The Romanticization of Netflix’s “YOU

of red carpets

ALEXANDRIA HUNT lifestyles editor

Award shows such as the Oscars and Golden Globes are meant to praise and recognize movie directors, musicians, actors, and more who excel in their field. These shows are also complemented by red carpets, where attendees of the events — who are typically wealthy — can display their style and status.

The cost to fund these events is often extremely high, and the money spent by actors, movie direc- tors, and other influential figures on their “self-pre- sentation” — such as clothing and accessories — is oftentimes excessive as well.

Let’s consider the cost required to host these events, such as the Oscars. According to The Fiscal Times, the red carpet costs approximately $25,000 to rent, and the “swag bags” given out often total up to over $100,000; they include personal getaways, skin- care, diamond jewelry, and more. Additionally, the stage itself is decorated by over 45 million Swarovs- ki crystals. Forbes states that the cost of a typical ac- tress’s Oscar attire is $75,000. Accounting for the pric- es above, as well as many others, the total cost to hold the Oscars is 44 million dollars. However, this price merely accounts for one of the many red carpet award ceremonies that are held each year, depicting the high cost that is spent to organize and attend these events. At the same time, the world faces a multitude of problems that are rarely addressed, despite being ones

that may significantly alter the course of human existence. For instance, climate change: to solve this problem, an investment of over $50 trillion would be re- quired by the year 2050 (accord- ing to Morgan Stanley analysts in 2019). This would include major investments towards renewable energy, electric vehicles, captur- ing carbon, and utilizing clean fuels. However, individual action can be taken as well, such as using cleaner energy sources, reducing one’s CO2 emissions, eating less meat, wearing sustainable cloth- ing, and more. Although these methods seem to be quite obvi- ous, according to a survey by the US government in 2019, only 70% of Americans believe global warming is real — demonstrating that many do not view climate change as an urgent issue. This depicts the need to spread aware- ness and educate others regard- ing this issue; the consequences of which we will all eventually face.

This is where award cere- monies and the wealthy come in. Influential figures who attend red carpet ceremonies are typi- cally extremely wealthy; wealth that no single person needs or is able to completely spend during their lifetime. Thus, the money spent by famous individuals to wear lavish, expensive clothing at these events, as well as the money used towards unneces- sary causes (such as decorating the stage with Swarovski crystals and handing out swag bags worth $100k to every attendee) should be used towards more produc- tive causes instead. For instance, the money spent individually by these wealthy figures could be used towards creating campaigns to spread awareness of societal problems — including climate change, homelessness, gender discrimination, and unemploy- ment, to name a few. Additional- ly, the money spent unnecessarily on specific aspects of these award show events could be donated to charities or organizations in need. This would allow the rich to positively contribute to the world’s societal issues; ones that they will likely never have to face. All in all, today’s award shows are hypocritical, as they award the achievements of the rich — but should the rich truly be recognized as “great” if they do not utilize the extreme potential of their wealth towards creating the positive change that their money is capable of? Thus, lavish spending on red-carpet clothing and hosting award shows must be eliminated in the coming years, and this money spent towards positive platforms and charities for change instead. This would bring awareness towards today’s major societal problems, allow- ing the rich to use their wealth for a genuine purpose.

44m cost to hold the Oscars

25k cost to rent a red carpet

75k average amount spent on each red carpet outfit

100k monetary value of each Oscar “swag bag”

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