Sofia Vergara in white Cavalli at the Emmys: was she objectified on stage?

Fox's 2014 Emmy Award Nominee Celebration
This is a post dedicated to the ladies of Modern Family, which won in several categories last night including Best Comedy, Supporting Actor (which went to the veritable Ty Burrell for the second time) and Directing (Gil Mancuso). This wasn’t a sweep for Modern Family in the Comedy categories but that’s ok, it can’t win everything every time.

Fox's 2014 Emmy Award Nominee Celebration

First off we have Sofia Vergara in a formfitting Roberto Cavalli gown. Vergara doesn’t mix it up sartorially much, she’s usually in a variation of this silhouette in a solid color. She looks incredible, but she always does. She also usually plays up her heritage. I do think she lays it on a little thick sometimes, but that’s her persona and she’s sticking to it.

After Vergara introduced the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences President Bruce Rosenblum, she was put on a revolving pedestal while Rosenblum gave a speech about the organization. Vergara wiggled and preened a bit, as a way to add a distraction and levity to the speech. Many people find it objectifying and sexist. (The Independent has an overview of some of the criticism of that segment.) Here’s that bit:

In response to critics, Vergara gave the Olivia Wilde defense, “I can be hot and funny!” essentially. She saidI think its absolutely the opposite. It means that somebody can be hot and also be funny and make fun of herself. I think it’s ridiculous that somebody started this—I know who she was—who has no sense of humor [and should] lighten up a little bit.”

I wonder whom she’s referring to. Really it’s not like only one person brought it up and started it. Sofia could have acknowledged that the gag could be perceived negatively even if she didn’t see it that way.

Here’s Vergara’s co-star and friend, Julie Bowen, in a Peter Som full length gown with a very busy blurred dot print. Unlike Vergara, Bowen takes a lot of fashion risks which usually pay off. Not this time, this is just too much going on in one dress. If the print was just in the bodice or skirt, it might have worked.

66th Primetime Emmy Awards

66th Primetime Emmy Awards

Also pictured are Sarah Hyland in Christian Siriano and Ariel Winter in Black Halo Eve. I think Hyland and Winter both look great. I especially like the bold orange skirt on Hyland’s gown.

66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - Arrivals

66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - Arrivals

2014 Primetime Emmy Awards Press Room

photo credit: WENN.com

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104 Responses to “Sofia Vergara in white Cavalli at the Emmys: was she objectified on stage?”

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  1. Blythe says:

    Sofia can wear different dresses to different events and, somehow, look the exact same way she did at the last event.

    • Pinky says:

      CB, GAIL Mancuso won for Best Directing. A woman!

      Also, it seems Vergara was referring to an author on the Vulture site, when she was talking about the person offended having a sense of humor.

    • poppy says:

      hair and makeup rut.

    • SpookySpooks says:

      She always wears the same dress, but in a different colour. I wish she would go back to dark brown hair, it looked ten times better.

      I LOVE Julie’s dress, hair and makeup, she looked amazing.

    • Pandy says:

      She doesn’t have to do anything different – she looks perfect really. And I thought the pedestal bit was funny.

    • gaby says:

      It is pretty clear why there was no bf there. He objected to the skit. Imagine him sitting there watching the turntable skit. At least, he had the good sense to stay home.

  2. Linn says:

    The platform thing certainly looked out of place and combined with Rosenblum’s speech about how Television is about having something nice to look at, it seems sexist to me.

    Of course a woman can be hot and funny, I just don’t really see anything funny about that situation. And I hate the “If you didn’t like it, you have no sense of humor” response.
    It must be related to “You are just jealous.”

    Why not accept that people have different opinions and maybe think about the criticism.

    • lana86 says:

      well, television IS about having something pleasant to look at (for lots of people). Maybe I dont’ get something, but is “objectification” so outrageous, when this person’s main job and talent consists in being objectified? It just sounds a little illogical to me.

