Snubbing Barbie Is Hampering Oscar’s Image

The 2024 Oscar nominations have caused a surge of resentment and disbelief, as the Academy failed to recognize two female employees working in the field and broke all the box office records. The directors of the film ‘Barbie’- Greta Gerwig, and the star of the film- Margot Robbie were ignored by the Academy in the best director category and best actress categories, respectively. On the other hand, Ryan Gosling, who took the role of Ken, was nominated for supporting Actor.

This overt lack of fairness, not only undercuts the success of Gerwig and Robbie but also perfectly demonstrates the point of their film—a smart and edgy take on the patriarchy as a way of life for women. Fantasy comedy that depicts Stereotypical Barbie (Robbie) – banished from Barbieland because she is not perfect enough – Barbie is based on the iconic doll. She sees that finally, she is in the real world, where she is subject to sexism, bias and stereotypes but she finally finds herself and her purpose.

The movie was a critical and box-office success. it received positive reviews and became the best-grossing film of 2023. It won favour for its freshness, funniness, and message; in addition, it was also applauded for its direction, script, and performances. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including four, Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Song. While the Academy didn’t appreciate the vision and talent of Gerwig and Robbie, the driving forces behind this film, Gerwig directed, produced, and wrote the original screenplay.