As she was live-Tweeting the Oscars last night, PeaceBang worked herself into a state of high dudgeon when Miss Cate Blanchett, while accepting her Best Actress award for “Blue Jasmine,” paid tribute to her sister nominees but then joked, “Julia Roberts, hashtag go suck it, you know what I mean?”
No, Miss Blanchett, I do not know what you mean.
What I do know is that you are a formal event, bedecked in tens of thousands of dollars of Armani Privé couture gown and Chopard jewels and are being watched by one billion people all over the planet. You have just received a high honor as a practitioner of an ancient art form. If there was ever a moment to observe decorum, this is it.
Not that everyone has to have the elegance and gravitas of Miss Lupita Nyong’o, who gave the most beautiful actor’s acceptance speech of the evening, but there is a time and a place to use vulgar expressions, and it is not at a moment of high formality and Occasion.
PeaceBang works herself into a similar state of high dudgeon (or at least a good medium dudgeon) when she sees vested clergy lounging around on the chancel or off, as though their preaching gown was some sort of bathrobe or Snuggie.
Formal occasions call for formal attire. Formal attire calls for formal decorum. One can be warm, humorous and relatable without resorting to crass language or sloppy posture and comportment.
Thank your for listening. Let us all now return to slumping at our computers slurping coffee and sneaking morning-after looks at celebrity gowns.
She said it so fast that I didn’t quite catch it. Now I’m glad.
I look forward to the commentary on the celebrity gowns. Also, I noticed that Meryl Streep was wearing glasses. As an always-wearer of glasses, I’m interested to her your comments about (a) wearing them when she probably has a choice to wear contacts, and (b) some general thoughts about glasses frames and what works with what type face, coloring, etc.
Yes, but then she completely redeemed herself by pointing out that female films are not niche, that people want to see them and that they make money. “The world is round, people!” she said. Love that!
I think one has to assume that there was an inside joke running between the two women – whether it’s appropriate to speak of it in public is a different question. Also, I think a small undignified moment can be carried if the rest of your evening/ life/ work etc is impeccably dignified, which I believe Cate’s is…
I did a similar cringe. I was impressed that she decided to cut through the controversy about Woody Allen and simply thanked him for casting her.
I didn’t see the Oscars, but your comment about gowns brings up a question I have. My church has no handy place for me to take off my gown and put my suit jacket back on immediately following the service. We’re a modern building with no vestry. My office is all the way downstairs, at the other end of the building–to get there and back and talk to everyone on the way would mean missing coffee hour. So now I unzip my robe and wear it to coffee hour, but this doesn’t feel quite right. Suggestions? Is there a decorous way to stand in coffee hour and chat and eat a muffin while wearing a Geneva robe? [GREAT question! The quick answer is NO. Do not EVER eat a muffin in your robe. Let me think about the rest of the presto-chango question. xoxo – PB]
In our (Episcopal) parish, one of the ushers will take the priest’s chasuble, prayer book, and microphone from him and take them to the sacristy while the priest is greeting parishioners. (When the usher is my husband, he uses a small platter for the book and mike – looks very old-school.). And for late and cold services, the usher may hand the priest a cape(!) which has been hanging in the cloakroom. So why not put the jacket near the entrance to the church, and arrange for one of the ushers to be valet-pro-tem and whisk away your Geneva gown to its proper place? [There ya go! – PB]
Thanks, Allison. I did find a solution: bring my suit jacket upstairs with me and hang it on a coat rack. After the service and the hand-shaking, change into my jacket in the foyer and then go into coffee hour. My robe hangs there, tucked away in a corner of the coat rack, until I’m done with coffee hour and then I take it downstairs. Peacebang, thanks for bringing these things to my (our) consciousness. Hope you’re enjoying your vacation!