      • Kaya says:

        The point of TV was supposed to take the art of acting and expressing something, even if it’s comedic sense or humor. But it’s completely weird that it’s all about image now, or that it relies heavily on sexual objectification. This is why Sofia’s bit seemed so cringe-worthy.

      • Kaya says:

        Objectification is a by-product. This thing made it seem like the whole point of TV is objectification. Even if it was, then we’d all have to re-evaluate our society’s general future direction.

      • Pinky says:

        On Modern Family, Vergara plays a trophy wife who is so much more. That is where the genius of the writing comes in. She doesn’t just shut up and look pretty. She stands up for herself and those she loves, she has an opinion, she voices it (loudly) and she is WAY more than her husband bargained for. And it turns out, he LOVES that about her. That’s why that character works so well.

        In this stunt, she played clueless and beautiful again, but they didn’t land the joke with her being above her objectifier. And that’s where the joke failed (or at least, failed to understand the character it was spoofing and instead remained in the realm of kinda sorta definitely sexist).

      • MrsB says:

        I agree Pinky. Had they gone at it from that angle, it could have been funny, but instead it was just a poorly executed joke.

      • Lucinda says:

        Well said Pinky. The whole bit was uncomfortable and ended up just being an objectification of the actress because it was incomplete. It was also distracting.

    • maplwe leafiscrap says:

      You have no sense of humor.

      • Deana says:

        As a woman and the mother of an adult daughter, I thought it was funny. Lighten up, ya’ll.

  3. Buckwild says:

    I also love the orange skirt but damn Hyland always looks like she finished her shift at MAC before heading out, both her and Lea Michele – how do they even manage to get so much makeup on their face? I imagine it’s layers upon layers. It’s a bit much.

    • Pinky says:

      Both Sarah Hyland and Ariel Winter are rocking the exposed midriff skirt combo. Even without the peekaboo belly they would have looked cute. I wonder if they coordinated that.

    • Krista says:

      She does wear a lot of make up. But I prefer this look to her VMA look.

    • MCraw says:

      I really love that skirt.

    • Stubbylove says:

      Sarah Hyland FINALLY got it right both with her dress and styling! So great as she is such a gorgeous young actress who can wear anything but usually gets it so wrong. I loved Julie Brown’s dress and styling – didn’t realize it had that blur going through the print – that wasn’t necessary. As with the Sophia issue – it was funny. She plays up her Colombian/trophy wife image from the show and it was seen as a ridiculous distraction from the boring explanation of TV. It was funny as both were making fun of each other. Light the f-up everyone – Sophia is laughin’ all the way to the bank – make no mistake she takes care of business. She could have walked down the red carpet with Joe but said, “he’s too pretty” and would take away from her. Smart.

    • Stacy Dresden says:

      Really? Looking at Sarah Hyland, I kept thinking “90s prom, 90s prom, how TRAGIC!!!”

      Meanwhile, I absolutely love Julie’s dress!

    • SK says:

      Outfit-wise this is the best Hyland has done for ages. Makeup-wise it was a vast improvement from some previous efforts (those crazy eyebrows that time… Yikes!). But yeah, she needs to pull waaaay back on the makeup! She’s a naturally pretty girl, she doesn’t need to trowel it on like this. It ages her and makes her look less pretty.

      Also, I actually think this is the best dress Julie has worn in aaaaages. I think she looks great!

  4. hutter says:

    I appreciate Julie Bowen’s non-manicured nails. You don’t see that a lot. I find the whole nail art trend hideous, so this is refreshing.

      • mimif says:

        +376372636362
        Also, stiletto nails need to die, and soon. Please.

      • TheOriginalKitten says:

        I just don’t see how people can do anything with nails like that. I’m always gardening and painting, working on house projects, etc.
        Truthfully, my nails never look nice but I’ll be goddamned if I waste money on a manicure.

