You have to wonder what she was thinking. For good or for bad, what was it about?
At the Oscars on Sunday night, Disney CEO Robert Iger attended the big night with his wife, journalist Willow Bay. Where other women showed up to the Academy Awards in elaborate gowns and flowing garments of lace or silk (and that one lady who showed up draped in those weird pom-pom balls), Mrs. Iger took a decidedly different approach.
Her dress featured what looked like a screen-printed photo of Yoda across its entire lower half.
Yes, that's right. Yoda. Also known to non-geeks as the little green guy from Star Wars who talks backwards. Others have defied convention by showing up at the Oscars in strange or unusual outfits — like that swan Bjork wore that still lives in infamy — but this might just be the geekiest Oscar dress of all time.
The question is, why did she do it?
Willow Bay is best known as a journalist, anchoring news desks for the likes of ABC, NBC, CNN, Bloomberg Television and more across her storied career, which also includes an early stint in modeling. Just last year, her skills landed her the position of Director at USC's Annenberg School of Journalism. There's nothing on her résumé to suggest a particular affinity for Star Wars or the diminutive Jedi Master.
But there is the one obvious connection: her husband. As CEO of all things Disney, Bob Iger oversaw the deal with George Lucas in which Disney purchased Lucasfilm and all of its assets. Immediately upon announcing the Disney/Lucasfilm deal, Disney also announced the impending production of Star Wars: Episode VII, a movie we now know to be subtitled, The Force Awakens.
Is the Yoda dress an act of support for her husband's business? Is Willow Bay a closet Star Wars geek? Do either of the Igers' two sons harbor a deep love of Yoda, and begged mom to honor him at the Oscars? Did Bob take her to a special Valentines dinner and was all like, "Sweetheart, I had something made special just for you to show the world how much I love you *cough*and Star Wars*cough*." We may never know.
But at least it wasn't a political statement.
