The Oscars always invites plenty of fashion commentary, but this year, it was Rose McGowan who pointed out Natalie Portman with a ‘fashion faux pas’. The grounds for the criticism? Not the cut, fit, or colour of the dress, but the statement which it was trying to make.This year, Portman stepped onto the Oscar red carpet wearing a long black and gold gown, but elegant design aside, it was the detail of her cape that had everyone talking. Embroidered into the statement Dior piece were the names of all the female directors who were notably snubbed, including Greta Gerwig and Lulu Wang.[video_embed id='1897296']WATCH: Natalie Portman shines a light on female directors with her Oscars fashion[/video_embed]Rose McGowan, known for her outspoken activism, was quick to take notice and she was less than impressed. In fact, she was utterly pissed off.“I find Portman’s type of activism deeply offensive to those of us who actually do the work. I’m not writing this out of bitterness”, McGowan’s Facebook post read. “I am writing out of disgust. I just want her and other actresses to walk the walk.” She continued on to explain that, in her opinion, Portman’s fashion statement was less about the matter at hand, and “more like an actress acting the part of someone who cares.”
Why the uproar? Well, McGowan noted that in her ‘long career’ Portman has only worked with two female directors (one of whom, being herself) while having a production company with only one female director (which also happens to be herself). The
Scream actress chalked the whole thing up to “fake support of other women”.Amidst all this public chatter, we all waited to if Portman would respond to the backlash. And her answer may surprise you…In a
statement, Portman explained that she, in fact, agreed with McGowan, noting that “It is inaccurate to call me ‘brave’ for wearing a garment with women’s names on it. Brave is a term I more strongly associate with actions like those of the women who have been testifying against Harvey Weinstein the last few weeks, under incredible pressure.”The rebuttal didn’t stop there, as she went on to specifically address McGowan’s commentary regarding her work with other female directors. The
Black Swan star explained that she’s only had the chance to work with female directors a few times, although she has made shorts, commercials, features, and music videos with the likes of Marya Cohen, Mira Nair, Rebecca Zlotowski, Anna Rose Holmer, Sofia Coppola, and more.Mind you, this isn’t the first time Portman has used the Oscars to make a statement. In 2018, she sent a buzz through the crowd when she quipped “And here are all the male nominees” before introducing the five men up for Best Director.[video_embed id='1896513']RELATED: All the fierce fashion from the 2020 Oscars[/video_embed]
