
I have no shortage of love for movies and television. Stories, no matter how they are presented, have always drawn me in, whether I am sitting in bed reading a classic Jane Austen novel or watching a band of heroes defeat a science fiction villain on the big screen.
But in my opinion, award shows are not actually celebrating film and television. I’d go so far as to say that film and television are just a front for these programs’ true fixation: high-end fashion.
A quick disclaimer: I do not think fashion itself is a bad thing. The industry has its place in the world—something I learned, fittingly, from Meryl Streep’s character in “The Devil Wears Prada,” who schooled Anne Hathaway’s character on how fashion filters down from Oscar de la Renta sketchbooks to the cheapest bargain bin at Goodwill.
My issue is that the movie and television industry has become so synonymous with fashion that you cannot think of one without thinking of the other.
Acting, directing, screenwriting, cinematography… These careers are not intrinsically linked to fashion. Really, the only people on a movie set who might benefit from having their finger on the pulse of modern fashion are costume designers.
And what, pray tell, do they get? The chance of winning one category at an awards show, and probably getting cut off mid-speech by a teleprompter?
Sure, that dress on Charlize Theron is gorgeous—but are we really there to celebrate that? Shouldn’t the focus be on her role in “Bombshell,” or the talented person who constructed the outfits she wore in the film?
In recent years, awards show organizers have attempted to tone down some of the more garish aspects of their ceremonies, and even started to acknowledge the need for more diverse categories and nominees.
But for all the pizza parties that Ellen Degeneres throws at the Oscars, for all the celebrities who get up and ask for viewers to address climate change, for all the comedians who take potshots at the very award shows they are getting paid to host, nothing changes the fact that they are walking mannequins for high-end fashion companies.
And that can be damaging, especially to those who have dreams of making movies but don’t fit into a certain mold. It takes integrity away from Hollywood, from moviemaking as an industry that can stand on its own two legs. It takes away from the importance of storytelling, of all the people who work so hard at bringing these stories to life.
When a young Watsonville High School student decides to sign up for Beginning Drama, they are not thinking about the Alexander McQueen dress they might get to wear someday. When a bright-eyed college Freshman learns the basics of filmmaking, they are not preoccupied with what shoes they will wear at the Oscars.
I would be fascinated to know how the relationship of these two industries began. A deep dive into the history of Hollywood might be in order. For now, I’m going to sit back and enjoy my favorite movies and shows while shielding my eyes from the glitz and glamour.
Contact Pajaronian reporter Johanna Miller at [email protected].
