This year’s Oscars ceremony was certainly memorable—not because of its movies, glitz or goodie bags, but its on-stage celebrity assault. For the few yet to watch it, presenter Chris Rock gestured towards actress Jada Pinkett Smith and quipped: ‘GI Jane 2—can’t wait to see it’—a reference to her shaven head. This prompted Will Smith—Jada’s husband—to stride onto stage and slap Rock. Shortly afterwards, an emotional Smith picked up an Oscar. According to news reports, Rock has declined to press charges, Smith has apologised and resigned from the Academy, and (at the time of writing) the Oscars committee is considering what action to take.
Debate has been raging about the rights and wrongs of what happened. For some, much hinges on whether Rock knew the reason for Jada’s shaved head: alopecia, a condition which can cause hair loss of the scalp and body. The logic is that making jokes about appearance is fair game, but poking fun at a
