It's been pretty interesting over the last few days since the Oscars 2015 watching the evolution of the #AskHerMore campaign which was quickly thrown back into the spotlight. On Tuesday this week a Huffington Post article flashed up on my Facebook newsfeed related to Keira Knightley at the Oscars. The title was 'Pregnant Keira Knightley is a vision at the Oscars.' I actually clicked on it because I was expecting an ironic article about sexism on the Red Carpet.
This article sums up the whole issue quite concisely - unfortunately, with no self-awareness or irony thrown in. To keep it simplistic let's tally the times different issues are mentioned:
Pregnancy III
Outfit II
Nomination I
The one mention of her Oscar nomination was as a side-note in commas in a sentence dedicated to Keira Knightly talking to Ellen about 'being pregnant during awards season'.
There are several possible reasons why Keira Knightley gets this coverage while every other media outlet worth it's salt is quoting Benedict Cumberbatch in his interview, post losing the Actor in a Leading Role Oscar to Eddie Redmayne, saying that 'there is no such thing as 80% of losers, everyone here won' and other soundbites NOT related to his wife's pregnancy.
Keira actually has nothing else interesting to say.
In fact, maybe Keira herself is a bit of a sexist and really does think only about a) babies and b) clothes and c) what her husband wants to eat or drink. Which is a reasonable assumption considering the only quote from Keira herself in the article again only mentions her husband and baby.
This assumption is quite easily countered by an alternative Red Carpet interview from below. Keira seems to have quite a lot to say for herself, her character and the entertainment industry in general.
So what else could it be?
Journalists are only asking what audience's want to hear.
As Oscar Raymundo suggested it's down to the fact that this, to steal a phrase from Scarlet Johanneson, rabbit-food journalism is what 'audience's are tuning in for.' It's more difficult to argue with this assumption. Is what people want to hear what is available to them?
The top three hits on YouTube as sorted by relevance for 'Keira Knightley Interview Oscars 2015' came up with this:
The first hit is just the camera panning up and down Keira's outfit. No words necessary. The second is again focusing on the pregnancy, and finally (going for the win) the third result combines both being pregnant and what she is wearing to the Oscars.
Sorting the results again by view count tells a different story - the first hit is Keira Knightley performing Lost Stars, the second is again the Jimmy Kimmel interview titled being pregnant at the Oscars and the third hit is a commentary on Best Supporting Actress winner predictions.
It's not exactly scientific but it's certainly not conclusive that audience's just want to hear about dresses, and shoes, and manicures, and babies from female stars. I'm not saying that fashion should be taken out of the equation entirely. It's important also to acknowledge the pain and effort of the many talented designers showcasing their work on the Red Carpet as well.
Instead and simply that the embarrassing, notable gap in the number of interesting and stimulating questions asked to male versus female nominees should be lessened. The common excuses of what 'the audience want to hear' or that 'the Red Carpet is just about fashion' is just not cutting it anymore. That's the real meaning of #AskHerMore.
Speaking for myself I think I can handle hearing a little bit more too.
This article sums up the whole issue quite concisely - unfortunately, with no self-awareness or irony thrown in. To keep it simplistic let's tally the times different issues are mentioned:
Pregnancy III
Outfit II
Nomination I
The one mention of her Oscar nomination was as a side-note in commas in a sentence dedicated to Keira Knightly talking to Ellen about 'being pregnant during awards season'.
There are several possible reasons why Keira Knightley gets this coverage while every other media outlet worth it's salt is quoting Benedict Cumberbatch in his interview, post losing the Actor in a Leading Role Oscar to Eddie Redmayne, saying that 'there is no such thing as 80% of losers, everyone here won' and other soundbites NOT related to his wife's pregnancy.
Keira actually has nothing else interesting to say.
In fact, maybe Keira herself is a bit of a sexist and really does think only about a) babies and b) clothes and c) what her husband wants to eat or drink. Which is a reasonable assumption considering the only quote from Keira herself in the article again only mentions her husband and baby.
This assumption is quite easily countered by an alternative Red Carpet interview from below. Keira seems to have quite a lot to say for herself, her character and the entertainment industry in general.
So what else could it be?
Journalists are only asking what audience's want to hear.
As Oscar Raymundo suggested it's down to the fact that this, to steal a phrase from Scarlet Johanneson, rabbit-food journalism is what 'audience's are tuning in for.' It's more difficult to argue with this assumption. Is what people want to hear what is available to them?
The top three hits on YouTube as sorted by relevance for 'Keira Knightley Interview Oscars 2015' came up with this:
Sorting the results again by view count tells a different story - the first hit is Keira Knightley performing Lost Stars, the second is again the Jimmy Kimmel interview titled being pregnant at the Oscars and the third hit is a commentary on Best Supporting Actress winner predictions.
It's not exactly scientific but it's certainly not conclusive that audience's just want to hear about dresses, and shoes, and manicures, and babies from female stars. I'm not saying that fashion should be taken out of the equation entirely. It's important also to acknowledge the pain and effort of the many talented designers showcasing their work on the Red Carpet as well.
Instead and simply that the embarrassing, notable gap in the number of interesting and stimulating questions asked to male versus female nominees should be lessened. The common excuses of what 'the audience want to hear' or that 'the Red Carpet is just about fashion' is just not cutting it anymore. That's the real meaning of #AskHerMore.
Speaking for myself I think I can handle hearing a little bit more too.
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