Actress Hannah Waddingham helped set the world right on the red carpet when she told off a photographer for asking her to show a bit more leg. Waddingham, known for her roles in Ted Lasso and Game of Thrones, was attending the Olivier Awards when the incident happened.
Waddingham was hosting the award ceremony in London and stopped to pose for photographs on the way into the Royal Albert Hall. Fans captured the moment on video, and it quickly went viral, sparking a debate about what’s appropriate behaviour.
“Oh my god, you’d never say that to a man, my friend,” she said. She told the photographer she would move away if they insisted on such requests, adding: “Don’t say ‘show me your leg.’”
Waddingham walked on, turning back to mutter, “Have some manners”.
The incident has sparked a conversation about whether the media is still sexist. Certainly, many people have applauded Waddingham for asserting her boundaries.
Critics have viewed the request from the photographer as symptomatic of the industry as a whole, with it still being very male-dominated. It is indisputable that the male gaze (albeit cis-het) is generally different to that of a female or LGBTG+.
But is that necessarily wrong? I believe that Hannah is correct when she said that the photographer would never ask that question to a man. But, at the same time, are the men on the red carpet wearing fabulous ball gowns with thigh-high slits and copious amounts of cleavage on display?
I think what it boils down to are two things. If Waddingham felt uncomfortable by the comment, she was correct to assert her boundaries and refuse. However, she should also understand that this sort of peacocking behaviour does go with the job to a degree.
Secondly, it is evident that we need a wider range of people working in the media—actually, working in all industries, if I’m being honest. That is the only way that any meaningful change will happen, and general sexist attitudes will move further out of fashion.
What do you think? Was she making a valid point?
[via CNN]
