To be simultaneously confronted with images from the and those documenting the bombardment of Gaza is a jarring condition of the social media age – one that’s clearly inspired certain celebrities to make a political statement on the Croisette this year. See in a Michael and Hushi dress constructed from traditional scarves, Pascale Kann in a look from the Palestinian brand ’s spring/summer 2024 collection, and in a Haider Ackermann X Jean Paul Gaultier dress that seemed to nod to the colours of the Palestinian flag when photographed on the red carpet. Bella Hadid in her Michael and Hushi dress.
“I’m doing my dream job and I’m getting to travel the world, but then I’m hyper-aware of what’s happening in Rafah at the moment,” – who has been sporting the pin while promoting the third series of – said in an interview this week. “And I just feel like, if I have this global platform, which I do at the minute, then I can hopefully raise funds for aid organisations.” Note the green in Cate Blanchett’s train.
The relationship between posing on a red carpet and taking meaningful political action is, of course, complicated. The , for example, felt like a potent riposte to censorship, but I’m not sure Cara Delevingne’s “Peg the Patriarchy” statement at the 2021 Met Gala was quite as impactful. There are plenty of people who would argue that this form of celebrity engagement is a facile substitute for real protest, but in an era in which activism is incre.