Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski, Macklemore, celebs fashionably wade into political debates

Fashion is political and makes for a delightfully charming way to show support for a cause. Recently, model Emily Ratajkowski waded into the political discourse by wearing a black T-shirt from Platform with the image of porn actor Stormy Daniels. She was paid off by former US President Donald Trump ahead of the 2016 elections that got him the presidentship, and caused him to be convicted on 34 counts of felony charges by a jury. She paired the tee with grey shorts red Vans, and yellow sunglasses, along with a white tote bag.

And this isn’t the first time that Ratajkowski has cast her support and made it known through her fashion. In February 2020, she wore a T-shirt with the face of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and the words ‘Rage against the Machine’.

Against the background of the ongoing Israel-Palestine Conflict, at the recent Cannes Film Festival, many celebrities showed their support through their fashion choices. Fashion influencer Kinnari Jain, who made her Cannes debut this year, opines, “Fashion is a creative expression. As celebrities and influencers, we get eyeballs at big events like the Cannes Film Festival to bring much-needed focus towards political issues and crises that affect the world. We can use our platform to highlight them, and fashion is a new-age medium to bring change and awareness in our world.”

Calling it a “poignant tool to bring attention to pressing political crises”, fashion influencer Anushka Hazra says, “At the Cannes festival, many actors showed support to Palestine and wore the country’s colours, while powerfully voicing their support. I believe this is a great step forward [in the right direction]. Similarly, when (model) Bella Hadid wore the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarf during a protest recently, it underscored the influence fashion holds in raising awareness, too.”

We take a look at some of the most recent political stances celebrities have made at the international platforms:

Bella Hadid at the Cannes Film Festival

A staunch and vocal supporter of the ongoing Palestine conflict against Israel, model Bella Hadid wore a Palestinian Keffiyeh to the Cannes Film Festival. Posting a picture of herself on Instagram, she said that even though she has to work through the horrors that her countrypeople are facing, wearing her culture makes her a “proud Palestinian”. The dress was made by fashion designer Hushidar Mortezaie in 2001 and she calls it “a beautiful way to represent the history, labour of love, resilience and, most importantly, the art of historic Palestinian embroidery.”

She also expanded on the different patterns of the keffiyeh and the things they symbolise. For eg, Olive leaves mean strength, resilience and perseverance, while fishnets denote the relationship between the Palestinian fisherman and the sea, meaning abundance and grace.

Gillian Anderson at the 81st Golden Globe Awards

Strutting down the red carpet, one look at actor Gillian Anderson’s cream ivory wool silk dress may seem innocuous. However, a closer look at the detailed embroidery, you would notice that the design forms the female vulva. The custom dress made by fashion designer Gabriela Hearst was a nod to the actor’s character on Sex Education, Jean Milburn, a sex therapist and mother. For the 81st Golden Globe Awards, Anderson’s dress was made in New York City and “each motif took about three and a half hours to embroider”, explained the designer on Instagram. The hemline of the dress is visibly undone with threads hanging loose. An online user commented on the reason for the unfinished look, and the designer responded, “We like it raw”.

In a conversation with British Vogue, Anderson explained her decision to wear this dress. “Since my Instagram presence has been highlighting yonis (the Sanskrit word for vagina, which can also mean womb or any other source of female creation) since Sex Education landed on Netflix, and with the mantra of my brand G-Spot being to ‘prioritize pleasure,’ I wanted to bring this element into the design,” said the actor, adding, “I’m so pleased Gabriela was up for the challenge!”

Cate Blanchett at the Cannes Film Festival

Red carpets are commonplace; they are seen at every screening, premiere or fashion show. Walking the red carpet while posing for the camera has become a major event in itself. So imagine one’s surprise when Cate Blanchett used the existing red carpet to shine a light on the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict. The actor tossed the train of her custom off-shoulder black Jean Paul Gaultier dress by Haider Ackerman to reveal a green panel that, when paired with the vibrant red carpet created a Palestinian flag.

With this move, Blanchett, a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, made her stance on the ongoing humanitarian crisis clear and has used her platform to advocate for the people of Gaza, as she recently spoke at the European Parliament Plenary Session.

Macklemore during the Australia tour

While on tour in Australia, Macklemore wore a Kiffiyeh before the concert, while he made his way to the performing arena. However, the singer didn’t actually wear it on stage. He took to Instagram to share a post that read: “Tough to say goodbye… I love you so much Australia. Already planning the next tour.” Macklemore wore a white oversized T-shirt with black trousers and a snakeskin belt. In his post, he also shared a photo of a group of people in the audience carrying a Palestinian flag that read: “Free Palestine”.

This isn’t the first time that Macklemore has shown his overt support for the humanitarian cause. During this Arizona show in the US, in February this year, he crowd surfed with the audience and then waved the Kiffiyeh around that someone from the audience had given him. He shared a video and wrote: “Shout out to the person that passed me their Keffiyeh in Arizona”.

Kani Kusruti at the Cannes Film Festival

Fashion accessories can make or break an outfit. And Kani Kusruti, at the 71st Cannes Film Festival, carried a watermelon clutch. Made by Salt Studio, a Kochi-based brand, the actor walked the red carpet for her film, All We Imagine as Light, while also subtly showcasing her solidarity with Palestine.

In an interview with India Today, Kusruti said that as a ‘true Christian’ she felt guilty about how the ‘world is unfair’, and as wanted to bring light to the conflict. She shared, said, “I found this clutch while we were still figuring out if we could embroider something on the outfit, put on a brooch, or paint the Gaza map. And since we were all wearing solid on that particular day, I picked up a white dress that added to the colour of the Palestine map.” While she was lauded and trolled in equal measure, the actor didn’t let it bother her.