Live from the red carpet, actresses wear activism on their sleeves

70 percent of the world's out-of-school youth are girls.

We walked through the doors of a trendy art gallery in Manhattan’s meat-packing district and were greeted by a wary receptionist.

“Who are you looking for?” she asked.

“Umm...Natalie Portman,” we said, nervously naming our only point-of-contact.

The receptionist shot a look that said, “You and everyone else,” but reluctantly agreed to call upstairs. A few minutes later, we were being escorted through the building to film a PSA with the actress on girls’ education.

We couldn’t blame the receptionist’s apprehension. Portman was busy campaigning for the Best Actress nod at the Oscars, all while generating buzz around her upcoming movies, marriage and motherhood.

But, Portman had room for one more cause. For years, she has championed microcredit programs. Now, she wanted to round out these initiatives by opening up access to education for girls in the developing world.

For a little added publicity, she would wear the cause on the sleeve of her designer duds while walking down the red carpet. As it turns out, she’s not the only one making a charitable fashion statement.

While the Oscars are probably best known for the golden statuettes, the lavish gift bags and the worst-dressed lists, they’ve also become a platform for social issues to gain exposure in the mainstream.

These aren’t celebrities who wear causes like the latest accessories. Rather, they know their stuff and, in a way, let the causes they believe in wear them.

Just look at the best actor category. Back in November, just before nominations were sent in, True Grit star Jeff Bridges launched his Oscar campaign by ushering in a pledge for an issue he’s championed since 1983. Alongside Share Our Strength, a non-profit that ensures children get nutritious food, he vowed to take action in a state-by-state effort to end childhood hunger in the United States by 2015.

Not to date “The Dude,” but that’s 32 years of campaigning.

Meanwhile, fellow nominee Colin Firth puts his money where his mouth is when it comes to the environment. The actor in The King’s Speech is known around London as the co-owner of Eco Age, a sustainable goods store he operates alongside his wife Livia. She accompanied her husband on the red carpet wearing a stylish and sustainable gown recycled from 11 other dresses.

Speaking of stunners, Best Actress nominee Nicole Kidman also holds the title of Goodwill Ambassador to UN Women. Both she and Portman have used their celebrity to serve as strong defenders of women’s rights worldwide.

Last month in New York, Portman smirked at us during our New York meeting when we mentioned the great timing of her launching a campaign called the “Power of a Girl” at the height of the Oscar frenzy.

We should have known what the Harvard-educated actress had planned all along.

In the PSA, she easily recited powerful lines she learned from experience rather than rehearsal. In particular, she was concerned by the fact that 70 per cent of the world’s out-of-school youth are girls.

On trips to Ecuador, Guatemala and Uganda, Portman has seen how self-assurance developed through schooling can benefit an entire community. With an education, girls feel more empowered to take charge of their fertility, thus lowering infant, child and maternal mortality rates and slowing or reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

That’s why Portman turned her focus to bringing attention to the issue with every red carpet appearance—a strategy Oscar-winner George Clooney has perfected.

Even without a movie to champion at this year’s Oscars, Clooney appeared as a presenter at last night’s award ceremony having spent most of January in South Sudan, where millions voted in referendum for independence.

“If [the paparazzi] are going to follow me anyways,” he told Newsweek. “I want them to follow me here.”

Sitting next to Portman in our meeting, it became clear Portman wanted the paparazzi to follow her into a classroom at the Kisaruni Girls’ Secondary School in Kenya.

Hey, if celebrity blogs are going to judge her fashion statements, she may as well say something meaningful. That’s why she laid out plans to award one of her Black Swan premiere dresses to a young person who raises money to help support girls’ education.

In that way, she walks the red carpet as an Oscar favourite, but really shines as lead actress in building a better world.