Entertainment

Artists Will Wear White Roses To 2018 Grammy Awards

Kelly Clarkson (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

Jena Greene Reporter
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Many well-known artists will wear white roses to this year’s Grammy Awards, as an exhibition of support for the “Time’s Up” movement in the entertainment industry.

The protest is thought to be a continuation of the wardrobe blackout during January’s Golden Globe Awards, where most actors and actresses wore black to protest sexual harassment in the workplace.

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Roc Nation, the entertainment label company founded by Jay-Z, suggested the white rose idea on Monday to a group of women activists called Voices In Entertainment.

The symbolism behind white roses has meaning rooted in both politics and activism. According to Billboard, the women “chose the white rose because it is a practical and traditional accessory with a symbolic color: The suffragettes wore white during their protests and, more recently, Hillary Clinton wore white at Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.”

It’s interesting that artists have chosen to wear white — which is the opposite of black — to protest the same issue of sexual harassment. The entertainment industry has been routinely criticized for having a message-less campaign and supporting the #MeToo movement in word but failing to follow through in deed.

Many accusations have been leveled against Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, and other high profile female celebrities for knowing about harassers in Hollywood and failing to take action until it was too late. And artists wearing white — instead of black — to show support for the same campaign undercuts the message further. It’s easy to imagine how the average viewer may get confused and frustrated by elite performers using a platform to preach a cause that they might not fully understand or support themselves.

Nonetheless, many high profile artists are expected to participate in the protest including Kelly Clarkson, Rita Ora, and Cindy Lauper. Many more are expected to wear white gowns or sign petitions to symbolize their solidarity with victims of sexual harassment.

Roc Nation senior executive Karen Rait explains, “Music artists have a lot of impact…. So it’s only fitting that that music’s biggest night show the support for equality and safety in the workplace and that people need to be cognizant of their fellow employes.”

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