Chinese Actress Zhao Yingzi Reportedly Escorted Off Cannes Red Carpet
for Wearing a See-Through Dress
As the 78th Cannes International Film Festival announced regulations banning excessively revealing outfits, controversy has arisen over the reason why a Chinese actress wearing a see-through dress was reportedly asked to leave the red carpet at the opening ceremony.
Chinese actress Zhao Yingzi on the red carpet at the opening ceremony of the 78th Cannes International Film Festival. Photo by Zhao Yingzi Weibo capture
According to Taiwanese media outlet ET Today and others on May 14 (local time), Chinese actress Zhao Yingzi, 35, attended the film festival's opening ceremony red carpet event in Cannes, France, on May 13. She was asked by an on-site official to leave the area. A video of the incident, filmed by an entertainment blogger, was uploaded online, and images of Zhao Yingzi appearing to be escorted off the red carpet while posing quickly spread on social media.
Afterwards, speculation mounted that she was removed from the red carpet for violating the dress code prohibiting exposure. On that day, Zhao Yingzi appeared on the red carpet in a silver see-through dress that covered only the main parts of her upper body with sequins. Some pointed out that this may have violated the film festival's previously announced dress code banning "full-body exposure."
Prior to the opening, the Cannes Film Festival organizers had announced, "For the sake of decorum, nudity is prohibited not only on the red carpet but in all areas of the festival." They added, "The organizers are obliged to deny red carpet access to anyone who does not comply with these rules," and explained, "This is not about controlling fashion, but about maintaining the dignity of the festival and the basic norms of public spaces." This is the first time the festival has formalized a ban on excessively revealing outfits.
Some have suggested that the issue was not the outfit, but rather the amount of time Zhao Yingzi spent on the red carpet. According to this view, she was asked to leave because she exceeded the allotted time, in order to ensure the smooth entry of other participants.
According to some reports, Zhao Yingzi had to change her dress at the last minute after spilling coffee on the outfit she originally intended to wear. On May 12, she posted a photo of the stained dress on her Weibo account, asking, "Does anyone know how to quickly remove coffee stains from a dress?"
Zhao Yingzi has not released an official statement regarding the controversy. Zhao Yingzi, who gained recognition through the drama "The Return of the Condor Heroes," has since appeared in various works, including "God of War, Zhao Zilong," "Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," and "Ming Dynasty in Turmoil."
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