Reports of women being turned away from screenings at Cannes because they were wearing flat shoes have not gone down well on Twitter.
The industry newspaper Screen Daily reported that a group of women in their 50s were turned away from the gala screening of Todd Haynes’s Carol for wearing flat shoes, while a film producer who had part of her left foot amputated has also said she was reprimanded for her lack of heels.
Valerie Richter told BBC’s 5 Live she was stopped four times on her way into a premiere before she was eventually granted entry. “They pointed their finger at my shoe and then were waving their fingers at me,” she said. “It was quite obvious it was my shoes that was an issue.”
In response to the controversy, beer writer Melissa Cole encouraged her followers to tweet pictures of their flat shoes with the hashtag #showmeyourflats.
Regarding last tweet re: Cannes turning away women who weren't wearing heels, I'm starting this #showmeyourflats pic.twitter.com/bdLomWh3CX
— Melissa Cole (@MelissaCole) May 19, 2015
#showmeyourflats and #showmeyourguts Cannes! This is what a female filmmaker can look like @Nike pic.twitter.com/KV3lmLDmVO
— SeirenFilms (@SeirenFilms) May 19, 2015
Cole told the Guardian she was unimpressed at the reports. “I spend a lot of time fighting against the small but insidious amount of sexism in my little corner of the world, which is the beer industry, and when I saw this it struck me that there are so many wonderful women doing amazing things in all walks of life (pardon the pun) and it really annoyed me that this was how women were being judged as worthy to attend what is, after all, a professional event,” she said.
I'm obvs supporting @MelissaCole's #showmeyourflats movement - like #FridayFlats but more politcal and on a Tuesday! pic.twitter.com/xFfQoQ1Lmf
— EnBrogue (@EnBrogue) May 19, 2015
Women in flats turned away @ #Cannes by a bunch of heels. Not cool. Shoe solidarity @MelissaCole #showmeyourflats pic.twitter.com/9ZzaLh9fHu
— Jen Johans (@FilmIntuition) May 20, 2015
“I think that as a moderately intelligent women who has a slight public platform (and also as someone who had just run for a train, in the hail, in a mercifully flat pair of shoes) I owe it to others to stand up to this nonsense and I’m delighted that the awesome Twitter community was with me.”
My idea of fancy footwear. #ShowMeYourFlats @MelissaCole pic.twitter.com/2ei2J1w5x4
— Stacy Pippi Hammon (@Pippsta) May 20, 2015
The red carpet screenings at Cannes, which are invitation only, have a strict dress code. Published guidelines are hard to come by, but it is generally understood that men must wear black tie with black shoes and women must be elegantly dressed with smart footwear.
@marcmissonnier Pas du tout. Et la rumeur selon laquelle le Festival exige des talons hauts pour les femmes sur les marches est infondée.
— THIERRY FREMAUX (@THIERRYFREMAUX) May 19, 2015
While several women said they were questioned by festival staff for wearing flat shoes, the festival’s director, Thierry Fremaux, tweeted: “The rumour saying the festival insists on high heels for women on the red carpet is unfounded.”
