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Entertainment December 20, 2016
Megyn Kelly has defended herself against the criticisms she’s previously received about her attire.
“I can be smart and challenging while I wear spaghetti straps and everyone is just going to have to get their heads around that,” the Fox News journalist says.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Kelly rejects the way people judged her spaghetti strap dress instead of her focusing on her merits. Some viewers called her clothing choice “inappropriate” for the Republican National Convention while others said she looked like she was “trolling for a drink in the hotel bar.”
One Twitter user even blasted Kelly, saying, “Women they want to be treated equally. Men dress professionally in suits. Women should do the same.”
READ MORE: Megyn Kelly on Being Sexually Harassed and Why She’s Not a Feminist (VIDEO)
Women say they want to be treated equally. Men dress professionally in suits women should do the same.@megynkelly pic.twitter.com/CG93Mo7FRG
— Angie Hall (@BeachDreamin291) July 21, 2016
Kelly, however, says that her blue spaghetti strap “was a lovely dress.”
“I felt very strongly [about the dress],” she tells The New York Times. “I was not going to be defined by what someone else deemed inappropriate.”
In speaking out about this issue, Megyn Kelly shines an important light on something women have been struggling with. Often times, women – from politics to business to showbiz – are reduced to the style of their clothing as opposed to the level of their professionalism, talent or intelligence.
READ MORE: Megyn Kelly Opens up to ‘The View’ About Donald Trump Interview After a ‘Year of Severe Threats’
For Hollywood actresses, it didn’t matter if they were on the red carpet or if they were auditioning for roles, many of them were reduced to the style of their clothing and their image. For example, Gina Rodriguez once auditioned for a part where the producers asked her to “come back in a tight black dress.” Despite loving her audition, the producers told her, “We need to know if you’re pretty enough to be on the cover of a magazine.”
As a result, Hollywood actresses have made efforts to combat this sexism. Just last year, the #AskHerMore movement gained traction when actresses demanded to be asked questions about their characters and acting methods instead of their dresses. People like Jennifer Aniston, Julianne Moore and Reese Witherspoon advocated for the importance of asking women something other than the typical “Who are you wearing?” question. Instead, they argue, interviewers and audiences should focus on a woman’s qualities, character and abilities.
Another actress to speak out about this problem is the upcoming Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot.
Recently, Wonder Woman’s title as a United Nations Ambassador was revoked because of the protests about the character’s “sexualized” appearance.
READ MORE: Wonder Woman Axed as United Nations Ambassador
Gadot, however, addresses the controversy by saying, “When people argue that Wonder Woman should ‘cover up,” I don’t get it. They say, ‘If she’s smart and strong she can’t be sexy.’ That’s not fair. Why can’t she be all of the above?”
In this light, Gadot addresses a vital point. Whether you’re a superhero, an actress, a journalist or a mother, your value and identity are not – and should never be – limited by the outfit that you wear.
“[Wonder Woman] has so many strengths and powers,” Gadot adds. “But at the end of the day she’s a woman with a lot of emotional intelligence.”
