Beanie Feldstein says she "almost flashed the entire world" at the Academy Awards in 2020.- She stepped on her dress' hem and broke the clasp holding her halter together before going onstage.
- "The moral of this story is, I'm a busty, low-hanging Jewish girl ... which means no more halters."
Beanie Feldstein said she "almost flashed the entire world" at the Academy Awards stage in 2020.
In a new W magazine profile from Lynn Hirschberg published on Monday, the "Impeachment: American Crime Story" actress opened up about her close call with a very public wardrobe malfunction. Feldstein went on stage at the Oscars in 2020 to introduce "The Office" star Mindy Kaling, who was presenting the awards for the best animated feature and best animated short.
The "Booksmart" star explained that she was wearing a "stunning" Miu Miu gown with "a sort of shelf for the bust, but there was no bra involved."
"I'm all about representation, and I'm here to represent big, low-hanging Jewish breasts," she told the magazine.
Feldstein explained that the "halter on the dress" was already "hanging on for dear life" seconds before she had to go on stage in front of the few thousand people in the audience at the Dolby Theater (and millions more watching the live telecast at home).
Then, things got worse.
"I was nervous and accidentally stepped on the front hem of my dress, and with that step, the clasp gave way," the "Ladybird" actress said.
Fortunately for Feldstein, someone backstage stepped in with a safety pin and refastened the halter, with only 18 seconds to spare before Feldstein had to greet the audience and introduce Kaling.
She added: "The moral of this story is, I'm a busty, low-hanging Jewish girl, and you have to be who you are. Which means no more halters."
Besides seeking "representation" for "big, low-hanging Jewish breasts," Feldstein also made a different kind of statement with her Oscars dress that year.
Teen Vogue previously reported that when Feldstein stepped on stage that night in February 2020, she had a blue ribbon fastened to the top of her dress, seemingly a nod to ACLU (a non-profit organization that fights for civil liberties in court).
Past Academy Awards attendees like Ruth Negga, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Karlie Kloss also wore wore blue ribbons in 2017 to support the ACLU.