Why the ‘Barbie’ Oscars snubs are so enraging
Looks like it’s going to be the Mojo Dojo Casa Oscars. (Again.)
Why the ‘Barbie’ Oscars snubs are so enraging
Looks like it’s going to be the Mojo Dojo Casa Oscars. (Again.)
Tuesday’s Oscar nominations included eight nods for “Barbie,” the highest-grossing movie of the year — but none for director Greta Gerwig, who created its singular, wildly popular vision, or lead actress Margot Robbie, who was, you know, Barbie. It’s a forehead-slapping pair of snubs that perfectly reflect the movie’s central premise: Patriarchy is baked into every aspect of our culture, and it’s exhaustingly hard for women to get a fair shake.
“Barbie” (whose distributor shares a parent company with CNN) got nods for best picture, best supporting actress (America Ferrera) and best supporting actor (Ryan Gosling), among others. (“Oppenheimer,” the other half of Barbenheimer, meanwhile, predictably scored nods for director Christopher Nolan and lead actor Cillian Murphy among its 13 nominations.)
Think back to the movie moment where Writer Barbie (Alexandra Shipp) accepts the Nobel Prize in Barbieland with a concise speech: “Thanks. I deserve this!” The line is funny and striking and a little sad because it’s almost unheard of for actual women to make declarations like this. It was also delightful to imagine Gerwig and Robbie quoting it at the Oscars, because of course they would both at least be nominees if not winners. Right?
It’s worth noting that Robbie was nominated as a producer for “Barbie” and Gerwig was nominated for best adapted screenplay, but that doesn’t alter how enraging this all is. There are so many reasons to feel incredulous: Gerwig (who was nominated as best director for “Lady Bird” but was likewise snubbed for “Little Women”) set a new record for highest-grossing female-directed film at the domestic box office, for god’s sake. And yes, the Academy has always seemed slightly allergic to mainstream, feel-good hits, but “Barbie” felt poised to clear that hurdle with its sheer cross-generational appeal. Who didn’t love the movie, besides reactionary right-wing dorks?
