Moviegoers thought “Barbie” was the biggest movie of the summer and possibly the year. It was groundbreaking and inspiring for women and girls all around the world, yet the women who made “Barbie,” director Greta Gerwig and lead actress Margot Robbie, missed getting nominations for Best Director and Best Leading Actress, respectively.
The movie promotes feminism and seeks to help women overcome insecurities. In the film, Barbie ventures to the real world where she realizes that women are often treated as inferior to men. The plot follows various characters who have to navigate their own insecurities and become stronger in the end.
Two women – Robbie and Gerwig – are responsible for ‘‘Barbie’’ becoming the only billion-dollar blockbuster directed solely by a woman. Ultimately, however, one of the biggest nominations went to… Ken?
The film itself did get nominated for Best Picture. And as producers, Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie did get nominated; however, they did not receive nominations for Best Director or Actress. But how can a film be nominated for Best Picture and not Best Director?
“This is a film that is intensely well crafted,” English teacher and film enthusiast Mrs. Lauren Tocci says. “I think to suggest that [Barbie] isn’t a credit to its directing is…to deny some of the more remarkable things about the film.”
In 2009, Christopher Nolan’s ‘‘The Dark Knight’’ failed to make the list of nominees for Best Picture. This decision was not well received by the public, and the Academy responded by changing the category from five nominees to ten. So, how can the Academy expand the category for Best Picture but not expand the category for Best Director, especially given the fact that the directors are the ones who come up with all the creative ideas that make a movie special, that make a movie unique?
‘‘Barbie’’ was far from ignored, with America Ferrera being nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Billie Eilish being nominated for Best Original Song, and Ryan Gosling being nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Song. However, this doesn’t change the fact that women are continuously being ignored or taken less seriously in the film industry.
Gerwig wasn’t the only female director to miss out on a nomination this year: A.V. Rockwell for “A Thousand and One,’’ Raine Allen-Miller for ‘‘Rye-Lane,’’ Celine Song for ‘‘Past Lives,’’ Nida Manzoor for ‘‘Polite Society,’’ and so many more were also passed over. Film is a male-dominated field, but you would think that, as time goes on, critics and members of the Academy would try and pay more attention to female filmmakers.
However, the work and voices of women are still often overlooked or ignored. Younger generations of girls will be watching these award shows. Imagine the message they are receiving.
Junior Madelyn Loghmani, president of the Feminist Student Association at Southern Lehigh High School, says the Oscars snub of Gerwig and Robbie is just another example of women and other minority groups being overlooked for their contributions.
As an example, Loghmani cites the 2022 film “The Woman King.” That historical epic-action film was written, directed, and produced by women and starred Viola Davis. It was considered both a critical and a box-office success, according to the Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly. Yet it received zero Oscar nominations.
Given that snub, Loghmani says that she was also surprised when Gerwig and Robbie were left off the nomination list.
This movie highlights the gender bias in society, where women have to try harder than men to gain approval. Sadly, it has become the way of the world. Society makes us believe that we have to be perfect in order to prove that we are enough, when in reality, perfection is impossible.
“Barbie” delivers such a strong message about women being expected to give up childhood joys and sacrifice for others. It shows us that women don’t have to give up their childhood or imagination to be happy.
It seems that this idea went over some heads. Some people didn’t fully understand the brilliance of the film. The movie covered such big and important topics while balancing them with comedic moments. Overall, the Academy’s snubs of Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie display the unfair expectations levied upon women in the film industry and our greater society.
