The subject of sexism in Hollywood is definitely not a new topic of discussion. However, the conversation has recently taken a turn, focusing less on the problems of emphasizing beauty in female celebrities and more on sexist interview questions that many female celebrities are forced to endure on a daily basis.
Most recently, Cara Delevingne (model, actress and star of the new movie, "Paper Towns") was put through the ringer during an interview with the hosts of the popular morning show, "Good Day Sacramento." Not only did the interviewers get Delevingne's first name wrong (calling her "Carla") while introducing her, but they also proceeded to ask her questions as if to question her intelligence such as, "Did you read the book?" Delevingne's response was understandably irritated and sarcastic as she replied, "No, I never read the book or the script, actually. I just kind of winged it." After several minutes of awkward chatter, one of the hosts accused Delevingne of being "less excited" about the movie than she was a few weeks ago during another interview, while another host told her she seemed "irritated" and to go "take a nap."
John Green, author of the novel that "Paper Towns" is adapted from, had a lot to say on the matter. He stated in a recent blog post, "I am friends with Cara, and the author of the book in question. I spent more than a month with her on tour in Europe and the U.S., and I watched as again and again, she was asked this question. Cara has read the book (multiple times), but the question is annoying - not least because her male costar, Nat Wolff, was almost always asked when he'd read the book, while Cara was almost always asked if she'd read it."
While this is currently the most high profile case concerning interviewers asking female celebrities "sexist" questions, it most certainly isn't the only one.
Kristen Stewart and her "American Ultra" costar, Jesse Eisenberg, recently made a video in which they interviewed each other. Eisenberg's questions for Stewart were generally relevant to her work on screen while Stewart's questions to Eisenberg included, "Who's your favorite designer?" and "Are you seeing anyone?" When Eisenberg expresses his surprise at the questions (even stating, "I think they may have switched our cards"), Stewart responds by coolly saying, "Yeah I do get these questions a lot." At the end of the interview when Eisenberg realizes the significance behind Stewart's questions, he says, "Now I know what it's like to be a woman." While the video was pretty comedic, it still sent a powerful message, highlighting the severe contrast between interview questions for male and female entertainers.
Earlier in the year, during the Oscars, a campaign was started called #AskHerMore. The campaign urged interviewers working the Oscars red carpet to ask actresses questions other than the standard, "Who are you wearing?" Many nominees such as Reese Witherspoon and Lena Dunham joined the movement. Witherspoon stated, "This is a movement to say we're more than just our dresses. It's great the dresses are beautiful. We love the artists that make all these clothes — but you know. This is a group of women — 44 nominees — and we are so happy to be here and talk about the work we've done."
As times continue to change and society continues to grow, hopefully interviewers will begin to realize the impact that they have not only on the women they interview, but also the young girls watching at home.
