Back in 2006, Nicole Kidman was named a goodwill ambassador for UNIFEM, the United Nations program that works on a variety of international women’s issues. It oversees the UN Development Fund for Women, providing economic assistance, micro loans and economic analysis and advice for women’s financial needs on a local, national and international level. UNIFEM also works with international Violence Against Women causes, which is what Nicole Kidman was promoting yesterday on the hill.
Nicole testified before a House sub-committee yesterday on behalf of UNIFEM, in which I think she was trying to ask the House to commit more money to programs that specifically target Violence Against Women issues internationally. While testifying, Nicole got a question about Hollywood’s portrayal of violence, and whether Hollywood contributed to the climate of violence. Nicole agreed, sort of:
Nicole Kidman conceded Wednesday that Hollywood has probably contributed to violence against women by portraying them as weak sex objects.
The Oscar-winning actress said she is not interested in those kinds of demeaning roles, adding that the movie industry also has made an effort to contribute to solutions for ending the violence.
Kidman testified before a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee that is considering legislation to address violence against women overseas through humanitarian relief efforts and grants to local organizations working on the problem.
Asked by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., if the movie industry has “played a bad role,” Kidman said “probably,” but quickly added that she herself doesn’t.
“I can’t be responsible for all of Hollywood but I can certainly be responsible for my own career,” she said.
Kidman appeared before the committee in her role as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Development Fund for Women, known as UNIFEM, to promote the International Violence Against Women Act.
“In the real world, the laws go unenforced and impunity is the norm,” she said.
The legislation has stalled in the past, but a sponsor, Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass., said he and others plan to reintroduce it soon.
The Australian star told Congress that the U.N. women’s fund needs more resources. “We need the money,” she said.
Before the hearing began, a crowd of people lined the hall and around the corner to hear her speak.
[From NPR]
I was just wondering about Nicole’s work with UNIFEM the other day, so this is interesting news to me. I had been wondering if she was still involved as an ambassador, actually. She’s been a goodwill ambassador for nearly four years, and this is only the fifth time that Nicole has acted in some capacity for the organization. This sub-committee hearing is her first work with UNIFEM since February 2007.
UNIFEM is a great organization, and the issues they work on are very close to my heart. I used to work for a local Violence Against Women program, and I saw first-hand how difficult it was to really make a substantive change, specifically for domestic violence issues. That experience actually informed how I feel about abusers to this day – I think that while education and therapy can make a difference in an abuser’s mindset, what’s needed is stricter legal penalties for abusers, and a larger community, state, national and international focus on a full program of therapy, punishment and awareness. That being said, victims of abuse have it so much better in America than they do in too many countries where violence against women is culturally and legally institutionalized, which is why UNIFEM’s work is so important.
She’s starting to look like Pete Burns.
She did, however, co-produce “In the Cut”, which is a protoypical serial-killer-of-women movie, just with artistic pretentions.
Good on her, I applaud her for trying to do something about such an important cause. She looks great here also.
Ummm, could she possibly have run a brush through her hair before she left the house that morning?
Hollywood contributes to violence period. To limit the impact of reckless, inartistic Hollywood violence to women, is just incredibly narrow.
Not to mention the surreal quality of Kidman representing the UN, a money-hungry, corrupt, and cynical institution that is appallingly ineffective in its response to suffering and genocide. It’s just all talk, all the time.
I see lines on her forehead, OH MY GOD!
Whoa! WHen did Nicole start looking “natural?” She has color in cheeks, he hairline grew back in, no waxy, shiny pallor, and a few forehead wrinkles. SHE’S ALIVE!!! (Take a hint, Marsha Cross!)
ew. too much plastic surgery. shame…she used to be so pretty, now she just looks…well, plastic.
Good God! This woman worked mostly bad movies back to back until she finally won her Oscar. She sold her soul to be Tom’s beard and get roles in films. She’s botoxed to death and lies about it. She hates who she really is and has changed her original self almost as much as Michael Jackson. She recently married a drug addict/drunk and had a kid with him.
