The Cannes Film Festival suffered a backlash for its strict dress code after a woman turned up at the premiere of 1950s-themed film "Carol" wearing flats and was subsequently escorted away from the red carpet, NBC News reported.
Plenty of people have criticized the festival after reports surfaced that security guards restricted a number of women who are middle-aged from entering the premiere because they were not wearing heels.
Actress Emily Blunt, who was at the premiere of the film "Sicario," expressed her disappointment at the report. "Everyone should wear flats, to be honest, at the best of times," she said. "You kind of think that there's these new waves of equality."
The festival is known for its highly stringent dress code, where the men are only allowed to wear black shoes and tuxedoes with black bowties and dresses and heels are required for the women.
"There is no specific mention about the height of the women's heels as well as for men," said Christine Aime, the spokesperson for the festival. "Thus, in order to make sure that this rule is respected, the festival's hosts and hostesses were reminded of it."
