When Kristen Stewart Ditched High Heels to Protest Cannes Red Carpet ‘No Flats’ Policy
Actress Kristen Stewart, known for her talent, versatility, and non-conformist attitude, had challenged the longstanding 'no flats' rule on the Cannes red carpet. Her act of disobedience ignited discussions and brought attention to gender inequalities and strict beauty standards in the entertainment industry.
Kristen Stewart made a daring move after posing for the cameras on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2018. The actress took off her black Christian Louboutin pumps and ascended the staircase barefoot. Stewart, who was present at the BlacKkKlansman premiere, has been an outspoken opponent of the rule requiring women to wear heels on the red carpet, per Time Magazine.
The photographers captured the moment where the actress can be seen removing her heels as an act of rebellion, per Elle. Stewart's act of defiance clearly stated that women shouldn't have to endure hardships to uphold strict beauty standards. This move of Stewart took Twitter by storm. Social media users were quick to show their appreciation for this defiance, calling the festival's rules ridiculous.
This was not the first time Stewart had stood up against this sexist rule. In 2016, Stewart rebelled against the same rule for the first time when she changed from her cozy black sneakers into her silver heels just for the photos. To make her emotions about the shoes even more clear, she gave the finger during the images.
Red carpet at #Cannes or not, sometimes the heels have just gotta go. 😬 #KristenStewart pic.twitter.com/XwGTnCy5Ct
— InStyle (@InStyle) May 14, 2018
According to Vanity Fair, all female attendees are required to wear high heels to movie premieres in the Palais, as per the outdated red-carpet rule of the Cannes Film Festival. A backlash erupted after festival security turned away ladies, who had some medical issues, who tried to enter Todd Haynes' Carol while wearing rhinestone flats. Later on, Stewart discussed her strategy for persuading the festival to change its dress rule with the media.
Stewart was questioned by Indiewire's Anne Thompson about her decision to go from flats earlier in the day to heels for the red-carpet premiere during a roundtable discussion for her collaboration with Woody Allen, Café Society. She said “I was not making a statement, adding, “I thought the heels looked better with the dress and that flats look better with a skirt, and they’re easier to wear for several hours.”
On the red carpet policies, she said "Things have to change immediately. It has become really obvious that if [a man and I] were walking the red carpet together and someone stopped me and said, 'Excuse me, young lady, you're not wearing heels. You cannot come in.' Then [I'm going to say], 'Neither is my friend. Does he have to wear heels?' It can work both ways. It's just like you simply cannot ask me to do something that you are not asking him. I get the black-tie thing but you should be able to do either version—flats or heels."
References:
https://time.com/5277368/kristen-stewart-red-carpet-cannes-barefoot/
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/05/kristen-stewart-cannes-film-festival
