While you might not be a fan of watching celebs parade down a red carpet in their most glitzy dresses, there are actually a lot of reasons why you should watch the MTV Movie Awards red carpet that don't necessarily have to do with clocking in the newest formal-wear trends or drooling over cool new hairdos. Sure, there are many stars who strut down in swoon-worthy gowns and then disappear into the awards room, but there are a couple of stand-out individuals every year who usually make some kind of point with their outfits.
While some downright make an obvious statement with their ensembles (here's looking at you, Rebel Wilson), others do so in a quieter way, teaching us all some kind of lesson or encouraging us with the cut of their dresses or with their choice of prints. The messaging might seem too subtle to catch, but the stars of MTV often offer the same inspiration you might get from a woman at the bus stop who fully embraces herself and her aesthetic. Whether that means style-wise or body-wise.
There's no shortage of stars who like to fight against the common grain and group-think mentality. So without further ado, here are 11 reasons why you should watch the MTV Movie Awards red carpet and pre-show on April 10 (even if pre-taped clips from the April 9 event have already made it onto your radar).
1. It'll Make You Question Things
In 2015, Rebel Wilson stormed the red carpet wearing a lingerie-inspired getup, with giant wings and a bedazzled bra included. The reason? Maybe she wanted to make viewers at home think about the impossible beauty standards most of us feel subjected to.
With the words "THINK" running across her butt in the way booty logos often go, MTV reported her saying, "I like to encourage girls to think, which is why I put that on my butt. It’s really about what’s up here [points to head], and not what's here [points to backside].”
2. It'll Encourage You To Let Your Freak Flag Fly
At age 48, Bai Ling isn't about to slow down with her fashion choices, as we could deduce from her 2015 red carpet appearance. Showing up in an armored corset with a dragon perched on her shoulder like she was the latest Mother Of Dragons, you couldn't help but admire how she wore what she wanted, regardless of what haters and ageist folks might say.
3. It Will Make You Want To Embrace Your Own Style
Tiffany Soroyia showed up on the 2015 red carpet in a plaid rain coat looking Spice Girl-worthy in platform booties: A look that probably wouldn't have gone down well with the Fashion Police. But she did it anyway, which might make you want to embrace your own tastes as well, no matter what kinds of comments you might get for doing so.
4. It Will Make You Less Scared To Repurpose Things
Amy Schumer looked like a hot tamale on the 2015 red carpet. But one thing you might not have known about this Balmain number is that it was actually a top. If Schumer can go out sans pants and feel hella confident, why can't you?
5. It Might Make You Embrace Ignoring Fashion Rules
In 2012, Janelle Monáe showed up on the MTV red carpet not in a flowing gown, not in a sparkly mini dress, but in a suit. Seeing something like that might make you want to break free from so-called fashion rules yourself — whether you wear a suit to prom or a feminine dress to an important work meeting.
6. You'll Want To Embrace Your Body
Model and singer Mayra Veronica went to the MTV red carpet in 2014 flaunting her figure, showing viewers at home that if you have it, you shouldn't feel ashamed of showing it.
7. You'll Feel Better About Going Casual
Can't be bothered to dress up, but feel pressured or guilty over it? If you take a page out of Ellen Page's book in 2014, you might see that you don't need to be. Wear what makes you feel fabulous, not what other people tell you will make you feel fabulous.
8. You'll Rethink Labels
When Kim K showed up in 2013 wearing a tight mini dress that accentuated her stomach, she proved that just because she was a mom-to-be didn't mean she had to put away her sex appeal. That was, and remains, a very fair point.
9. It Might Convince You Not To Suffer For Fashion
Whether it's strapping yourself into shapewear or teetering in heels that kill your feet, a lot of us do crazy things in order to feel beautiful. But in 2009, Kristen Stewart was all, "Yup, that's ridiculous," and instead showed up in a pair of Converse, blowing the suffer-for-style theory out of the water.
10. You'll Remember That Fashion Doesn't Define You
Sure, showing up in a sparkly dress might make you feel pretty, but as Rebel Wilson showed us in 2013, it doesn't do a thing to define you. Donning a track suit like she was channeling Tony Soprano, the babe held onto three awards, proving she didn't need glitz in order to make it.
11. You Can Reasses What It Means To Be Femme
When Amber Rose showed up in 2012 looking all sorts of feminine in a pastel dress and shaved head, she proved that you don't need traditional feminine looks (like long hair) to feel stunning or empowered.
Any awards show MTV puts on is bound to be a haven for alternative expression. And that's the best reason to watch.
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