Natalie Portman, the American-Israeli actress, is not a stranger to making political statements on and off the red carpet, and she has been a great supporter of females in the fields of arts. So, when the time came to design her dress for the 92nd Academy Awards, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s Creative Director, and the actress had a specific statement in their mind.
The dress
While usually, all the eyes would be on the Black Swan star’s inspired sheer gold and black lace gown, but it was her Dior cape that stole the show.
The right side of the cape was embroidered with the last name of all the female directors who made films in 2019 and weren’t nominated for 92nd Oscars. Talk about women empowerment.
The list included the names of Greta Gerwig (little women), Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire), Mati Diop (Atlantics), Alma Har’el (Honey Boy), Lulu Wang (The Farewell), (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) Marielle Heller, Alma Har’el (Honey Boy), Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim), and Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers).
Glamour wise, Natalie kept things quite simple, going for a dramatic cat-eye and nude lip, accomplished with her short choppy chair styled hair.
Well, we are so here for her bold statement. Natalie is using her style star status (she is regularly among the top best-dressed actresses in the world) to promote women’s equality in this industry. Natalie was also an instrumental force behind the Times Up movement and regularly championed female-driven films.
Natalie wasn’t the only person voicing their anger over the 2020 Oscar nominees. The Academy received a backlash for its lack of recognition for female directors, especially Greta Gerwing. Lupita Nyong’o, Awkwafina, and Jennifer Lopez were also among the celebrities who were snubbed from the 92nd Academy Awards nominations.
But Natalie Portman proves to all that you can make the most powerful political statement to support women empowerment while still being among the best-dressed celebrities on the red carpet.
About Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman, born Neta-Lee Hershlag on June 9, 1981, is a filmmaker and actress with dual citizenship of America and Israel. She started acting in films as a teenager, she has been part of many blockbusters and has also played the role of psychologically troubled women in independent films for which she received various awards, including two Golden Globe and one Academy Award.
Portman started her career at a young age. While still in high school, she made her theatre debut in 1998. She also tried hands-on directing films with the short film Eve (2008) and A Tale of Love and Darkness, a biographical drama released in 2015. She is quite famous for her political statements on both America and Israel, and she is also an advocate for environmental causes and animal rights. Natalie is married to dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied, and the couple has two children.