      • FLORC says:

        I’ll garden and do house stuff, but wear gloves. If gloves aren’t arounnd I hate a tiny scrub brush to get under my nails with some oatmeal soap. If you scrub the cuticles the wear enough and stay in check.

        Love the big skirts on the girls! Hate Bowens print! Hurts my eyes!

    • Lex says:

      Julie had a bit of a deoderant accident… zoom in!

  5. Francis says:

    Sofia is so stunning.
    I love the dress on her.

    I think Sarah Hyland looks wonderful too. One of the best dressed of the night for me.

  6. Jen34 says:

    Everyone but Julie looked fabulous. Julie almost always looks awful.

    • Esmom says:

      Agreed about Julie, she seems to always get it wrong, bless her heart. I’m not sure about this hairstyle on her and it looks like maybe she had her bolt-ons removed?

      Love the group photo of the ladies. The whole cast seems to have a lot of affection for each other.

    • SpookySpooks says:

      I think she looks amazing.

    • Pandy says:

      I thought Julie looked great! Interesting, different dress.

  7. Lucy2 says:

    Of course someone can be both hot and funny. The issue here is that they put her up there for no other reason than to be ogled, like she’s the newest Mercedes at a car show. I can understand her wanting to defend the bit, but her rebuttal seems to miss the point.

    I really liked Sarah’s look.

    • Val says:

      Agreed. I think it would have been funnier if instead of being up there like a peacock, “having something beautiful to look at” could have been offset by her sitting on the platform looking bored and crumpled in her dress. That would have been much more interesting.
      Unfortunately this is Hollywood, and THEY have no sense of humour.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Yeah, I was uncomfortable with it, and part of the joke was that she was uncomfortable with it, so I can’t understand why she misses the point. It reminded me of the sexism of Laugh-in, if anybody remembers that.

  8. Hissyfit says:

    Sarah Hyland needs to go back to her black hair color. This blonde look is washing her off.

  9. pem says:

    I don’t understand how she was being funny. Seems more like she was there to be the butt of the joke.

  10. Hautie says:

    I liked all of their gowns. Not a bland one in the bunch.

    The best thing about Sofia… is she does have a sense of humor about her persona. She has worked incredibly hard to build her brand. And now she is laughing all the way to the bank.

    • Belle Epoch says:

      Agree with Hautie. Everybody looks great! Kids are age appropriate. Sofia toned down her boobage. I love her dress.

      The rotating idea was HORRIBLE but Hollywood is still run by dirty old men with a Neanderthal mentality. It’s like adding a nod to strip clubs. Hate it, but don’t blame Sofia for being a good sport about it. What was she supposed to do? Make a big stink about refusing?

  11. snowflake says:

    i know everybody likes sofia but to me, everything about her seems so phony to me. from the fake accent to the fake boobs, i mean i think is accent is a put on to some extent. like its exaggerated

    • Ennie says:

      Her boobs are natural, she is known for being naturally voluptuous even since her early days is show business. She is trying to milk the image she has, I do not blame her. She knows it is an image and has said so, she knows she has a job because of it, she is not deluded.

    • Skins says:

      I’m with you. The accent is her moneymaker, otherwise she is just another hot chick. It is just so over the top and exaggerated

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        I agree. It’s too much, nobody really talks like that, and it’s annoying. Sort of reducing herself to a stereotype.

    • Hissyfit says:

      Yeah, her breast are naturally big that’s why she got booted out of ballet school. But her accent is fake and exaggerated. Even the native people from her country is annoyed by her accent exaggeration but I still think she’s funny.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      I cannot STAND Sofia. She is so overrated and she just seems like someone entirely without depth. Plus I will never forgive her for making sexual abuse into a punchline.

      Also, she always wears some version of the same damn mermaid dress. Just so YAWN.

      • mimif says:

        Sofia makes me stabby. The end.

