The look Jennifer Nettles chose to wear for the2019 CMAswas more than just a fashion statement — it wasa political statementas well.
The Sugarland frontwoman, 45, took the red carpet at ABC’s 53rd annual CMA Awards wearing an outfit that was part pantsuit, part gown, featuring a long, pink cape attached to the bodice of the suit jacket.
The back of the cape was printed with a drawing of a woman’s face affixed with the female gender symbol, and the words “equal play,” while the statement “Play our f*@#!g records please & thank you” is scrawled on the inside, visible only when Nettles lifts up the fabric.
Jennifer Nettles.John Shearer/WireImage
“When I found out the CMAs were going to celebrate women this year and that we had three fantastic hostesses this year, I thought, what a fantastic opportunity to take this conversation beyond the applause and to talk about what is needed to be said for a number of years now — that we’ve heard rumblings that women are supremely underrepresented on country radio and country play listings,” she told reporters in the press room.
Nettles continued: “I thought what is more womanly than to send a subversive message through fashion? So I called my friends and collaborated with Christian Siriano, who did the piece, and a wonderful artists out of New York named Alice Mizrachi. I just wanted to send a message that said, ‘Hey listen up. It’s time. Let’s go beyond lip service.'”
She alsojoked toEntertainment Tonightthat the words “please” and “thank you” were added to the statement “because I’m mannerly.”
Check out PEOPLE’sfull CMA Awards coverageto get the latest news on country music’s biggest night.
Nettles says that she hopes the dress will act as botha celebration of womenand as a way to send a message to country radio — an industry that is largely male-dominated. She argues that female artists deserve more radio time, and that not playing their songs only continues to oppress them further as artists.
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“There’s something called the bias of familiarity. If you play it enough times, people will like it,” Nettles recently toldCountry Living. “No one cares if it’s really good… the truth is if you play something over and over again people have a bias toward it just because they’ve heard it numerous times. So just hit the button.”
The mother of one has also said that becoming a mom has made her an even stronger activist for causes she believes in, including closing this gender gap.
“I’ve brought another human being into this world, I’ll try anything,” she toldCountry Living. “Nothing can be harder than this. Or scarier than this.”
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In March, the Grammy-winnershared the visuals for her song “I Can Do Hard Things” with PEOPLE, a music video which focused on celebrating female empowerment.
The music video — which featured several women discussing their personal stories over Nettles’ soaring vocals — was meant to serve as an “inspiration and call to action,” Nettles explained to PEOPLE.
“In the second verse, I talk about becoming a mother and what a major learning curve that was,” Nettles, who is mom to 6-year-old son Magnus, told PEOPLE. “I say in that verse, ‘I’ve gained joy that I’ve never learned but lost the lightness of when I was a girl,’ and that is because you have two hearts. You’re heavier when you are carrying around an extra heart that you are responsible for.”
The 2019 CMA Awards are airing live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m. ET.
source: people.com
