As we enter the Academy Award season, it’s apparent that the fight for gender equality is an everlasting one. While Ryan Gosling was nominated for his supporting role as “Ken” in the Barbie movie, the committee failed to recognize Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie for the highly coveted director and lead actress award.
The irony of this is almost laughable, considering female empowerment was what the movie was all about. While I wish I could say I was surprised about this development, I find myself sighing in familiarity at the lack of celebration of female talent in Hollywood.
While there is always lingering hope within me that wishes to see the media treat both sexes equally, I can’t help but push it down every time an instance like this occurs. I sit here and wonder what Ryan Gosling did that was so deserving of this nomination that Margot Robbie didn’t. She was a dynamic character, a force of nature. She had me smiling, internally screaming, and crying, all within a two-hour period.
Greta Gerwig, the movie’s director, gave us a film that was worth watching. She rejected the traditional meaning of Barbie and gave a voice to young women who are overlooked at the hands of misogyny.
However, the Academy Award committee found this remarkable move for women across the globe unworthy of an award — but Ken was. While they can continue to attribute it to Gosling’s comedic timing and courage to be in such a movie, we must continue to reprimand the oversight of the true stars of the motion picture.
Hollywood is no stranger to belittling female accomplishments. In 2024, is it not finally time to realize that female talent is not just an accessory to the leading man’s charisma? Robbie and Gerwig have been failed by the industry that they have helped create. For their remarkable contributions to the media, they deserve more than a pat on the back.
I assume that I speak for the masses when I say this, but I hate living in Ken’s world. I am tired of feeling like there is always a man who could do the job better than me. The Hollywood narrative needs a rewrite, specifically by a woman.