Who gives a crap about what this phony, big headed jerk has to say? The fact that anyone would ask her to do anything just amazes me. I wonder how Gisele’s post is going as a Goodwill ambassador? You actually you did something, Kaiser. You have room to talk.
I think back and contemplate how many movies would have been so much better if another actress was given a chance to star in them and not the droopy eyelidded, self hating giant ginger Nicole Kidman. I don’t even know how she shows her face since Tom’s craziness slipped out and now we all know what their relationship was based on. She even adopted two kids with Tom to complete the facade. Kids that could of went to a real family and home. She is disgusting.
I think she actually looks good here. She is definitely a hardcore ice maiden. I’ve spoken to people who have met her, and she is extremely reserved and almost robotic. While this may translate as phony, I think it’s just her way of protecting her privacy. She’s a pretty lady, though, can’t deny that, messy hair or not.
coucou I totally agree. This is the best she has looked in a long time.
Whoa Twinkletoes – don’t hold back! Sounds like you have a personal history with this woman! And what is it you have against Keith Urban? Yes, he may be a recovering drug addict/alcoholic, but does that mean he can’t make a good partner and father. I argue it probably makes him a better than average one.
@TwinkleToes harsh much? While I agree with some of the things you’ve said what is with the all out attack on Nicole? Did she kick your puppy?
@Twinkle- LOL! You are normally pretty low key, but this was out of nowhere! Rock on with yo bad self girlie! The post made me laugh. I mean all this in a good way! : )
For the record, I kind of like Nicole. She doesn’t bug me and seems okay. but that is my opinion.
How many of us would agree to such a closeup and look that good?!
I wont! 😉
@TwinkleToes:
Katie?! Is that you?!
I think that next to all the tucks and tweeks she also has a first class make up artist who today had a day off. Hence the natural look and always the plastic look when she is on a red carpet. Her forehead does not look botoxed at all in these pictures (and others I have seen of this hearing). She actually raises an eyebrow!! I was stunned.
Okay, this is why Celebitchy annoys me so much: The headline should be that Nicole Kidman addresses Congress about violence against women, and urges them to pass the I-VAWA.
Instead you make it about one comment that she made when challenged about her authority on the subject matter. Way to further the right conversation.
And, hooray that the only thing anyone else in the comments here can focus on is her hair and looks! Because lord knows you need PERFECT hair to campaign for human rights and address Congress!
poor nicole…her face actually looks like it hurts.
Tatiana- You don’t need perfect hair, but you do need to at least brush it.
Tatiana, first, get off yer high horse and second, don’t scold.
The great thing about CB is that we can be alternately serious or just plain b*tchy, what ev floats our boat at the moment.
Nicole Kidman: Hollywood contributes to violence against women.
The correct title should be
“Scientology contributes to violence against women.”
She looks so amazing with her hair down, she should wear it like that all the time. Makes her seem a lot more feminine.
I think she looks beautiful. The only thing I can see that she might have done is her top lip.
She looks very natural and for forty two years old …… fabulous.
“natural”?
if you say so…but this transformation is ANYTHING but “natural”.
http://izismile.com/2009/10/07/stars_before_and_after_plastic_surgery_47_pics.html
(scroll down about a third of the way down for Kidman)
http://plasticsergeant.com/celebrity/nicole-kidman-lip-augmentation
and yeah, I think she “might” have had her lips done. (see above pic…ew.)
I dont really have an opinion on her in either way. She just does movies that I’ll watch when bored at home and lazy.
But jeez, sometimes I do wonder about violence against women in movies. Have you seen Irreversible? We watched it 2 days ago. The rape scene made me wince and cover my eyes and my man cringe. And this is from a couple who watched Cannibal Holocaust together. I dunno.
Oh god, I love it when there are people who represent women’s issues… Women are sooo mistreated all over the place… even in well developed countries… I don’t even have to read any further… she just got upgraded in my book BIG TIME…
She is so bland. Don’t come to me with problems Nicole, bring me solutions godammit. Like what Kaiser does 🙂
what she does to her face is her problem. I agree she’s not the greatest actress but at least she’s using her time in between lame films purposefully.
