BY Hodan Sultan BA History of Art and History
The internet went into a frenzy the day that the Oscar nominations for 2024 were announced, even politicians suddenly became film critics. But where has this outrage come from?
The Academy Award nominations are always something we look forward to and anticipate, but this year there have been some interesting discussions about Barbie and whether the box office knockout was ‘snubbed’. Though this dialogue is not new, every year there seems to be the same Oscar snub discussion, with actors and even politicians releasing statements. This phenomenon needs to be discussed.
Barbie had earned eight nominations in total, with even Ryan Gosling being nominated for Best Supporting Actor. This is where the outrage comes in: Barbie’s Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie did not get the recognition everyone hoped they would get, Best Director and Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.
“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,” said Gosling.
Though some observations were reasonable, as Ryan Gosling’s ‘Ken’ had been praised so often across multiple award shows, what about the women of colour who were nominated and whose effects were recognised? They have set records this year. Barbie’s own America Ferrera has historically been nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and this should be something we should be celebrating without guilt.
Ferrera had been constantly asked about what she thinks about Gerwig and Robbie not being nominated since receiving her own nomination, and why is that? This takes away a clear breakthrough for not only Ferrera but every person who has watched her grow up portraying Latina characters.
The outcry online by many is that the ‘feminist’ movie of the year only collected eight nominations instead of ten. The argument being that the only reason these two white women were not nominated is due to misogyny blatantly minimising the achievement of women of colour who were nominated. This discourse makes us wonder: seeing such criticism flow in, but where are the celebrations of America Ferrera? And would there be the same anger if Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were nominated, and America was not? Having watched the movie, many can agree that America’s character had the most captivating monologues in the film. America Ferrera deserves her flowers for being the first-ever Oscar nominee for Honduran descent in any category.
“So, for an award that has overwhelmingly only nominated and awarded white actors and directors, we should be commemorating these women on such milestones. Instead, white feminists have taken these moments to showcase rage in an industry and culture that has always favoured them much more.”
Let us look at the women of colour who were nominated for their outstanding performances. Danielle Brooks for ‘The Colour Purple’ and Da’Vine Joy Randolph for ‘The Holdovers’ have been sweeping up awards this season, whilst Lily Gladstone has become the first Indigenous woman from the U.S. to be nominated for Best Actress. So, for an award that has overwhelmingly only nominated and awarded white actors and directors, we should be commemorating these women on such milestones. Instead, white feminists have taken these moments to showcase rage in an industry and culture that has always favoured them much more.
The Failure of Girl Boss Feminism
Hillary Clinton chimed in on the Oscars ‘snub’ by writing a personal message to Gerwig and Robbie on Instagram. The former first lady assured the two white women that their efforts had not gone unnoticed, and they were indeed “Kenough.” Clinton, who has not uttered a word about the unimaginable suffering of women in Gaza, is now offering her sympathies to Gerwig and Robbie.
Why are we asking Michelle Yeoh, the first Asian woman to win Best Actress at the Oscars, about Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie being snubbed when we should be asking about the notable achievements of every woman of colour who was nominated?
Criticisms of the Academy are nothing new; I mean, remember #OscarsSoWhite, which was a response to all twenty acting nominations being given to white actors? Of course, these are conversations to be had. However, why there are heaps of articles and tweets about a movie that has already received eight nominations but nothing about how this year’s nominations are among the most diverse ever in the history of the Oscars is a question worth asking.