Like scores of other actresses, Connie Britton donned all black on the Golden Globes red carpet in support of the ‘Time’s Up’ movement – but her chosen outfit left many viewers scratching their heads.
At this year’s ceremony the stars wore black in a show of solidarity with the victims of shamed movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and numerous other figures exposed by the ensuing Hollywood abuse scandal; including Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner and Dustin Hoffman.
However, the 50-year-old Nashville star’s black slogan top – which read ‘poverty is sexist’ – was branded ‘confusing’ by some, while others questioned her decision to promote a poverty charity with a jumper that costs $380 (£280).
It saw viewers watching the coverage of the 75th Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on Sunday take to social media to insist it ‘literally makes no sense’.
The Lingua Franca top is a collaboration with the ONE.org campaign, a charity set up to fight extreme poverty, suggesting Connie was taking the opportunity to highlight another cause in addition to Time’s Up – but the move seems to have fallen flat.
Connie Britton wore all black in support of the ‘Time’s Up’ movement, but also made her own statement wearing a ‘poverty is sexist’ jumper
People were confused by the message on Connie’s top, insisting that it wasn’t clear what it meant
Many Twitter users deemed the slogan inappropriate, while others simply struggled to get their heads around it.
One person wrote: ‘Apparently, someone decided this was an appropriate slogan for a campaign aimed at improving girls’ access to education. You’ve got to be joking.’
‘That literally makes no sense,’ another wrote.
Another user added: ‘All she needed was “Hollywood is sexist” or “Poverty is violence” c’mon sis, this makes no sense.’
‘What? How? My head hurts now,’ a third added, with others pointing out the three words were too ‘vague’.
The actress shared a picture of herself on Instagram ahead of the ceremony and explained: ‘My sweater says “poverty is sexist” and we dressed in black to acknowledge that it is time for all of us, men and women, to empower ourselves with equality.’
Others suggested the jumper’s hefty price tag was hypocritical given the crisis it intended to highlight, but some praised Connie and the sentiment.
The Nashville actress posted a snap of herself getting ready and explained why she was wearing all black
The statement referred to a campaign by charity ONE, but without context it left those watching the red carpet coverage scratching their heads and saying the price of it reeked of hypocrisy
The ‘poverty is sexist’ slogan refers to a campaign that is aiming to get women and girls who are facing extreme poverty get an education.
It states on the charity’s site: ‘Nowhere on earth do women have as many opportunities as men. Nowhere. But for girls and women in the poorest countries, that inequality is amplified.
‘We won’t end extreme poverty until we break down the barriers holding girls and women back.
Connie joined other A-listers on the Golden Globes red carpet. The actress opted for a bold black jumper and skirt in honour of the ‘Time’s Up’ movement
Connie met up with fellow actress Elisabeth Moss as they both walked the red carpet in black in a show of solidarity at the Golden Globes
Others who were familiar with the campaign commended Connie for her decision to highlight the issue of extreme poverty
‘Sexism is global — the fight against it should be too. Join the movement and use your voice to call for change. We’re almost 8 million strong already, but we’ll be even more powerful with you.’
Connie, who stars in the new Fox TV series 9-1-1 and who has lent her support to the organisation which was co-founded by U2’s Bono, posted a picture of her in her Golden Globes outfit saying she was supporting the Time’s Up movement.
‘My hope is that this movement will now reach the grass roots, the small towns, the villages near and far, where women have been silenced, without resources, in the face of gender disparity
‘We are all stronger when we work together with respect and understanding. Strong women equal strong families, economies, and communities. Everywhere. So let’s get this show on the road.’
Connie joined her SMILF co-stars at the Warner Bros Golden Globes after-party – they all matched in black
Actors Raven Goodwin, Connie Britton, Frankie Shaw and Miguel Gomez attend 19th Annual Post-Golden Globes Party hosted by Warner Bros
At this year’s ceremony actors and actresses wore black in solidarity with victims of Weinstein and numerous other figures exposed by the harassment and abuse scandal, including Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner and Dustin Hoffman.
Overall, 25 awards were given out – 14 for movies and 11 for TV – and, as usual, the 90-member HFPA sprung more than a few surprises in the nominations, placing horror satire Get Out in the best comedy-musical category.
There were no nominations at all for female filmmakers despite huge successes in 2017 for Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird), Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), Dee Rees (Mudbound), Kathryn Bigelow (Detroit) and Sofia Coppola (The Beguiled).