@SteveCarell #HeForShe @MONIQUEPEAN #OscarsCufflinks pic.twitter.com/W5TcnteQwK
— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) February 22, 2015
Steve Carell didn’t take home an Oscar for Foxcatcher last night, but he might have won the greatest prize of all: a personal letter of admiration from UN Ambassador and Generally Awesome Human Emma Watson! The note explained,
Dear Steve Carell,
You were pure genius in Little Miss Sunshine (one of my all time favourite films), my brother became obsessed with you after Anchorman, I wanted to marry you or have you adopt me after Crazy, Stupid, Love, I hated that guy you played in The Way Way Back, and then you were mind-blowing in Foxcatcher. I think you’re so awesome and today you are wearing ‪#‎HeForShe‬ Monique Péan cufflinks at the Oscars to support Gender Equality. Couldn’t be more proud! THANK YOU.
Love,
Emma x
The cufflinks sport the HeForShe campaign’s logo and are designed by Monique Péan, an eco-friendly and sustainable jewelry line:
Excited @SteveCarell & @JakeMcDorman wearing #HeforShe #OscarsCufflinks by @EmWatson & @MONIQUEPEAN at #Oscars2015! pic.twitter.com/L5NoiBV2IW
— UN Women (@UN_Women) February 23, 2015
HeForShe jewelry was actually fairly in vogue on the red carpet last night, with actor Jake McDorman (American Sniper) also receiving a thank-you note for his choice in cufflinks.
@JakeMcDorman#HeforShe@MONIQUEPEAN#OscarsCufflinkspic.twitter.com/WXk8oGurqq
— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) February 22, 2015
Usually I’d worry that wearing HeForShe swag might allow people to feel like they’re making a difference without being particularly effective (I mean, cufflinks are so itty-bitty they’re barely noticeable), but for actors like Carell and McDorman, who didn’t have the same platform to make a statement last night as Patricia Arquette or John Legend and Common did, wearing their politics on their sleeves might have actually been the best way to show their support for gender parity (particularly if the jewelry led to conversation about HeForShe and a little less inane sexist bullshit on the red carpet).
HeForShe has received criticism in the past for being “first-world feminism,” and it’s easy to see where that reputation comes from when A-listers congratulate each other on wearing customized jewelry to one of America’s most excessive (and un-diverse) award ceremonies. Still, if you’re afforded any platform to take a stand for gender parity, why not take it? If nothing else, Carell and McDorman’s fashion choices (and Watson’s savvy decision to share thank-you notes over social media) got the Internet talking again about HeForShe’s message of equality. Considering the Oscars celebrate an incredibly male-dominated industry, I’d say any recognition of women’s rights last night was a good thing.
(via Uproxx)
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