Kate Winslet says she feels "uncomfortable" when women show too much flesh on the red carpet
Amongst other things, 2017 will be remembered as the year when public consciousness grew about cases of sexual harassment and abuse. It was The New York Times' explosive exposé on the now-disgraced film-mogul, Harvey Weinstein, which provoked a domino effect, emboldening victims of all walks of life to come forward to share their own experiences. And alongside bringing a number of powerful men to justice, it also reignited a sense of solidarity, writ large, between women.
Or perhaps not. Kate Winslet has recently asserted that women who display too much flesh make her feel "uncomfortable", and that she feels that they are drawing attention to themselves for the "wrong reasons".
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the 42-year-old actress admitted that she never wants to draw attention to herself for the "wrong reasons" because too much skin on display makes her "uncomfortable".
"There's something sort of uncomfortable to me about seeing women who are clearly presenting themselves in a way that's designed to make people stare, but not for the right reasons," Winslet told the publication.
The Oscar-winning actress added that she's not interested in whether people turn their heads to look at her when she enters a room, as she believes that her words are far more important than her appearance."When I walk into a room, I hope to have interesting conversations with people; I'm not interested in whether people look at me or not. In fact, quite the opposite," she stated.
Winslet recalled that her mother always advised her to not draw too much attention to herself in regards to her clothing. "If I have to come to an event, it's always nice to feel a bit pulled together, but nothing that draws too much attention," the actress continued. "My mother always said, 'I don't like show-offs, please don't wear any show-off clothes. Even when I became the me post-Titanic, she would still say, 'Please, darling, don't wear anything that draws too much attention.'"
The British actress recently issued a powerful speech about the realities of working with certain males in Hollywood, and urged women to come together to report sexual misconduct. Accepting an honorary award for excellence in film at the 2018 London Critics’ Circle film awards, she asserted: "It almost feels uncomfortable to receive an award at such a time. But being up here does give me the opportunity to say some things that matter to me. There are directors, producers and men of power who have for decades been awarded and applauded for their highly regarded work by both this industry and moviegoers alike."
"As women around the world and from all walks of life marched last weekend… I realised that I wouldn’t be able to stand here this evening and keep to myself some bitter regrets that I have about poor decisions to work with individuals with whom I wish I had not”, Kate admitted. "By not saying anything, I might be adding to the anguish of many courageous women and men."
“Sexual abuse is a crime. While it rests with the rule of law to pass judgement, it lies with all of us to listen to the smallest of voices and to never stop listening. Also those who do have a voice are becoming afraid to say anything, because of intense scrutiny and criticism," she continued before encouraging the audience to "keep the focus on the terrible, secret crimes of abuse against vulnerable children, girls, women and indeed boys and men too."
While it's evident that Kate Winslet wasn't intending to cause offence, in our current socio-political climate it's important to be aware that women can be empowered by covering up, and conversely by showing off as much flesh as they want.