      • QQ says:

        me Too I cant with her, and Yeah No that accent makes me MURDEROUS especially cause dudes Love to come up and Try to say some stupidness about My accent=her accent which is both insulting and preposterous and something I work hard at , whereas When I came to the us 16 years back or so Sofia was in fact the ENGLISH SPEAKING TRANSLATOR CORRESPONDENT OF A SHITTY UNIVISION SHOW and she could speak English without an accent JUST FINE!

        ugh

        That said The Youngings won here

        Also: Show me the fashion Risk Julie Bowden took where she looked amazing cause… umm ..no?

    • gooner says:

      Me too. I might be missing something because I don’t watch the show, but based on what I’ve seen of her, she’s Charo 2.0. Insufferable and annoying.

      • I Choose Me says:

        Yes! Charo is exactly who she reminds me of. Never liked Sofia’s schtick. She always seems to play a caricature of herself.

    • Esmom says:

      I’m with you. Early on in MF I thought she was funny and even had a few moments of brilliance but her schtick has worn VERY thin. I find myself cringing every time she’s in a scene now.

  12. Lis says:

    I think that is one of the reasons she is so likeable, because she is funny and makes fun of herself, rather than being some untouchable ice princess like so many other gorgeous women. I love her!!

  13. Anna says:

    I kind of get Sofia’s point but it was so uncomfortable to watch and maybe if they just had her spinning and he had been making a different speech it wouldn’t have been so bad but they kept focusing on her butt and made it seem like we were all supposed to ogle her in an innapropriate manner. I didn’t even really see the point of the whole “skit” anyway, it was pretty lame even if people want to say that it wasn’t sexist.

  14. Jen says:

    Sofia Vergara’s schtick is so boring. Her face is looking messed up too.

  15. eliza says:

    Is it my imagination, or is Vergara looking a bit Jokerish in some of those pictures?

    Sarah looks very pretty.

    • sori says:

      it’s not just you. She does look a bit like the Joker now.
      She probably has had some work done.

  16. Marianne says:

    Was it sexist? Yes, but it seems like Sofia doesn’t mind being objectified. I feel like “being sexy” is kind of her schtick.

    • Pamela says:

      I tend to agree. I had mixed feelings…on the one hand, it was rather gross the way she was displayed like a new car (as someone above pointed out)

      But at the same time, that overly sexy image is her schtick. So it makes sense that they would use her for a joke like this and that she wouldn’t mind. A lot of women on tv are gorgeous, but I can’t imagine them having anyone but Sophia get up on that platform. For example, can you imagine if they asked Kerry Washington to do that? She is just as nice to look at, but it would have seemed SO much more objectifying to have her do it.

      Though, I did feel like it took away from the fact that Sophia is NOT just a collection of curves. I get the sense that not everyone loves her, but I watch the show and she is HILARIOUS as Gloria. That stunt makes it seem like all she is worth is her boobs.

      • Toni says:

        ” Sophia is NOT just a collection of curves. I get the sense that not everyone loves her, but I watch the show and she is HILARIOUS as Gloria. That stunt makes it seem like all she is worth is her boobs.”

        Yeah, but it’s not like Lucille Ball who was very attractive,but had a slim average figure and her comedic genius took stage over her looks. Sofia markets her VERY voluptuous body above everything else doing swim suit spreads and wearing things up to here and down to there, tight up there, snug everywhere. If she had an average build, would she be thought of as funny?

    • Fay says:

      Sofia makes a living out of being objectified after all. Her body has made her career.

    • CuriousCole says:

      It has never sat well with me that Sofia’s always had a hand in perpetuating sexist beliefs, but this stunt was my limit. I suppose she is laughing on the way to her bank but she’s in a position to really tackle an important issue- yet she chooses to embrace objectification.

  17. Lady says:

    Lame ‘joke’ but I’m with Sofia on this, lighten up a little.

