Oscars 2024: Protest pins worn on the red carpet and what they mean

Artists from Ramy Youssef to Billie Eilish wear subtle symbols of protest on the 2024 Oscars red carpet

It wouldn't be the Oscars if stars strutted the red carpet without making political statements through fashion. This year, attendees of Hollywood's biggest night wore a variety of pins to make statements – from calling for a ceasefire in Gaza to protecting trans children and fighting for pay equity in the entertainment industry.

Here are all the statements pinned to the lapels of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Calling for a ceasefire in the Israel Gaza war, many stars donned red Artists4Ceasefire pins. The organisation includes entertainment industry insiders who signed an open letter to President Biden urging him to call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel.

Poor Things actor Ramy Youssef, one of the Oscars presenters on Sunday evening, arrived on the red carpet wearing an all-black ensemble with a splash of red pinned to his lapel. 

"We're calling for immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We're calling for peace and lasting justice for the people of Palestine. It's a universal message of, 'Let's stop killing kids. Let's not be part of more war,'" he said on the red carpet. "We need to look at ourselves and be honest, if the leadership supposedly thinks that should happen, why has it not happened? That's what we're all encouraging everyone to be vocal about."

Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell, who will perform their Oscar-nominated hit Barbie song What Was I Made For? during the awards ceremony also arrived on the red carpet donning the red pins.

Four Daughters documentary filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, the first Arab woman to land two Oscar nominations, arrived on the red carpet with a red Arists4Ceasefire pin attached to her blue sequin gown. Four Daughters illuminates the reality of a Tunisian mother whose eldest two daughters joined the Islamic State group.

Four Daughters producer Nadim Cheikhrouha also arrived at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre sporting the red Artists4Ceasefire pin, and live action short Oscar nominee Misan Harriman added a pin to his velvet green lapel to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Poor Things star Mark Ruffalo also sported the Artists4Ceasefire pin as well as a peace lily brooch. Earlier this year he wore the pins at the DGA Awards, commenting, "We've come to understand this bombing isn’t working, we’re not going to bomb our way to peace, and all we’re saying is, what’s wrong with giving a ceasefire a chance?"

Oscar-nominated Nimona filmmaker Troy Quane stepped onto the red carpet with pins calling to protect trans children attached to the lapel of his black tuxedo.

Oscar-nominated Napoleon costume designer David Crossman sported a pink "Pay Equity Now" pin at the awards ceremony on Sunday. Earlier this year, costume designers ramped up their decades-long fight for pay equity and gender equity, launching the movement Pay Equity Now, organised to bring attention to pay discrepancies in the industry. 

Israeli-American film producer Avi Arad donned a yellow ribbon, showing solidarity with hostages who are still being held in captivity by Hamas since the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel. Bring Them Home, an Israeli hostage advocacy organisation provided stars with yellow ribbons this awards season, the effort was coordinated by Ashlee Margolis, founder of Beverly Hills-based branding agency The A List. Succession star J Smith-Cameron and American Fiction star John Ortiz sported the yellow ribbons when attending the Golden Globes earlier this year.

Anatomy of a Fall stars Milo Machado-Graner and Swann Arlaud stepped onto the red carpet wearing Palestinian flag pins. Meanwhile, outside the Dolby Theatre, hundreds of protestors marched in a demonstration calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

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