The Academy Awards this year showed off more female pride than we’ve ever seen before and it was awesome. Although there were 44 women nominated at this year’s show we still have a long way to go; all 8 Best Picture nominees were male-driven films and several women failed to be recognized (Still bitter Gillian Flynn wasn’t nominated for Gone Girl) but throughout the male-centered evening we saw a call to action for women’s equality and those are the moments everyone is talking about.
#AskHerMore
This campaign, spearheaded by the flawless Reese Witherspoon, aimed to push back at the sexist red carpet ritual of focusing on what the Women of Hollywood are wearing at the awards show and not on the work that they are there to celebrate. “We are more than our dresses” Witherspoon said to Robin Roberts on the red carpet and because of this campaign we saw less of the mani cam (it’s about time) and more of Witherspoon talking about how she found the strength to play Pacific Coast Trail trekker, Cheryl Strayed, and Julianne Moore discussing her challenging role as a middle-aged woman with early onset alzheimer’s in hopes to shed more light on the disease. This campaign is deifinitely a work in progress as women should be able to be asked about their roles and careers while also praising the work of the amazing designers they get to wear but, hey, progress is progress.
Patricia Arquette’s inspiring speech
On Sunday, Patricia Arquette won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her stunning turn in (Bechdel-test approved) Boyhood, a project that spanned for over 12 years. In the middle of accepting her award she took the time to call on the women of America to fight for wage equality and equal rights once and for all. Backstage, Arquette expanded on her statement saying that women have fought for gay rights and rights of other minorities that they should now fight for us, these comments were met with criticisim but Arquette’s initial statement had us, Meryl, and JLo like:
Other important causes were brought to the forefront on Sunday, The Imitation Game won for Best Adapted Screenplay and Graham Moore, the screenwriter made a startling revelation while accepting the award revealing that he suffered from depression as a teen and encouraged those who may be feeling the same way to “stay weird, stay different, and when it’s your turn to stand on this stage pass the message along” so much inspiration. Common and John Legend won for Best Original Song for their moving anthem Glory from the civil rights era movie, Selma. Both artists took time during their speech to address the fact that the civil rights struggle has not ended, Legend made a powerful statement to those fighting the civil rights struggle saying “We are with you, we see you, we love you, and march on”.
Sunday night proved to be about so much more than movies, it was a call for social change and an inspriation for people all over the country and we just have one thing to say: it’s about time.