Why does it seem like the future of feminism hinges on The Barbie Movie's Oscar nominations?
Women's progress is more powerful than any shiny statue.
tYesterday I watched with fascination as my social feeds blew up over the Oscar Nominations — or more so, who was and was not nominated, who deserved to be, and the not entirely surprising headline from Indiewire: Oscars 2024 Shocker: Greta Gerwig isn’t Nominated for Best Director, but Justine Triet Is.
Before I trudged off for a day of joy that is NYC jury duty, something that even Weird Barbie never had to do, I dashed off a quick response on Instagram:
There is so much wrong with this headline. It’s not like there’s only room for ONE woman to be nominated and they are fighting it out. Can you imagine a headline that says “Shocker: Alexander Payne isn’t nominated, but Jonathan Glazer is.” It wouldn’t happen.
I can’t say whether Barbie was the best directed film of the year (don’t kill me!) but more than that, the Oscars are weird. 10 Best Picture noms means 5 minimum won’t get Best Director noms — so the amazing Greta Gerwig joins an exemplary list including... Alexander Payne.
(Also, if you don’t have a steel trap memory for Oscars lore, google Barbra Streisand + Price of Tides + Billy Crystal’s opening monologue dig at The Academy, “did the film direct itself?”)
So, instead, I’m going to celebrate the fact that Gerwig is the ONLY Director to have each of her first THREE films nominated for Best Picture. She is just getting started!
As the day went on, I continued to see disappointment grow into righteous indignation, cries of misogyny! and patriarchy! from so many people I like and admire. Then it struck me:
Women — all fans but mostly women — are invested in Barbie in a profoundly deep way.
Not just invested in its success, which is inarguable— The Barbie Movie has grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, making it the highest grossing film of 2023, and the 11th highest of all time.
Women are invested in The Barbie Movie being honored as art, with its script honored as great writing, with its lead performers honored for their craft, which are, ostensibly, what award shows were created to award. However subjective the results may be.
We are so invested that if, in good faith, I suggest even a gentle criticism of the film like it wasn’t my very favorite of the year, or that the script didn’t provide the complexity of character arc that tends to feed Oscar performance nods — I brace myself for the pushback, and inevitably get it in some form.
Which is okay. That passion is kind of amazing.
A few people even responded to this (generally well-received) quote below, saying that Gerwig’s debut trifecta of Best Picture noms wasn’t enough, that it’s some kind of consolation prize, that it’s not the important nomination, that it sucks.
I don’t agree. But I get it.
Women have spent the past 6 months defending the film against the most sexist, disgusting, regressive attacks. That it is “woke” (as if that’s bad?). That it is man-hating.” That it is “everything wrong with modern feminism.” That it is “not feminist enough.” That it doesn’t live up to some regressive ideal of “faith and family” in which men are men and women are submissive.
(Okay, that last one was from a certain Florida congressman and his wife, who managed to catch the premier during a brief respite from destabilizing democracy and fighting off sex trafficking accusations.)
When people attack something we love, or someone we love, we often feel attacked. It’s natural. But when people attack something that we love in part because it reflects our identities and shines a light on our belief system, they literally are attacking us. It’s important to push back on that.
Even Hillary Clinton weighed in today.
I love seeing so many people rallying to support a phenomenal director (and EP and writer!) in Greta Gerwig, and an extraordinary performer (and producer!) in Margot Robbie — their stars will continue to rise.
But you know what else we can look forward to? More women’s stories being told. More seats at the table for women. More women in power in Hollywood and beyond.
Women’s voices, women’s passion, women’s commitment to spending money on what we believe in — that is going to have a lot more impact on the industry than any statue.
I’m not seeing a fandom; I’m seeing a movement.
Years ago, I remember talking to a colleague in advertising, a fellow copywriter and Associate Creative Director at the time. We were debating the merits of industry awards and he said, “they’re important! I mean, I’ve won a lot of awards and look where I am today!”
I responded, “well, I’ve only won a few awards so far, but here we are, sitting next to each other in the same agency, working on the same project.”
“Touché!” he exclaimed after thinking that over for a sec.
Barbara did okay for herself since 1992.
(The long “hold for applause” at 7:50 is incredible — and so is her reaction. And so is her hair!)
Am I upset that Margot Robbie wasn’t nominated? I don’t know. There were a lot of incredible performances by women this year that showed a lot of depth and pathos and complexity; none of the 5 nominees are undeserving at all.
Am I upset that Greta Gerwig didn’t earn a Best Director nomination? It would have been amazing to have two talented women in that group, but I just can’t easily chalk her omission up to misogyny. It reminds me of another recent film that was extraordinarily meaningful to millions, blew away the box office, and earned 7 Oscar noms including Best Picture, but not a nomination for the director. That would be Black Panther.
Mostly I’m upset that so many women I know feel betrayed or frustrated, or like the world is stacked against them once again.
The Barbie Movie means a lot to a lot of women, and if you’re one of them, you should feel proud of what you helped to create. No one award ceremony, no one critic, no one loser on Reddit, no one loser in Florida will ever ever take that away from you.
(Please tell me someone is already working on the documentary about The Barbie Movie phenomenon.)
There were so many incredible movies this past year, and I’m really looking forward to this year’s Oscars. Especially the part where we get to enjoy another long “hold for applause” for a future Best Director winner.
I came here to thank you for the knowledge that Babs crimped her hair just like the rest of us.
You are so right that when the criticism is of something that reflects our beliefs and identities that it IS personal. When you only see yourself represented in one thing and that one thing doesn’t get recognition, it feels like you are not being recognized, that you are not being seen and valued. And I think that feels especially true for some right now because of the way women’s rights are being so attached politically. We just want to be seen and respected and valued. Shouldn’t be that hard.