It’s awards season—my favorite time of the year! Some butches may look forward to the Super Bowl (I’m personally planning to hate-watch Justin Timberlake’s halftime show), but I look forward to awards season because: red carpets!
Listen, I’ve spent most of my life watching hundreds of hours of Project Runway and awards shows, so I consider myself an armchair stylist/designer (that’s a thing, right?). Besides, who can say no to spending hours discussing past Golden Globes dresses, trends and red-carpet-winning looks? Not this stud!
Since they clearly forgot my ticket to the actual show, tonight I plan to attend The Glow Up’s Facebook party while also hanging out with Black Twitter— because you can’t outdo black people. So while I wash my “I’m Rooting For Everybody Black” T-shirt and plan my snacks, let’s get into my top five expectations for the Golden Globes red carpet and telecast!
1. Serving Face
The red carpet is about an all-around look, but the face is just as important as the dress. As the kids say, a beat face does wonders. Plus, part of the face is the look that ladies on the carpet can give reporters who don’t ask actual questions. Yes, I want to know who she’s wearing, but she’s also there for an accomplishment—not who she’s dating. Ask better questions. In any case, a good contour matched with a shady smile will make all the difference in the world.
2. Raise Your Hands for Natural Hair
Listen ... I used to live in the house of creamy crack (relaxers, for those who don’t know), but there’s nothing like a good natural braided style or mini ’fro or even a blowout that can take my breath away. Remember Janelle Monáe’s hair at last year’s Screen Actor Guild Awards? Or Taraji P. Henson’s do on the Black Girls Rock! red carpet? Or my queer sister Lena Waithe’s intricate braided style at the Primetime Emmys? Natural hair on the red carpet reminds young black women that the hair that grows out of our heads is one of the most beautiful and desirable accessories we have in our arsenal of #BlackGirlMagic tricks.
3. Staying on Message
This Globes is political. Since the public explosion of sexual assault and harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein and countless others, this will be the first time Hollywood is getting together en masse to celebrate itself. No doubt the mood in the Beverly Hilton might shift from the normal party atmosphere to a more somber evening.
And of course, many are writing about what wearing black on the red carpet will do for the the #TimesUp movement that initiated it and the #MeToo movement founded by Tarana Burke. Will Hollywood stars wearing black really mean something to survivors, or will it come across as self-serving (side-eying you, Rose McGowan)? We also know sexual assault and harassment is not a single-gender issue, so, for folks who do decide to wear black in protest on the red carpet, I hope they’ll be mindful of gendered language when discussing the impact of sexual assault, harassment and violence.
4. More Amy Poehler and Tina Fey—Sorry, Seth Meyers
I’ll be highly surprised if I actually like the monologue. I mean, who can top Amy Poehler and Tina Fey? Probably somebody like Tiffany Haddish. But this year, we’ve got Seth Meyers, which in some ways feels a little off for me. Considering that Hollywood is having its “Come to Jesus” moment, I wonder if maybe this is a bit tone-deaf for the current moment that we’re in.
Nevertheless, I’m going to miss the “girl power” of Poehler and Fey, and hope the handling of Hollywood’s emerging scandals will be done with unbridled realness, because that’s what’s needed to break the ice in the room. Let’s get real about what is happening—not just in Hollywood, but in our culture as a whole. Honesty on Meyers’ part might help his fellow dude-bros hear what women, in particular, have been saying for years about the ways in which we are silenced. I’d also really love to see him tell people to straight up stop working with Woody Allen. But I’m pretty sure that won’t happen.
5. Black Excellence
With this year’s sparse nominations of black actors, I’m hoping to see wins in every category in which a black person is nominated. Yep, I’m rooting for everybody black. The Glow Up’s #ThrowbackThursday: Golden Globes Edition got me hyped for all of that beautiful black excellence that will grace the red carpet! And if you’re a black woman who wins an award, it’s at least guaranteed that Taraji P. Henson will celebrate you, because that’s #Sisterhood (crossing my fingers, because I’d love to see that Issa Rae/Taraji P. Henson moment).
Are you ready? Do you have your snacks? The 75th Golden Globes airs tonight, Jan. 7, at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST, on NBC. Red carpet starts an hour earlier and will be streamed live on Facebook. And don’t forget to join the party over at The Glow Up Facebook page. What else are you looking forward to on the red carpet and/or during the Globes ceremony? Let me know in the comments.