The red carpet statement was pointed. Powerful. And it had nothing to do with a black dress.
While being interviewed at the Golden Globes in January by an E! host, Debra Messing called out E! for failing to pay its stars equally.
"I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn't believe in paying their female co-host the same as their male co-host," Messing said, her voice clear and strong. "I miss Catt Sadler. So we stand with her. And that's something that can change tomorrow.
"We want people to start having this conversation that women are just as valuable as men."
Like her fellow actors on the red carpet that night, Messing was wearing black — part of a coordinated response to the onslaught of sexual assault stories in Hollywood and beyond. But Messing's message had a different kind of power. She had broken the unspoken rules of the red carpet. She had dared to be impolite.
It looks like the red carpet at this weekend's Academy Awards will once again be colorful. The Time's Up campaign, which was behind the Golden Globe and BAFTA blackouts, is reportedly not requesting that stars eschew color. So expect a return to dresses with rich hues.
But let's hope the sexist spectacle that precedes this awards show doesn't revert to other norms. The red carpet should keep becoming more equitable, more thoughtful and a little more rude. More interviews about art and issues. Fewer questions about designers and brands. More men being asked about equal pay. Fewer women having to answer for men.
"The conversation has shifted," said Bronwyn Cosgrave, who wrote the book "Made for Each Other: Fashion and the Academy Awards," which details the history of the red carpet. "This is not the year to talk about fashion."