It’s no secret that Kristen Stewart has a habit of frowning on the red carpet. But despite reports to the contrary, she also smiles on the red carpet all the time, and I have the pictures to prove it:
First of all, I want to make a point to note that I absolutely love Stewart’s slightly notorious habit of scowling on the red carpet, as I think there’s something somewhat subversive and hilarious about a Hollywood starlet who is standing in a glamorous dress at an event she is no doubt required to attend and flashing a “can you believe this stupid shit?” face. Many of our commenters are often all over Stewart for not “playing the part” and acting “happy to be there,” but I’m calling shenanigans on that mentality: whenever a male actor shows off his scowl on the red carpet, he’s considered “sexy” or “mysterious.” Stewart not smiling like it’s the junior prom every single time a camera is shoved in her face doesn’t necessarily mean she isn’t thankful for her career, it just might mean that she thinks the pomp and circumstance of it is kind of stupid, or that she doesn’t like the way her smile looks in pictures, or that for every 8 shots of Stewart smiling, there are another 8 shots of her frowning, and those are the pictures that are publicized more. However, she does smile, as I said, all the time. Observe:
The Runaways premiere, March 11, 2010.
The Academy Awards, March 7, 2010.
The Yellow Handkerchief premiere, February 19, 2010.
The grand opening of La Vida restaurant, February 12, 2010.
New Moon screening, November 19, 2009.
New Moon premiere, November 16, 2009.
Teen Choice Awards, August 9, 2009.
MTV Movie Awards, May 31, 2009.
Twilight premiere, October 20, 2008.
In the end, it doesn’t matter—or at least it shouldn’t matter—what expression Stewart makes on the red carpet. As I said earlier, nobody is calling out her male co-stars for failing to smile 100% of the time, making it seem as if Stewart has an obligation, as a woman, to appear approachable and friendly (and appreciative of her fame) while her male co-stars frown, scowl, and sexyface their way into “mysterious, aloof” territory. It’s a bullshit double-standard and it needs to stop. If you really think about it, standing in her shoes, you’d probably be frowning, too.
Kristen Cracks A Smile At The Runaways Premiere [The Sun]