Emily Blunt let her displeasure be known when reporters spoke to her at a Cannes event. The Cannes Film Festival event had caught flak for the lack of women filmmakers represented at the festival event. So they were making efforts to bring women into the foreground. Then came the bit of news that Emily Blunt responded to.
According to Screen magazine, “a handful of women in their fifties were turned away from the screening of Todd Haynes’ competition entry Carol on Sunday night after being told the height of their smart footwear didn’t pass muster. Multiple guests, some older with medical conditions, were denied access to the anticipated world-premiere screening for wearing rhinestone flats.”
Emily Blunt was handling her own press event for her film Sicario. When reporters asked her about the no-heels situation, she responded:
“Yeah, that’s very disappointing. To think there are these waves of equality and waves of people discovering that women are so fascinating and interesting to watch and bankable.”
Emily Blunt further opined that heels are not a good idea anyway, so requiring them as dress code is not smart.
“Everyone should wear flats to be honest,” Emily Blunt said. “We shouldn’t be wearing high heels anyways. That’s my point of view. I just prefer wearing Converse sneakers.”
Cannes rejects women from red carpet for pro-LGBT film screening for not wearing high heels http://t.co/lrzoaDJ0yV pic.twitter.com/QSQoW7Et3f
— The Independent (@Independent) May 19, 2015
Screen said that they had asked for an official comment from festival organizers about the mini-scandal.
“The festival declined to comment on the matter, but did confirm that it is obligatory for all women to wear high-heels to red-carpet screenings.”
They spoke to one person, only described as a “Cannes regular” who said that this is not a new thing.
“I’ve heard this happening several times now, even to older women who can’t wear heels for medical reasons. It’s bullshit. Someone I know was turned away for wearing nice flats, nothing you would wear to the beach. They were in their 50’s. They told her she could go and buy appropriate shoes and come back.”
Some men are expressing their displeasure with Cannes over this rule by threatening to wear high heels themselves.
Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro Planned to Wear Heels on the Cannes Red Carpet to Protest… http://t.co/vEl4DV7MYX pic.twitter.com/RrDXkepE9B
— Marie Claire (@marieclaire) May 20, 2015
