This One Picture Captures Everything Wrong With Hollywood’s Sexist Standards

Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, and Kevin James at theTransylvania 2 photo call. Photo: Getty Images

Selena Gomez recently wore a sexy red ensemble promoting her new movie, Transylvania 2. Designed by Katie Ermilio, the silk two-piece set consisted of a bandeau top and a skirt with a thigh-high slit and oversized bow fastened to the waistline. Her co-stars, Adam Sandler and Kevin James, on the other hand, showed up to the Cancun, Mexico photo call in sweatpants and shorts.   

Besides the fact that the 22-year-old seemed to be uneasy flanked by two 40-something men, it appears that her red carpet ensemble left her feeling similarly  uncomfortable. The former Disney star was photographed grasping at the dress’s wide seam, using her arms as skin shields. Perhaps it’s because she’s wildly overdressed, at least in comparison to Sandler and James. 

But what if Gomez showed up to the event dressed in the same vein as her male counterparts? Unless the actress wore fancy short shorts that put her long legs on display, the fashion police would most likely ridicule Gomez for her too-casual outfit choice. But the young multi-hyphenate who’s been in the biz for over a decade knows the name of the game: look good, get your picture taken, make a best dressed list, get lots of press, rake in money.  

Adam Sandler in burgundy corduroys, orange button-down, and track jacket, with his wife, Jackie, in an LBD. Photo: Getty Images

There’s a double standard in Hollywood fashion, and this photo — men, looking as if they’ve rolled out of bed or come from the gym, with their female co-star putting effort (and hours of it) into her appearance — encapsulates it. Sure, Sandler’s got a reputation for being a slob, often throwing a middle finger up in the face of assumed dressing standards and having an apathetic attitude towards the bright lights big city culture, but that doesn’t discount him from the sexist issue at the heart of it all. 

Part of the problem is how individuals devour, and professionals publish, media. Whenever someone wears something — good, bad, or ugly — it’s a headline, tweet, Instagram, Facebook, Vine, or any other. Best and worst dressed lists abound and the fashion industry breeds a culture that not only has readers coming back for more information, but one that also has audiences striving to emulate the ensembles their celebrity idols step out in.