    As for her silhouette, she does tend to do the same thing all the time. I think it might have to do with her figure though. When you have a chest and hips its hard to defer from that kind of dress/look without ending up in Kim Kardashian territory. She has to put the focus on her waist otherwise it gets lost.

  18. M.A.F. says:

    Was I the only woman who did not find it objectifying? My goodness. At one point she picked her underwear out of her butt. Did the gag fit what the speech? Not really but it wasn’t objectifying, at least not to me.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      The point of the joke was that the speech was boring, but we will give you “something” interesting to look at. The something was her body. It’s completely objectifying to have a woman spinning around on a platform so you can see her body from all angles like she’s a piece of merchandise.

    • MinnFinn says:

      MAF – I thought it was objectification but I’m not offended. But I would be offended if Vergara was a powerless pawn in last night’s stunt. She actively seeks objectification and being objectified IS her career. That’s why she had a boob job and why she wears tight clothes.

      And yes, Vergara has had breast implants. Here’s photographic evidence. Compare white bikini top to photo on right in this one http://slimcelebrity.com/plastic-surgery/sofia-vergara-plastic-surgery-before-and-after-photos-breasts-implants-liposuction-and-botox-injections/

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2262727/Sofia-Vergara-looks-fresh-faced-Pepsi-commercial-just-17-years-old.html

      • ataylor says:

        You’re comparing photos from when she was 17 years of age (before she had her son Manolo at 19) to photos taken years later when she’s in her 30’s and 40’s and much heavier weight-wise?

        For example, my breasts at 17 looked NOTHING like they do now (and I’m slimmer now than I was back then) and for some women, breast size increases after pregnancy…and stays that way. Like most women from my mothers side of the family. I think it’s a latin thing.

        photo assumptions are just that, assumptions.

    • Penny says:

      I recently started watching Modern Family. Ordinarily I’d be offended by a joke like this, but it’s a riff on her Modern Family character. The joke is always on the people who compartmentalize her and write her off, who assume they know everything about her based on her appearance. I liked the stunt. I laughed. I got it. I can understand if people didn’t get it. Maybe it was a mistake because not enough people watch Modern Family. All TV shows have niche audiences these days.

  19. Penguen says:

    My first thought when I saw her on the platform was, “who on earth approved this?” I get the joke, but she’s not a Honda. I dunno, I have a feeling that I’m just not in last night’s target audience.

  20. Louisa says:

    I actually think Julie Bowen looks fantastic. Really pretty. I would totally wear that dress and I love the earrings with it.

  21. Wren33 says:

    I can’t stand the blurred print trend. It makes me feel nauseated.

    • MrsB says:

      I had no idea that blurred print was a trend. I kept looking at her dress and was very confused, thinking it was just a blurry picture :p

    • RobN says:

      Me too. My eyes work too hard trying to define it and it makes me feel kind of sick.

  22. Naddie says:

    Yes, it was objectifying in my opinion, but I can’t help loving her. She seems too warm-hearted to dislike.

  23. minime says:

    She surely is hot, but she was not funny here.
    It’s disappointing to see that she doesn’t get it and her answer was also not the smartest one. I think she’s just carving deeper on the cliché idea of herself. If it makes her happy…whatever.

    I think Julie Bowen (almost) always looks great! She makes some bold fashion options, that’s nice.

  24. RobN says:

    Saw the first picture of Ariel Winter and thought, good for her, she’s not dressing up her boobs this year in a way that seems much too old for her, and then I scrolled down to the group picture and she can’t get them out there far enough.

    I always feel that they “hey I’ve got boobs, I’m a real grown-up” thing is a shot at her mother.

    • CuriousCole says:

      I was likewise happy to see Ariel wear an age appropriate gown. I don’t think the group pic is her going “POW, here they are!” It’s her standing with proper posture, which also great.

  25. Jess says:

    I think the women all looked good – especially loved Sarah’s dress – but I agree about the objectification. Very offensive, even though Sofia is super hot to look at.