I think she is gorgeous even with all the work done. She’s always been beautiful and she didn’t need to have anything done.
Say whatever you want about her face but her body has always been spectacular.
There are plenty of celebs who aren’t friendly to everyday people. Just because she’s so pale doesn’t make her an ice queen. As long as she’s not outright mean, there is no reason for her to have to be nice with everyone.
Thank you, Praise St. That image of the true Nicole she is trying to have erased from the internet. That is a great link and a new pic of Paris Hilton trying to be the nordic blond like Nicole. I had no idea AJ’s original nose and non existent cheekbones were really THAT bad. Wow!
How is violence against women something that is of concern to HOllywood. This is an industry that is supporting a filthy child rapist. Until they clean up their own industry they have no business lecturing anyone on anything!
Twinkle Toes… Keith Urban suffered from a medically legit disease which he bravely sought to overcome. Nicole Kidman deserves a lot of credit for undertaking such a monumental task.
@Sakota- Good point!
She did that movie where she was nude (in a tub & elsewhere) with a very young boy. That was not responsible & could result in problems for him later.
The solution? They need more movies portraying women in ridiculous roles that would never take place in real life.
Oh good lawhd, it’ll be tomb raider all over again.
Come on people, this is a serious issue, and the question about Hollywood was stupid to begin with. Yes there are movies that show violence against women, but it is not done in a casual way, it is there for the story, showing nudity for no real reason is something they can complain about.
BUT, this is not about that, this is about violence against women, and CT is correct, women in the “first world countries” are slightly better off, it is not the best, in the US abusers walk right through restraining orders, and the police have very little power/laws to protect the women, even worse, “honor killings” do happen in the US, and the frequency is increasing, and not only the US but Canada also, and for those who do not know what “honor killings” are, it is when husbands or fathers feel their wives or daughters are not living up to their religious or society rules, and so they are dealt with harshly, sometimes they simply throw acid in the women faces more times than not they simply kill them.
Still as said above, women are a little better off than in, for example India, where women are told who to marry, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but the men upon marrying the women, and receiving the dowry decided he was cheated or want a bigger dowry, will then turn around and demand more, or simply kill the “wife” so he can remarry. Now this is still a rare thing, but this trend have been growing.
I recently saw part of a documentary, unfortunately I had just got home and drunk, and saw only a small bit and the next morning I could not find the name or anything, so if someone else know it please inform me. It dealt with women who husbands have died and for some reason they could not or were not allow to remarry, so they travel to this temple, where they have to beg for food, and only receive a handful of rice a day, and there were women from 21 years to 80 years here forced to beg. I believe it was in India, but honestly not really sure. Like I said I only saw part of it, so if someone can inform me of the name or link it, I would really appreciate it, as I would like to see the whole thing.
This is fine for a woman (Kidman) who wouldn’t even leave her trailer lest the sun touched her skin who can’t conjure a facial expression and always makes sure she resembles a Realdoll (or F#$kdoll) so cameras photograph her.
Has anyone actually seen her in a third world country?
She’s just another actress who is trying to seem ‘important’ and a power player in the real world, like Angelina. I suppose the disheveled look comes from trying to make it look like she was up all night worrying about this.
As for her antics with that little boy, I am reminded of how the nobility of medieval times used to merrily hae their way with the peasantry, but God Forbid one of their children have a finger laid on them.
As long as it’s one of the ‘peasantry,’ it doesn’t matter. These stupid celebrities are the newly appointed nobility of our times and we let them get away with it! In any other time and country these people would be on the lowest possible scale and somewhere along the way they managed to put themselves on top of society.
And people wonder why I’m so intolerant of people like celebrities and really brutal. I wish at times that we had a sort of Stalin to make things right. Honest workers on top and these idiots back on the bottom where they belong.
WAIT. So this botoxed, anorexic, fashion ZOMBIE is criticizing Hollywood for *their* negative portrayals of women? That’s rich! Look in the mirror, Nicole, I wouldn’t call you a great role model for women either. Stop starving and poisoning yourself just to look beautiful.
Twinkle-toes: seriously?