We heard yesterday that Cannes was requiring women attendees to wear high heels to red carpet screenings. Kaiser mentioned this in her article about Emily Blunt, who had called the ludicrous rule “disappointing” after a reporter told her about it. When I heard that story I honestly assumed that it only applied to the women who were being photographed, the actresses and models in the incredible gowns, which was obnoxious on its face. Who were these mysterious Cannes bigwigs who were trying to dictate what women should wear on the red carpet? The thing is, this arbitrary and maddening rule was for all women attending the red carpet premiere of a film, not just the famous ones being photographed. This resulted in many women, particularly older ladies, being turned away from a screening for wearing flats. They couldn’t even see the movie because their heels weren’t high enough! Screen has the news:

In a bad PR move for the push for gender equality, a handful of women in their 50’s were turned away from the screening of Todd Haynes’ competition entry Carol [the film’s feminist appeal further ironising the shut-out] 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.

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.

Senna director Asif Kapadia, whose Amy Winehouse documentary Amy screened during the festival, subsequently tweeted that his wife had received similar treatment, but was eventually let in.

“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.”

While Cannes glamour is an essential part of the festival’s mystique and fun – men are required to wear bow-ties – the festival might need to rethink its sartorial policies to accommodate those physically unable to remain slaves to fashion or who don’t fancy opting in to gender codes.

[From Screen Daily]

I can’t believe that someone thought this was a good idea and that people were actually enforcing it. This must have been an arrogant executive decision, because I can’t imagine an entire panel of people, even all men, agreeing to force all women to wear high heels or not be allowed to watch a film. Fancy dress is one thing, but heels? No.

Screen has a follow-up from the Cannes PR representative, Christine Aime, who made a somewhat confusing statement about the fact that some security guards (also called hosts/hostesses) were turning women away for wearing heels. She said “Regarding the dress code for the red carpet screenings, rules have not changed throughout the years (Tuxedo, formal dress for Gala screenings) and there is no specific mention about the height of the women’s heels as well as for men’s. Thus, in order to make sure that this rule is respected, the festival’s hosts and hostesses were reminded of it.” The Associated Press claims that Aime is saying that this was a mistake made by individual security guards, but it’s also possible to interpret that statement as a reference to an unwritten rule about heels that the hostesses were told to enforce.

Aime’s statement may be deliberately vague. Prior to this non-clarification, Screen was able to get confirmation from a department of Cannes that “women were ‘obligated’ to wear heels to red-carpet screenings” under the current dress code.

After all the publicity and fallout, the head of the festival, Thierry Fremaux, tweeted in French that the high heel dress code claims were “unfounded.” Screen adds that at a dinner for the film Sicaro, Fremaux told guests that “there is no ban on high heels and that people [are] making too much fuss.” Multiple guests and a division of the festival confirmed this story, so either Fremaux wasn’t aware of this policy or is trying to save face.

French reader Manta points out that several celebrity women have worn flats this year at Cannes, including Inès de la Fressange at The Irrational Man, Frédérique Bredin (a former french minister) and Isabella Rosselini. Regardless, it’s clear that many women attendees were turned away from at least one screening for wearing flats.

This was a sexist rule, especially at a time when Cannes is trying to bring awareness to the lack of gender equality in film, both on-screen and behind the scenes. While it’s reassuring that organizers have denied this and are trying to distance themselves from this asinine dress policy, it’s baffling that it was even enforced in the first place. There are just two women directors in competition this year. I assume they would have been turned away from their own films if their shoes weren’t high enough.

photo credit: WENN.com