Blue Ribbon On Red Carpets: Why Celebrities Are Wearing A Blue Ribbon To BAFTAs & Osars
Cate Blanchett used the Oscars red carpet to spotlight an important cause on Sunday, by wearing a blue ribbon over her turquoise blue and black Louis Vuitton gown in support of refugees and displaced people around the world.
The Australian actor – who is nominated for Best Actress for her role in Tár – was joined in her show of solidarity by Bill Nighy (nominated for his first Academy Award for his role in Living), Triangle of Sadness star Dolly De Leon and All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger.
It comes after the BAFTAs last month, when Jamie Lee Curtis, Sophie Turner, Cate Blanchett, Paul Mescal and Angela Bassett also wore a blue ribbon at the event. Speaking to PA about her decision to wear the #WithRefugees ribbon, supporting actress nominee Jamie said: “My friend Cate Blanchett is asking people to remind us all in the midst of all the season of shiny things that of course there are terrible refugee crises going on all over the world everywhere all at once and we need to do our part.”
Jamie Lee wore her pin alongside her Everything Everywhere All At Once co-stars, Jonathan Wang and Ke Huy Quan; choosing to wear it on her wedding ring.
The ribbon marks an incredibly important cause, after earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria, killing an estimated 44,000 and displacing thousands more. Around 8 million people have also been displaced since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, invited stars hitting the BAFTA red carpet to wear the ribbon as an “emblem of compassion and solidarity” for those who have been forced to flee their homes because of war, conflict, and persecution.
According to the UNHCR, there are more than 103 million forcibly displaced people around the world.
Cate Blanchett herself said: “What I love about film is the way it draws us into compelling human themes to uncover the connective tissue that binds us all. Whenever I have met refugees - in places such as Lebanon, Jordan or Bangladesh, here in the UK, or back home in Australia - what has struck me has not been their "otherness" but how many things we share in common”.
Meanwhile, Yusra Mardini said of wearing the ribbon: “It’s really incredible to see so many artists wear a blue ribbon tonight in solidarity with refugees and displaced people around the world. Especially right now after the recent earthquakes in Turkiye and my home country of Syria. My people – and so many others – are hurting. They need our support. We all need peace," and Gugu Mbatha-Raw added: “This ribbon is a symbol of our solidarity to all those who have been forced to flee their homes whoever they are and wherever they have come from.”
The blue #WithRefugees ribbon initiative aims to send a “powerful visual message that everyone has the right to seek safety, whoever, wherever, whenever”.
It's empowering to see celebrities using their star power to highlight important causes. Our thoughts are with all of those affected by the earthquakes.
If you'd like to donate, visit the UNHCR for more information on how to do so.
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