  26. M says:

    For some reason, Sophia looks the same to me at all the awards show. So she is yawn as usual.

    I didn’t watch much of the Emmy’s so I had to look for the part you mentioned. I don’t see the point of her just standing there like she is being auctioned off or something. It looks stupid and no place for an awards show esp not the Emmy’s that’s for something like VMA’s. Heck it’s like something you see at car shows. Then again, Emmy’s trying to stay relevant I guess because people are tired of the same people winning and it has lost a lot of its luster to me.

    Still, you wouldn’t find “great actresses” going up there and posing like an idiot. It defeats the whole purpose of people needing to stop objectifying women.

  27. Elizabeth says:

    I think Sofia Vergara LIKES being objectified.

  28. A. Key says:

    I thought it was funny. It really WAS a joke, no matter how poorly executed. If they actually had women standing on pedestals during the show turning round and round just for people to stare at in earnest, I’d find that insulting. But this was a light-hearted joke. I swear political correctness is getting out of hand these days.
    Not to mention the hypocrisy that Vergara (and almost 90% of the actresses’ claim to fame and success) is mostly known for her looks. She’s successful and rich because of her looks. Everyone knows it. But everyone likes to pretend they’re offended when this fact is bluntly thrown in our faces and mocked.
    You can count on one hand the number of unattractive women on TV. Not so much the case for men.

  29. Bucky says:

    The bit was sexist. They wouldn’t put a dude up there, and if they did, it would be completely, overtly tongue in cheek. Why? Because it would be undignified for a man to do that.

    Sofia looked lovely as always, if the same as always.

    Julie Bowen’s dress was one of my favorite of the night!

  30. dawnchild says:

    LOVE Julie Bowen…but the deodorant in the shot! I guess just shows she’s a regular mom who grabbed the first thing available. But the stylist should have caught that.
    I think Sophia was funny! She works the comedy through body, timing and expression very well…not easy to do.

  31. roz says:

    She was put on a rotating pedestal like a car on display while some dude smirked about the audience having “something nice to look at.” So… I can understand why some people thought it was funny but I also fail to see how that’s not a course in How to Objectify a Woman 101. Like others said, that wouldn’t happen to a guy unless it was tongue in cheek. And I don’t think it’d happen to actresses who don’t necessarily trade on being the Hottest One in the Room. It completely infuriated me last night but this morning, I see it as just another sign that the Emmys are the Same Old Game doing the Same Old Sh*t.

    • Misty says:

      Maybe if JOE would have attended, they would have put him on a pedestal too. In his Magic Mike fireman’s outfit or maybe just shirtless. And put him out there right after his GF’s shtick.

  32. Jayna says:

    She loves to be objectified. It’s her shtick. Any interview for years even before the show she plays up the sex kitten, clueless because of English not being her native language, double entendre bit.

    I don’t know if Sarah Silverman’s dress was posted on CB, but it is my favorite gown of the night. I love it and she looks beautiful in it. I miss Sarah and Jimmy Kimmel together. It looks nice in the photo, but when she was in it and going up to the podium to accept an award, it looked beautiful yet different.

  33. Moi says:

    I’m biased when it comes to Sofia. Her character Gloria on ‘Modern Family’ makes life better for me, and I loved, loved, loved her in ‘Madea Goes to Jail’ too. She’s so beautiful, and she is smart and spunky. The spunkiness is why her retort was stated the way it was. Okay, so she can simply do no wrong in my opinion. Fact.

  34. Gistine says:

    She objectifies herself.

  35. Kate2 says:

    I didn’t think twice about this. I don’t see it any differently than Beyoncé putting herself on a stripper pole (in front of her two year old daughter) and having just as many people lose their shit over what an empowered woman she is. It’s bullshit. Beyoncé uses her body in her performance and Sofia did the same in this little skit, or whatever you want to call it. I see no difference. And I don’t have a problem with either one. I thought it was cute and funny.