Why did celebrities wear blue ribbons at the 2023 Oscars?

On Sunday night, Cate Blanchett, Dolly De Leon, Bill Nighy, and more donned blue ribbons at the Dolby Theatre for the Oscars.

The familiar blue ribbons sat on the upper right-hand corner of the celebrities' outfits, clearly displayed for all to see.

The ribbons are part of the #WithRefugees campaign from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Actors, celebrities, talent, and crew have been wearing blue ribbons at several award shows, including the Oscars, to show support for refugees and displaced people around the world.

Speaking to Sky News, Nighy said he wore the blue ribbon "at the request" of Blanchett.

Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter

"120 million people being displaced and children being in terrible distress, I don't think that is politics and that is what this commemorates," Nighy said.

The blue ribbons have appeared on celebrities at other star-studded events.

Earlier this year, Paul Mescal, Jamie Lee Curtis, Anglea Bassett and Cate Blanchett all sported the #WithRefugees ribbon during the BAFTAs.

Speaking to the Press Association, Jamie Lee Curtis whose fellow cast members from Everything Everywhere All At Once also wore the ribbon, said: "My friend Cate Blanchett is asking people to remind us all in the midst of all the season of shiny things that of course there are terrible refugee crises going on all over the world everywhere all at once and we need to do our part."

The ribbons were previously worn by the likes of Samuel L Jackson and Paolo Sorrentino as well as Jamie Lee Curtis, during the 2022 Oscars, which occurred just a few weeks after the war in Ukraine had begun.

Around 8 million people have been displaced since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. In addition, the devastating earthquake which struck Turkey and Syria earlier this month, which has left 46,000 people dead and thousands displaced.

According to the UN refugee agency, there are more than 103 million displaced people worldwide.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.