Actress Nadja Badr expressed her sadness about trending on social media after wearing a bold dress during the opening ceremony of the Gouna International Film Festival. In a phone call with journalist Amr Adeeb on his program "Al-Hekaya" on MBC Masr, she stated, "This is the first time something like this has happened to me in my life; I'm really shocked and started to worry, was my appearance really that unappealing?" She continued, "The dress designer is internationally renowned and creates many dresses. When we chose the opening dress, we didn't think in terms of what's the most revealing. I chose the prettiest one, and in reality, the dress looks completely different on camera; the design features an evolution of the Eye of Horus, and my colleagues told me I was wearing a 'work of art.' They said the photos make it seem like I'm not wearing anything; people think I'm sticking out a triangle, but the fabric is thin and didn’t show up well in the pictures."
She asked, "Am I someone who trends? I'm far from that. Is it because half of my stomach is showing? The chest isn’t showing, and that cut is present in most dresses at Gouna. This situation is beyond me, and I was anxious; I’m simpler and more distant than that. I'm not one for displays, nor do I want to make it a spectacle for the audience, as I work for them. I'm upset; art is subjective; it may please you or not. Even before the backlash, there were people who were smug. I'm shocked; what did I do? I don’t understand what's wrong," prompting Amr Adeeb to interject, "Honestly, that dress is hard to digest."
Regarding the reaction to the dress, she said, "In those moments, I did think about the reaction, but many people around me said it was fine, no issue. An influential figure in the field told me they didn’t even notice." She added, "The festival's opening addresses the world, and all dresses globally are like that. Even hijabis wear bodysuits under their clothes to showcase new designs. The fashion designer has the right to highlight a specific dress; honestly, I'm sorry... I didn't expect the dress would upset anyone... This is the work of professionals, and I'm just a mannequin for the fashion and makeup artists at the festival."
She concluded, "I'm not one for this kind of discourse... I’m not continuing with the festival; I seriously considered not going. I was surprised and thought, is this a campaign? I'm not attending the festival to draw attention; if I wanted that, I would have cut the other shoulder! I was upset; I wish my artistic evaluation wasn't tied to a dress." She humorously remarked about the fate of the dress, "I’ll return it to Farida Tamraz, the dress designer, who is internationally renowned and dresses people inside and outside Egypt. By the way, the red carpet is a fashion show, with many clothing, makeup, and hair specialists showcasing their work during the red carpet."
It’s worth noting that actress Nadja Badr faced severe criticism since her appearance in the revealing dress at the opening ceremony of the fifth edition of the Gouna International Film Festival last Thursday.
