Jenny Beavan Speaks Out About Pay Equity

By Emily Kirkpatrick | March 27, 2022

Vanity Fair: Cruella Costume Designer Jenny Beavan Uses
Her Oscars Outfit to Speak Out for Pay Equity

Cruella costume designer Jenny Beavan used her Oscar nomination as a chance to make a statement on the award show’s red carpet.

For the occasion, the 11-time Academy Award nominee and two-time winner wore a deconstructed tuxedo jacket and a white button-down on which a figure, a dove, and the words “Naked without us” were painted on by hand. The protest slogan is from the Costume Designers Guild’s movement fighting for “pay equity commensurate with [their] economic and creative value to production,” according to their website. Beavan last won an Oscar for her work on Mad Max: Fury Road six years ago while also making quite a fashion statement in boots, pants, and a skull-bedazzled biker jacket.

But despite already winning, she told New York Times reporter Kyle Buchanan on this year’s red carpet that she is “still nervous. I had a very bad night where I needed to know where the bathroom was — I’ll leave at that. But I’m good now. I’ve had water and a dry biscuit.”

Earlier this month, Beavan also told Vanity Fair that while she’s thrilled to be recognized again by the Academy, she hates dressing up. But she added that since she’s nominated for the spectacular, over-the-top fashion of Cruella, she’s “going to try” in regards to her Oscar style. “But I’m pretty busy, so don’t get excited.”

The costume designer wasn’t the only star on the 2022 Oscars red carpet who used their fashion to take a stand. Jason Momoa accessorized his suit with a blue and yellow Ukraine-themed scarf tucked in his breast pocket. And many stars such as actress Youn Yuh-jung, director Pedro Almodóvar, and Jamie Lee Curtis arrived wearing blue ribbons pinned to their ensembles. Curtis explained to the Associated Press that “The ribbon is about the refugee crisis. It’s an incredibly important moment given what’s happening in Ukraine, the displacement of human beings in the world. The exodus of human beings is a crucial story for our time. It’s been happening throughout history, and right now it’s a crucial time. It’s supporting films that talk about it…these are talking about displaced people and it’s important.”

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