Fashion week is basically a whirlwind, but shows like Opening Ceremony are a good reminder of why I stay in fashion, and what it means to the world on a larger scale. And since designers Humberto Leon and Carol Lim have always loved theatre, what better way to show that through staging an amateur pageant for their show?

What was so great about this show, more so than others, is that they used fashion as an avenue to talk about things happening socially and politically in the world, instead of it being this vein parade of beautiful people in beautiful clothing that had no meaning.

Carrie Brownstein opened the set by saying, “So much of pageantry is about looking at other people. We’re going to ask you to look at yourselves.” And each model and celebrity that came forth called out issues that need explanations like Rowan Blanchard talking about mansplaining, Sarah McBride talking about transgender activism, and co-host Fred Armisen mocking the size of the clothing at fashion week by saying, “This is for toddlers…This is toddler-sized.”

And the finale? Whoopi Goldberg, ending it on a bang by saying, “Only in America, can a girl like me be on a stage like this.”