Blue Ribbons at the Oscars

I won't event go into the Best Picture snafu at the end of tonight's Academy Awards. Instead, I will talk about what people wore; specifically, one particular accessory - a blue ribbon.

The best-attired stars were those signifying their support for the American Civil Liberties Union by adding a blue ribbon to their finery. Ruth Negga, early to the red carpet, pinned one to the bodice of her crimson lace Valentino frock—appropriately enough, considering the sizable role that the ACLU played in Negga’s film Loving.  Lin Manuel-Miranda and his mother, Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda, staunch defenders of human rights, both pinned theirs onto their red-carpet attire, as did Karlie Kloss, who wore one low on the hip of her white Stella McCartney gown.

According to the ACLU, the group reached out to all major nominees to participate in the initiative to “Stand With the ACLU” and demonstrate their solidarity with the nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, which has worked for nearly 100 years to defend and protect individual rights and liberties. The organization has been especially busy since Trump’s election, having established a Constitution Defense Fund that focuses on a seven-point action plan related to his administration’s agenda (including demanding government transparency, protecting the rights of immigrants, protecting reproductive rights, defending First Amendment rights, defending LGBTQ rights, defending core civil rights and liberties, and mobilizing the American people).

Consider it the newest—and most stylish—way to wear your heart on your sleeve.