Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, stepped out wearing a dark green dress as opposed to donning all black in support of the Time’s Up movement at the BAFTA Awards Sunday, Feb. 18.
Kate Middleton’s dark green dress choice was met with mixed reviews. Similar to the Golden Globes in January, all of Hollywood’s red carpet stars participated in the suggested all black dress code. This display of solidarity served as an effort to bring awareness to the Time’s Up movement. As a member of the royal family, Middleton must stay away from anything political. Her choice to opt out of the unofficial black dress code was a choice to remain politically neutral.
According to CNN, Middleton’s choice of black sash and black Prada bag “may have contained a subtle nod of solidarity to those speaking out on gender issues.”
However, supporters of the Time’s Up initiative did not welcome the duchess’ dress choice despite her royal obligations.
I know the Royals aren’t supposed to get involved with “protests” or anything… but would it really have been THAT bad for Kate Middleton to wear black??? #BAFTAs2018
— Rachel McGrath (@RachelMcGrath) February 18, 2018
The Time’s Up movement was formed in the wake of all the Hollywood allegations and the #MeToo movement. The goal of this campaign is to bring awareness to women of all different walks of life who face systematic inequality and injustice in their workplace. These abuses range from anything like unequal pay to sexual harassment.
According to an article by Fresh U, “this [movement] is especially important for female college students, who will be first generation entering the workforce in this new shifting environment.”
However, this inequality is not new for college students, as this mistreatment is often found on college campuses as well. According to US News, more than 100 universities were recently under investigation by the Department of Education for gender discrimination in sexual assault cases.
On-campus organizations, such as Not On My Campus serve to prompt dialogue about sexual assault and serves as an outlet for college students looking for help or information. If you’re looking to get involved, SMU’s Not On My Campus is accepting applications for general members this spring.
