It’s meant to be a celebration of women in cinema—a moment where talent, storytelling, and cultural impact take centre stage. But at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Dakota Johnson’s sheer dress, barely concealing her underwear, made one thing very clear: visibility doesn’t always equal empowerment.
At the Women In Motion awards, which honour prominent women and young female talent pushing for visibility in cinema, Dakota walked in a transparent, embellished gown that left little to the imagination. Her underwear on full display. Her body up for public dissection. And once again, the headlines weren’t about the roles she’s played, the scripts she’s supported, or the directorial talent she uplifts. They were about what she was wearing or more accurately, what she wasn’t.
So let’s ask the question we’ve been dancing around for years:
Is this really how we empower the next generation of women in film?
Sex Still Sells—And That’s the Problem
We’ve come to expect it now. A-listers showing up to prestigious film events in outfits that echo Playboy covers more than auteur cinema posters. The line between fashion and fetish blurs so often, you’d think nudity was a dress code.
From Halle Berry’s exposed lower region in an iconic slit that left many stunned, to a growing list of stars whose red carpet choices revolve around sheer panels, bare chests, and visible thongs, the message to young women is painfully clear: being talented isn’t enough—you must be sexually consumable too.
This isn’t liberation. This is conditioning.
Double standard messages, Chopard during the Cannes Film Festival on Instagram 2025
The Red Carpet as Softcore Runway
Cinema has always had a complicated relationship with women’s bodies. The red carpet should be a place to celebrate contribution, not commodify curves. But now, it seems the path to press coverage, to virality, and even to future roles, is paved with transparent fabrics and thigh-high leg reveals.
When we teach girls that success in cinema is about being brave enough to walk practically naked, what are we really encouraging? Bravery or bait?
Dakota Johnson is undeniably talented. But when her lingerie takes the spotlight at an event honouring women in motion, we have to pause and question: Who’s really moving forward here?
Fashion as Expression Or Exploitation?
Don’t get me wrong—I love bold fashion. I’ve spent over a decade reviewing couture and red carpet choices, from Versace’s risqué brilliance to Schiaparelli’s structural rebellion. But there’s a difference between empowerment and exposure, and we need to stop pretending they’re the same.
The argument that sheer dresses “own the narrative” and allow women to reclaim their bodies is convenient—but flawed. It assumes that all women choose to undress without industry pressure, public expectation, or stylists reminding them that sex sells more headlines than intellect.
Where Are the Layers?
What happened to storytelling through fashion? To gowns that reflect a character, a journey, a cinematic era? Now, it seems the goal is to wear less and trend more. The artistry is being stripped down to body-hugging shock value.
Would a young Meryl Streep or Cate Blanchett have been taken seriously if they led with lace thongs? Of course not. But we’re entering an era where visibility is mistaken for value.
Who’s Actually Empowered?
Let’s consider the deeper issue: who benefits from this kind of exposure?
- The photographers who sell the photos?
- The press outlets that get clicks on “see-through dress” headlines?
- The designers eager for viral moments?
It’s rarely the woman in the dress who gains lasting power. If anything, she becomes more image than individual. More object than artist.
The Playboy Playbook Is Still Alive
This isn’t a moral panic—it’s a reality check. Look at the Cannes red carpet and tell me it’s not being curated through the lens of softcore glamour. We’re not shocked anymore when a woman arrives essentially in underwear. We’re just tired. Tired of being told it’s a “statement” when the only thing it seems to state is that female relevance comes with a side of skin.
The Playboy era of cinema marketing never died. It just evolved into mesh panels and nipple pasties masquerading as empowerment.
And What About Men?
Now, let’s flip the script. Would a male director or screenwriter walk onto the Cannes red carpet in sheer trousers with his boxers visible? Would he be taken seriously? Or would he be laughed off the press circuit?
The double standard is glaring.
Men are allowed to be serious. Women must be sensational.
And if we’re not going to talk about that imbalance, let’s not pretend we’re pushing equality. Let’s not hand out awards called “Women in Motion” while cheering a red carpet aesthetic that keeps women standing still—boxed in by body politics.
Redefining Red Carpet Power
Empowerment isn’t about hiding your body—but it’s also not about making your body the entry fee to relevance. It’s about having the choice, without pressure. It’s about being celebrated for your mind, your talent, your risk-taking roles, not your willingness to bare all in tulle.
We need to reclaim the red carpet as a platform for representation. Let’s celebrate:
- Women directors.
- Bold screenwriters.
- Female-led production houses.
- Wardrobes that reflect character, not cleavage.
Let sheer fabric be an option—not a uniform.
Final Thoughts: A Woman’s View
As a female voice in luxury and fashion, I understand the value of aesthetics. But I also understand when fashion becomes a performance of patriarchy. And let’s not forget—young women are watching.
What are we teaching them?
That empowerment lies in how much skin you reveal?
That success in cinema comes through seduction, not scriptwriting?
That’s not the lesson I want them to learn.
So next time the red carpet is rolled out, maybe skip the sheer and bring the substance. Because true visibility in cinema isn’t about what you show. It’s about what you stand for.
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