We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Jameela Jamil is our spirit animal. Not only is she funny, incredibly down-to-earth and a truly inspiring force of nature, but The Good Place star also been using her position in the spotlight to fight the good feminist fight (and call out misogynist bulls**t whenever she encounters it).

Now, though, she’s upped the ante even further by defying one of the unwritten rules of the red carpet - and all in the name of comfort.

Taking to Twitter ahead of the 2019 Critics’ Choice Awards, Jamil shared a photo of her Oscar de le Renta gown. It was every bit the kind of dress you might imagine her character, Tahani, to wear to a fancy party: a floor-length confection of metallic polka dots and black tulle.

One thing Tahani probably wouldn’t approve of, though, is what Jamil is currently wearing underneath her designer frock. 

Check it out:

That’s right: Jamil’s only gone and paired her gorgeous dress with a pair of patent, sturdy and endlessly comfortable combat boots.

“Oscar de la Renta in comfort,” the actress teased via her social media feed. 

Jamil added that “ankle boots” are the “British way”, much to the delight of her fans.

So why is this such a big deal? Well, the answer to that is quite simple: because the red carpet is usually a hugely uncomfortable place for women. 

Earlier this year, Emily Blunt was heavily criticised for daring to leave the freezing red carpet at the Mary Poppins Returns premiere, despite the fact that she wasn’t wearing a coat.

In May 2018, Kristen Stewart made international headlines when she went barefoot on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. Stewart, who was a jury member at the festival, kicked off her Louboutin stilettos in front of a bank of photographers shortly before heading in to the gala premiere of Spike Lee’s film BlackKkKlansman – no doubt a mark of her distaste for Cannes’ ‘ban’ on women wearing flats on the red carpet. 

Essentially, things haven’t changed as much as we might think or hope. From the 16th to the early 20th centuries, women squeezed themselves into corsets, bustles and stockings; nowadays, they wear blister-inducing shoes, Spanx, and dresses that are entirely unsuitable for the weather (unless, of course, you’re Jamil and you’ve sneakily donned a pair of jeans underneath your Golden Globes gown).

In summary: kudos to Jamil for highlighting something we’ve all thought at one point or another. Will this lead to a flood of leggings, hoodies and comfortable shoes at the next red carpet event? Only time will tell.

Image: Getty