Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Amputee Stopped Four Times At Cannes Premiere For Not Wearing Heels
Shoes at the Premiere of 'The Sea Of Trees' during the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
The red carpet hosts at Cannes might be worse than the most prudish prom chaperones. Yesterday, we wrote about ladies who were turned away from a screening of Carol for having the nerve to wear flats on the red carpet. Today comes the news that an amputee was stopped several times and scolded for her footwear.
Valeria Richter, a film producer and scriptwriter who has been coming to Cannes since 1998, told her story to The Telegraph. She said that she was stopped by festival officers four different times on her way to see Gus Van Sant's Sea of Trees because she was wearing flats.
Not that she should have to explain, but Richter says that she wears flats because it's difficult to wear heels since she had part of her foot amputated. Years ago she lost a big toe and part of her left foot. She told the BBC that it hurts to wear heels and it's hard to keep her balance.
Richter says she saw others also being rebuked on the red carpet, including a colleague with metal in her foot who can't wear heels. She also saw another woman who was forced to change because she was wearing sandals with a small heel.
She points out that wearing heels is tough even for women who don't have foot problems: "We are all working women who walk up and down the streets of Cannes all day doing business. They cannot force us to wear heels."
Another woman at the same screening told Buzzfeed that a host demanded an "invalid card" when she said that wearing heels hurt her back and ankles too badly.
The Cannes Film Festival organizers have reminded the hosts that there actually isn't a rule demanding that women wear heels on the red carpet as long as they show up in evening wear.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
