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For the celebrities, designers, and stylists who have likely spent months, if not all year, preparing for the event, this last-minute move will undoubtedly cause closet chaos. But, beyond that, this ‘ban’ signals a regressive shift – one that reflects ongoing discomfort with women using fashion as a form of power, protest, and self-expression.

“The organisers at Cannes may not have openly said they are banning ‘female nudity’ – but they might as well have, because we know that women’s bodies and fashion will be the most likely policed in this scenario,” Eliza Hatch, activist and founder of CheerUpLuv, tells me. “This ban is just another boring attempt to control women’s bodies,” agrees fashion stylist Morgan Elizabeth Hall who, like me, questions why women’s nudity is accepted on screen, but not on the red carpet.

“The hypocrisy is wild,” Morgan says. Referencing the Oscar-winning film Anora, which features plenty of nudity and was acclaimed for its artistic merit, she asks: “Mikey Madison being predominantly naked on screen is fine, but if she’s in a ‘naked’ dress on the red carpet, would she be turned away?” With that in mind, telling women to cover up feels less like a dress code and more like a cultural warning. We’re allowed to be naked, just not on our terms.

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“Women’s bodies are constantly being celebrated and scrutinised, worshipped and policed, respected and violated. It’s a pattern and dichotomy we are painfully used to seeing,” adds Eliza, noting that we’re shamed when we “take control” and refuse to be presented “through the lens of the male gaze.”

I put this to the organisers of the Cannes Film Festival, who explained, “The aim is not to regulate attire per se, but to prohibit full nudity on the red carpet.” The spokesperson added this is “in accordance with the institutional framework of the event and French law,” but when I asked for clarity on what ‘full nudity’ is and pressed for a response on the hypocrisy of said nudity being welcomed on screen, I didn’t hear back.