The Oscars, one of the most coveted awards for actors to be nominated for—spotlights the skills and success of the many great actors in Hollywood. As the nominations for the show have just been released, many people are not happy about them—Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were snubbed of two of the most prestigious categories.
Barbie, a record-breaking film, was anything but short of extraordinary. However, it has caused controversy—such as that of the events discussed in Hayden’s first article “The Not So Golden Globes.”
From the very release date of this groundbreaking movie, many believed it would win awards and break records. While Barbie did this, the woman who made it happen did not receive the same recognition. Margot Robbie, who stars as Barbie, was on track to win an Oscar for her outstanding role; this isn’t the case in light of recent events. Nominations were released on January 23rd, causing waves of shock and disappointment to surge through everyone watching; neither Gerwig nor Robbie was nominated for best actress and director—a shock to all.
Margot Robbie is more than deserving of a best actress nomination. Robbie is one of the best-known actresses of the 2000s starring in titles such as: Babylon, Focus, The Wolf Of Wall Street, and I’Tonya. The vast selection of films that Robbie has been in shows the skill and finesse she has when it comes to every character she plays. Many people see her most recent role in Barbie as juvenile. Still, looking at it from a more open-minded perspective, you can realize that it is one of the most complex roles imaginable. Personifying a plastic doll and turning it into a pop-culture icon that symbolizes feminism is a difficult task to take on, but Robbie did it with flying colors. Emphasizing the message Barbie portrays, Morgan McKay, a senior at Brunswick High School, says, “Barbie itself was incredibly thought out, and made connections to real world issues faced by young girls and women everyday. It puzzles me as to why it couldn’t be recognized.”
While Barbie was not entirely snubbed as it was nominated for eight different awards. America Ferrera, another fantastic actress in Barbie, had things to say about her disappointment with the situation saying this about Gerwig, “Creating this world, and taking something that didn’t have inherent value to most people and making it a global phenomenon. It feels disappointing to not see her on that list.” Robbie’s co-star, Ryan Gosling, along with thousands of others, feel that this move made by the recording academy was a step backward with misogynistic intent behind it.
Gosling made recent statements defending the two by saying, “There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally celebrated film.” Gosling spotlights the two, crediting them for Barbie’s worldwide success. Gosling’s courage to come forward about the current situation shows that women and men alike see sexism as a problem that needs to be fixed.
These actors’ statements supporting Robbie and Gerwig failed to address the root of the issues women are facing. Hollywood, along with the entire world, is deeply rooted in sexism, causing modern-day problems that should never happen in the 21st century. The events that have unfolded over a day and a half are once again a prime example of the sexism seen inside Hollywood. Successful women in movies and television do not receive the credit they deserve and face sexism daily; this causes women all over the globe to doubt their abilities to excel and make a positive difference in the world. Ms. Kelly Volkert, a viewer of the film as well as a teacher at Brunswick High School says, “I think both Robbie and Gerwig being snubbed for a movie such as the Barbie movie speaks volumes on how the patriarchy is alive and well. Considering the theme of the movie being about how difficult it is to be a woman.”