In Feburary 2022, award-winning actress Nicole Kidman graced the cover of Vanity Fair's Hollywood Issue sporting the viral Miu Miu micro miniskirt. The image shows the now 56-year-old in a spring garden, opening yellow gates while staring sultrily, straight down the barrel of the camera lens. The black buckled skirt in question has been seen on the bodies of a range of A list stars - but the ensemble sparked fierce online criticism when Kidman wore it.
Many people took to social media to express how 'distasteful' her cover was with some even deeming it Nicole Kidman's 'female midlife crisis'. Some went as far to say her choices brought 'shame' to the mother-of-four's family.
Now, Kidman has defended her decision to wear the ensemble in an interview with Australia’s Stellar magazine. 'It was fun. I own it. I take responsibility. Nobody else chose it. I make the most random, crazy choices. I call them "teenage choices" because I just don’t ever think of consequences,' Kidman said.
'Part of my brain just doesn’t think like that. I just go, "Oh, I’m going to wear that; it reminds me of my school uniform." Or, "Oh my God, yeah, I’d love to do that,"' she continued. 'I try to [stay] in that place because I think otherwise you get scared or worried.'
Kidman also said she intentionally avoids reading online reactions to her shoots. She admitted, 'I don’t really want to know — it will stop me doing what I want to do. There are times when you hear things and you go, "Oh my gosh, that’s really hurtful." Because you can’t be under a rock,' she explained. 'But at the same time, I really try to stay free in the choices because otherwise, before you know it, you’re just closed off and you can’t step anywhere.' Adding, 'I want for myself just to keep going, "Oh, well, I’m trying something or I wanted to do it."'
Although Kidman was graceful in her response, there's one problem: she shouldn't have to defend her choice of clothing. As women, we are policed in every area of our lives; be it how we look, act or dress. However, there is another insidious level when age comes into play, and the fashion choices of women over a certain age is policed.
The viral skirt Kidman wore has also been spotted on a number of A-listers from Emma Corrin to Saweetie and has even been modelled by Zendaya and Hailey Bieber. When celebrities in their mid-twenties sported the skirt it was seen as 'iconic' but as soon as Kidman followed suit, it was deemed 'unacceptable'.
Yes, Nicole is in her fifties and she has an award-winning career to show for it too. Despite being in the game for years, she is still willing to push the boundaries and taking creative risks in her cover shoots. Shouldn't this be celebrated? Kidman was originally set to wear a different outfit altogether for the cover, but when she saw the Miu Miu ensemble, fresh off that spring's runways, she asked stylist Katie Grand if it was an option. 'Katie was like "You're willing to wear that?!" And I said, "Wear it?! I'm begging you to wear it!"' Kidman told old friend and collaborator Baz Luhrmann in June's Vogue Australia.
While the flashing of 'youthful' flesh is celebrated on TV, billboards and in multi-million dollar advertising campaigns, as women get older, society calls for our bodies to become increasingly hidden and for our faces to only be seen when they’re marketing things to stop them from getting any older.
Calling out women for their choice of clothing past a certain age is everywhere. Just look at the unfair criticism pop super star Madonnahas faced over the years. Last year, she posted pictures on her account in underwear, fishnet stockings, a hat and a coat emblazoned with the words ‘God save the queen’. Nelly, the 47-year-old rapper felt compelled to comment, ‘Some things should just be left covered up’.
When celebrities in their mid-twenties sported the skirt it was seen as 'iconic' but as soon as Kidman followed suit, it was deemed 'unacceptable'.
The irony of the backlash about a woman of a certain age wearing a revealing outfit, is that it gets people talking about how visible she is. The visibility, and invisibility, of women over the age of 40 in film and television is the very topic Kidman has spearheaded in recent years. Hollywood has a patchy track record when it comes to providing nuanced, multi-layered roles for ‘older’ women.
Last year the actress spoke to Dujour about her latest film at the time, Being the Ricardos, and reflected on her experience getting older and how it impacted her treatment in Hollywood. Kidman admitted that older actresses typically get turned away from more roles. 'There's a consensus in the industry that as a female actor, at about 40, you're done,' she told the outlet.
'I never sat in a chair and heard someone say, "You're past your due date," but I've had times where you're turned down and the door is shut on you,' she continued. 'It's definitely changing and moving, but that's what Being the Ricardos is about.'
'There's a scene in it where they say, "You're 39, and that's it. It's kind of over for you,'" Kidman also recalled to the Today show. 'I know that feeling. I sort of had that. And it was like, "OK". Where television suddenly opened a door for her, it opened a door for me. Around the same age, I was like, "Gosh, that's kind of ... I know that feeling really deeply."'
Sadly, this is reflected in the statistics, too. A 2022 study by the Center For The Study Of Women In Film and Televisiondissected the portrayals of female characters in the top grossing US films of 2022: 36% of female characters were in their 30s but only 14% were in their 40s. The percentage of female characters in their 40s was actually lower in 2022 (14%) than in 2015 (20%).
In 2023, women should not have to answer to anyone about their fashion choices. We're glad Nicole is standing by her choice - and long may it continue!