Charlie Garner

Opinion Editor

avg6206@psu.edu

With the Oscar nominations being announced, lots of people have a few choice words to say about them… and that includes me. Although there are some nominations I am happy with, I feel like the Oscars really missed the mark with a lot as well. 

The Oscars especially threw the most dirt on the film, “Barbie,” with not giving a Best Actress nomination to Margot Robbie or a Best Director nomination to Greta Gerwig. Based on the envisioned lives and times of the legendary doll, “Barbie” was the highest grossing movie of 2023 and made over one billion dollars globally. The film became a cultural phenomenon and was an instant hit before it was even released. “Barbie” is a film about women being sidelined and discarded in the veil of the patriarchy, which makes it all the more ironic that the Oscars did not recognize the two main women who made the film what it was, but gave a Best Supporting Actor nomination to Ryan Gosling. Gosling said himself that there is no Ken without Barbie and he released a statement basically thanking the Academy for the nomination, but he feels that Robbie and Gerwig should have gotten those well-deserved nominations as well. Do not get me wrong, Ryan Gosling was amazing as Ken, but Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig are what made “Barbie” and its concept possible. Ken getting nominated but not Barbie is a little on the nose, isn’t it? 

Although I am very disappointed for Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig not getting the proper recognition, I am extremely happy that America Ferrera got a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in “Barbie.” Her portrayal as Gloria is certainly one of the highlights of the film, especially with her monologue towards the end that reveals everything women really have to go through that are so overlooked by the patriarchal society. I am happy Ferrera is getting the recognition she deserves, I just wish the same could be said about the other women. 

These snubs also just so happened to come after the Golden Globes, where the host, Jo Koy, gave praise to Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” but called “Barbie” a movie about “a plastic doll with big b**bies.” I am just sick and tired of women not getting the acknowledgement they deserve and I shouldn’t be used to that narrative, but I am. And that is just awful. I really hope I get to see some changes soon. 

Alexa, play “The Man” by Taylor Swift.