Dress to oppress: Performing blasphemy on the red carpet

Abstract

This article will examine the ‘Jerusalem dress’ scandal, provoked by the dress worn by Miri Regev, the Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports, to the Cannes Film Festival Red Carpet event in 2017. Focusing on the intersection between contemporary fashion, celebrity culture, gender and politics, I will analyse the ways in which the dress can be read as blasphemous and thus lead to a cultural scandal of such dimensions. I will point to social and religious values that were undermined, considering Regev’s political character, and to the effect of using a dress to make political statements on the international red carpet in this context. I will then draw conclusions regarding the impact of using a dress as a political statement in this particular Hollywood-style setting, as well as of its perception and unfolding in the digital media.