Cannes Film Festival issues major red carpet dress code ban
No more Free The Nipple?
Cannes Film Festival has banned nudity from its red carpet under new rules.
Ahead of the 2025 festival, the iconic cinematic event has forbidden guests from wearing outfits that showcase full nudity or ‘voluminous’ ensembles.’
‘For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as in any other area of the festival,’ the new rules state.
They continue: ‘Voluminous outfits, in particular those with a large train, that hinder the proper flow of traffic of guests and complicate seating in the theatre are not permitted.’
‘The festival welcoming teams will be obligated to prohibit red carpet access to anyone not respecting these rules.’
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the regulations were updated to reflect ‘certain rules that have long been in effect.’
Nipple-baring looks have become more common in recent years (Picture: JB Lacroix/FilmMagic) Other looks have featured pantsless ensembles (Picture: Foc Kan/FilmMagic)They claimed the new guidance was implemented to comply with the festival’s rules and French law.
Cannes has always had strict dress codes, specifically for screenings at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, where the most glamorous events are usually held.
Black tie and evening wear are required for those screenings, but while navy-blue suits and ‘elegant sandals’ are permitted, ‘tote-bags, backpacks or large bags’ are not.
Red carpet looks have trended towards the sheer and revealing in recent years, with Kanye West’s wife Bianca Censori famously wearing a completely see-through dress to The Grammys this year.
The backlash online has made it clear that many people aren’t comfortable with the evolution of modesty standards.
A rep for the festival said the rules have always technically been in place (Picture: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)There’s a long list of celebs who have ditched bras in the past, including Doja Cat, Kendall Jenner, Dua Lipa, Rihanna, and Miley Cyrus – all of whom have faced criticism for the bold choice.
X user @tabxssum wrote: ‘I’m sorry I just find sheer dresses like these where you can see the boobs/everything but the nipple is so unprofessional/tacky. It also looks so cheap.’
@DutchDidNothingWrong agreed, commenting: ‘Getting sick of famous people doing acts of exhibitionism at formal events.’
User @Perfect_Restaurant_4 put it plainly, writing: ‘Too much nips. I’d be so embarrassed to talk to her with all her boobs right there. Topless on a beach/around the pool fine, but not boobs out at a formal occasion.’
But some have argued that nipple-baring looks can be empowering for women. Actress Olivia Wilde, for example, said in a 2021 interview with Vogue that she supports ‘freeing the nipple.’
Olivia Wilde is among the celebrities who have called exposing looks empowering (Picture: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock)She said: ‘Absolutely. It’s culturally specific because obviously in other countries there’s less of a fear of the nipple. I think that we can all really benefit from making sure that we don’t allow the stigmatisation of women’s bodies to infect our own perspective of ourself.’
She went on to call out society’s ‘puritanical perspective’ on women’s nipples, reflecting on how breastfeeding changed her relationship with her breasts.
She added: ‘If we are allowed opportunities to celebrate our body, it has an effect. It has an effect on how we treat one another and how we treat ourselves. I wish that in this country, we weren’t so terrified of women’s bodies in the way that we are and have this kind of puritanical perspective on nipples.’
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