Why Are Celebs Donning Blue Ribbons On The Oscars Red Carpet? The Meaning Behind Them

The biggest names and brightest talents in the film industry hitting the champagne-colored red carpet walked the champagne-colored red carpet for the 2023 Academy Awards. Yet, you might have noticed one particular unusual accessory in particular. Many celebrities wore blue ribbons. What are they? Why do celebrities have to wear them? Do they wear it in a public display of solidarity with refugees affected by the current global refugee crisis? Below is a full description of "Blue Ribbons."

#1. What are The Blue Ribbons at the Oscars?

Source: The New York Times

As celebrities strut down the Oscars red carpet, awash in the glitz and glam of Hollywood, some will be sporting a more subtle accessory: blue ribbons. Each ribbon was handcrafted by a team at the Knotty Tie Co., a U.S. apparel company that supports refugees resettled in the Denver, Colorado, area through employment, training, and education. 

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The participating nominees and attendees are supporting the UN Refugee Agency of universities, foundations, faith-based organizations, youth groups, businesses, and NGOs that provide help to refugees and asylum seekers and call for international support for those forced to flee their homes. One year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which resulted in more than 103 million people being forcibly displaced and millions of refugees worldwide, the message is timely.

#2. Why are celebrities wearing blue ribbons at the Oscars?

Source: The New York Times

Small and subtle, the blue ribbons worn by many celebrities at the Oscars nonetheless had an important message: support refugees. According to a statement from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, donning the #WithRefugees ribbons Sunday “sends a powerful visual message that everyone has the right to seek safety, whoever, wherever, whenever they are.” These ribbons weren't introduced at the Oscars for the first time. On celebrities including Angela Bassett, Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell, Paul Mescal, Sophie Turner, and Michelle Yeoh, the public awareness campaign was first introduced at the BAFTAs.

To support the United Nations Refugee Agency's #WithRefugees initiative, celebrities wore blue ribbons handcrafted by refugees to the 95th Oscars ceremony.

#3. A-list celebrities have sported blue ribbons

Source: The New York Times

Over the award season, big names have joined the global movement, including Cate Blanchett, a nominee for Best Actress. "What I love about the film is the way it draws us into compelling human themes to uncover the connective tissue that binds us all," she wrote in a statement to the press. "Whenever I have met refugees - in places such as Lebanon, Jordan or Bangladesh, in the UK, or back home in Australia - what has struck me has not been their 'otherness' but how many things we share in common."

Source: The New York Times

Other actors, like Triangle of Sadness' Dolly De Leon, also expressed support from the film industry. "At a time when there are so many people suffering in the world, showing a little kindness and compassion to our fellow humans should not be a big ask," she wrote. 

Other celebrities who have donned the #WithRefugees blue ribbon include (but are not limited to) Angela Bassett, Cate Blanchett, Collin Farrell, Paul Mescal, Sophie Turner, Michelle Yeoh, and more.

The 2023 Oscars aired on Sunday, Mar. 13 on ABC.

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