Can We Please Break Up With Worst Dressed Lists Forever?

Thank goodness, after a year of us all dressing up (pyjama bottoms and a nice top) for Zoom - getting ready for real life socialising is back. For celebrities, this means they're enlisting their favourite stylists, make-up artists and hairdressers to create show-stopping looks for red carpet events and ceremonies. Within the past few days, we've been spoilt with looks from the VMAs,the Met Gala{ =nofollow}, and, last night, it was time for the stars of the TV world to attend the Emmys in person.

And boy, they did not disappoint. From Michaela Coel in neon matching Christopher John Rogers to Anya Taylor Joy in a lemon Dior Haute Couture look to Angela Basset in hot pink ruffles by Greta Constantine, those at the ceremony in Los Angeles really pulled out all the stops, following last year's very underwhelming virtual ceremony.

And, thankfully, there were some truly wild and outlandish looks, too - which is why we love awards ceremonies. (I mean, come on, we wouldn't be interested if celebs were stepping out in the same things we wear down to the pub on a Friday night.) Gillian Anderson rocked a two piece embellished with penis charms, Emma Corrin opted for a 'crucible' chic look, complete with a hat which looked more like a swim cap and Issa Rae got the memo about daring sparkly, see-through dresses (which don't seem to be going out of fashion anytime soon, see Megan Fox at the VMAs{ =nofollow}).

But, unbelievably, in 2021, it's the stars who wear fun things - or sometimes, more demure outfits, like Aidy Byrant, who wore a floral dress with OTT sleeves - who are still getting pilloried in worst dressed lists. Which, yes, we regret to inform you are still a thing.

And as Grazia's Digital Fashion News and Features Director, Hannah Banks-Walker, explains - these lists are not only outdated, and boring, but entirely miss the point of what it means to dress for a high-profile event like the Emmys.

'The red carpet offers a fun, glamorous space to present some great fashion, whether that’s incredible couture creations from some of the world’s biggest fashion houses or the chance to highlight prodigious new design talent,' Hannah says, 'it should be expressive and ultimately entertaining, not the chance to objectify celebrities and tear them down with the justification of "bad" taste.'

As Hannah points out, these articles aren't just hurtful for celebrities - who are a) human and b) do often see the things written about them in the media - but they're damaging to society as a whole, especially young women who are already subject to extreme pressure about their appearance. 'It’s mainly women who have endured these "worst dressed" lists, which have always felt insidious but now, in 2021, they’re just unacceptable,' Hannah continues. 'If society presents this binary between looking "good" and "bad", how can we expect people (especially young girls) to overcome the extreme pressures associated with appearance that already exist? And let’s be clear – we don’t, and shouldn’t all have the same taste. Where would be the fun in that?'

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