“Men and women are treated the same,” people say, yet when a woman accomplishes a profound achievement, she doesn’t get nearly as much recognition as a man doing the same would.
Upon release of the Oscars nominations, the majority of fans were shocked to see that Margot Robbie was not among the nominees for “Best Actress,” but even more stunned to not see Greta Gerwig in the nominees for “Best Director.” Gerwig was the one behind one of the only two movies, Barbie and The Super Mario Bros, to join the $1 billion club in 2023 and is the first female director to direct a movie that earned one billion dollars. While not being nominated for those categories may not seem important, to reach those accomplishments as a woman, it is. Gerwig and Robbie are only a small portion of the many women not recognized for their talents in the entertainment industry, and there are still many more who deserve to be recognized, appreciated, and known.
The recent ongoing battle amidst award shows and the women behind Barbie brings up major discussions from past years of women not being recognized for their accomplishments and whether people realize the true meaning of Barbie. In previous years for female directors at the Oscars, Greta Gerwig was not recognized for directing Little Women, despite the movie achieving other Oscars nominations, Lulu Wang not being nominated for The Farewell, and Kasi Lemmons not being nominated for directing Harriet. “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie won against “What Was I Made For?” at the Critic’s Award Show. Despite the movie’s entire focus surrounding women empowerment, and “What Was I Made For?” being about a woman’s meaning and purpose in life, “I’m Just Ken” took the win for “Best Song,” rather ironic considering what the movie symbolizes. Although Billie Eilish has won some awards from “What Was I Made For?,” Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig are yet to receive awards in their respective places as actress and director. In the many award shows to come, Barbie isn’t necessarily “snubbed” of awards, but, instead, Robbie and Gerwig– the women who make the movie what it is, are.
However, it would be unfair to not mention the numerous women recognized for their incredible achievements: Quinta Brunson was the first black woman in 42 years to win “Outstanding Lead Actress” at the Golden Globes, America Ferrera from Barbie was nominated for an Oscar, Taylor Swift was the first woman to appear on Time magazine’s Person of the Year twice, since it began in 1927, and there have been many other women who have achieved significant milestones. The entertainment industry does have its fair share of appreciating the women behind many incredible works of art, but it isn’t enough.
Award shows do not need to necessarily go out of their way to please every single woman, but making sure that the females who impacted the entertainment industry should not go unrecognized.
In her monumental monologue, Gloria from Barbie spoke for every single female out there, whether in the entertainment industry or not: “It is literally impossible to be a woman… it kills me that you [women] don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong…But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful…It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! …I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us.”
Women are constantly told that they are not good enough or are not embraced and celebrated for their high achievements. In an industry dominated by men, the lack of support for females leaves a distasteful mark. Whether the entertainment industry decides to support the women of our times is up to them, but if they decide to change, maybe one day a woman can be thought of as good as a man.
