Extravagant jewelry isn’t the only accessory at this year’s Oscars. During the 95th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, nominees such as Cate Blanchett and Bill Nighy wore blue ribbon pins to show solidarity with global asylum seekers.
The blue ribbons, created by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) coalition, symbolize “support for refugees and displaced people around the world,” according to a statement from UNHCR. The pins are part of the coalition’s #WithRefugees initiative, which seeks to “send a powerful visual message that everyone has the right to seek safety, anyone, anywhere, whenever.”
Guillermo del Toro and Kim Morgan at the 95th Annual Academy Awards on March 12 in Los Angeles.
Gilbert Flores for Diversity
Viewers of the 2023 BAFTAs will also see blue ribbons on the red carpet. Jamie Lee Curtis and Angela Bassett wore them to the British Awards ceremony in February. Curtis, who was nominated for her role in “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,” said Blanchett inspired her to wear the pin.
“My friend Cate Blanchett is asking people to remind us in the midst of a whole season of shiny things that, of course, there are terrible refugee crises going on all over the world simultaneously, and we need to do our part.” Curtis said.
Cate Blanchett at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Ovation Hollywood on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Gilbert Flores for Diversity
Each ribbon was handmade by the Knotty Tie Company in Denver. The local haberdashery helps the refugees secure jobs, training and education.
Bill Nighy at the 95th Annual Academy Awards on March 12 in Los Angeles.
Getty Images
In a statement to the press, Blanchett shared why the cause is so important to her. Blanchett said, “Whenever I met refugees – in places like Lebanon, Jordan or Bangladesh, in the UK, or back home in Australia – what struck me was not their ‘otherness’, but how many things we share.” , who has been a UNHCR ambassador since 2016.
The annual Oscars celebrates the film, the cinematography and the actors who brought the characters to life. Jimmy Kimmel is hosting the show this year. Performances have included Rihanna and Lady Gaga, and presenters have included Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Janelle Monáe and others. For the 95th annual ceremony, the red carpet was changed to a champagne color due to an aesthetic choice to enhance photography during the arrivals. The champagne carpet is the first to turn red since the 33rd Oscars in 1961.