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Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran’s On-Stage Outfits Were Used To Start A Debate About Gender Bias

byJinal Bhatt
6th December 2018
3 minute read

I won’t get preachy about how different things are expected from different people. While a man can roam around half naked, a woman must always be dressed prim and properly. Go to Instagram and you’ll see so many actresses condemned for their red carpet, or worse, even their airport styles! But has a male celeb every been told, “Bruh, whatchu wearing?” And recently, a celeb interaction became a pedantic experience, when it made us realise this very bias. And the teacher was none other than Beyoncé.

At the Global Citizen Music Festival that happened recently in South Africa, Queen Beyoncé showed up looking fabulous in fuchsia!

As always, words fall short of describing what Her Highness Queen Bey’s look did for everyone!

Fashion lovers and Bollywood fans might remember that stunner of a dress by Ashi Studio from Deepika’s Cannes appearance from earlier this year.

*cue in the who-rocked-this-dress-better questions because its not fun for people until two women have been pitted against each other for something as irrelevant as their outfits*

So why was the diva there? Well, she was performing a duet with none other than ‘Perfect’ Ed Sheeran!

And let me tell you, it was magical!

https://twitter.com/brendonSkolat/status/1069351372888449029

However, when the two came together, Twitter pointed that there was more than magic in the frame. There was a fashion epiphany.

https://twitter.com/shonfaye/status/1069933893917270016

No seriously, look at it. You can’t even say that Bey is trying too hard or Ed Sheeran not hard enough. Because if you go by the whole ‘just be yourself’ vibe, then Beyoncé is being Beyoncé by dressing up like a queen, and Ed is being Ed by dressing up like a college kid!

So what gives?

People had a couple of theories about that, of course. And all of that revolved around all of us looking like measly paupers in front of the Goddess that Beyoncé is!

Yeah honestly, it’s not Ed’s fault!

https://twitter.com/Drewcifuer26/status/1070040886971531264

This totally legit exchange that could’ve happened with anyone who tried to coordinate outfits with Bey!

Ed, youuuuuu look perrrrfect… tonight! (Tell me you sang that!)

ROFLMAO! A Loofahahahahahahahaha!

But here’s the thing. Jokes aside, this picture opened up a whole new ages-old dialogue of how our expectations from men and women are so different.

In other words, we’re all sexist pigs.

They could’ve totally told Beyoncé to wear her PJs and come, which we all know would still be way more glamourous than Ed’s jeans and layered tee look. But no! It’s just normal to assume that Bey will choose something like this. And her look will be discussed and dissected and compared to Deepika’s, while not a word will be said about why Ed’s outfit.

Fair?

We say, double standards!

https://twitter.com/garlicmeg/status/1069956076467077120

When you use this picture as an analogy for something that’s a much deeper, graver bias about men and women’s fashion choices.

So folks, you want to make a woman work hard for something? Alright, fair. But then make sure the men do the same too. And when it comes to evaluating, rewarding or compensating them for it, you make sure you see which one of them is putting the effort of wearing the huge-ass ruffled fuchsia dress that took a lot of hard work to carry!

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