Nudity ban at Cannes raises more questions than it answers
What's the story
Known for its glamorous red carpet, the Cannes Film Festival has made a controversial amendment to its dress code, banning nudity on the red carpet and in all festival areas.
Updated just 24 hours before the event's grand opening, the festival's official website read: "For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the Red Carpet, as well as in any other area of the Festival."
However, the vague one-line instruction has paved the way for more questions.
Dress code controversy
'Naked dresses' had become popular in the recent past
One reason behind the confusion is top celebrities' reliance on "naked dress," where sheer/body-hugging dresses are taken to make the body shape prominent.
Last year, Cannes saw model Bella Hadid in a sheer Saint Laurent dress and photographer Nadia Lee Cohen in a transparent knit dress, also by the same brand.
Technically, they weren't promoting nudity, so it is still unclear if such outfits would be allowed under the new rules.
Dress code ambiguity
Questions arise over definition of 'nudity'
The revamped dress code has triggered debate over its definition of nudity.
Would a printed image of a nude body, like Jean-Paul Gaultier's dresses from the 1990s, violate the new rules?
Would it be limited to 3D nudity, or could a flashed n*p (like Florence Pugh's hot pink Valentino dress in 2022) get you denied entry to the festival?
Additional changes
'Voluminous outfits' with large train also banned
Along with the nudity ban, the revised dress code also bans "voluminous" outfits with a big train.
This development is viewed as a reaction not just to the trendiness of such gowns but also to the outlandish instances that eclipsed the events they were worn to.
Of course, one can't help but assume Cannes was trying not to repeat what happened at the Grammys this year, when Ye's wife Bianca Censori wore a piece of translucent netting and dominated headlines.