It Was Not Kenough
By Néya Sridhar
Why did Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig get snubbed at the 96th Annual Oscars?
Barbie Film Poster, Photo from Barbie the Movie
Being based on a doll really hurt Barbie at this year’s Oscars. Although the film was nominated for best picture, Greta Gerwig was snubbed as director and Margot Robbie was snubbed as best actress. Barbie received an 88% Rotten Tomato score and 83% Audience score. It is safe to say that the public, especially women, appreciated the nature of the film.
Greta Gerwig (left) & Margot Robbie (right), Photo from People Magazine
Hollywood’s most prestigious awards are given out by “the Academy,” so who exactly is the Academy, and how do members make decisions?
According to the Academy’s website, more than 10,500 “global film industry artists and leaders” are members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This includes all film industry professionals, such as actors, writers, directors, set-designers, and etc.
The voting process begins before the nominations are announced. For this year’s 96th Annual Academy Awards, the submission deadline for general entry categories was in mid-November, and preliminary voting began on Dec. 14th, 2023. Academy members could send in submissions of people they want to see on the first list. Once a shortlist was formed, Academy members were allowed to vote for their preferred nominees from Jan. 11th to 16th.
All Academy members are eligible to nominate films for Best Picture, but for the other 24 Oscars categories, Academy members are only allowed to vote for nominees within their own field. So, actors nominated actors, editors nominated editors, etc.
Oscar Awards 2023, Photo from US Weekly
The 96th Academy Awards nominations were announced in a live ceremony on Jan. 23rd. To choose winners, all voting members of the Academy can vote on all Oscar categories. Winners are announced at the Oscars.
Now that we know more about how the process works, why did Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig get snubbed?
Oscars Promo: Ryan Gosling Screams Over Greta Gerwig Barbie Snub, Photo by Variety
BBC Network states that the film industry’s lingering sexism was a factor. The Academy simply refused to take the toy-based film seriously. They ignored how inventive it is and dismissed it as a funny billion-dollar movie with a meaningful cultural statement. In addition to that, it unpacks stereotypes and the woman experience in a buoyant manner. Oscar voters “couldn’t or wouldn’t look past that surface to see how imaginative and substantial the film is, and how successfully Gerwig orchestrated it.”
Even before nominees were announced, there were hints that Barbie would be snubbed. The executive committee of the Academy’s Writers Branch said that the movie was based on a previously existing character, which is Mattel’s Barbie doll. In addition to that, at the Golden Globes, Barbie failed to win their categories.
America Ferrera landed a nomination for Best Actress in Supporting Role for her angry monologue about the experience of being a woman in the film. In contrast, Robbie’s acting was subtle and her character’s growth was progressional. Regarding Robbie’s snub, Ferrera told Variety, “Perhaps people got fooled into thinking that the work seems easy.”
America Ferrera Angry Monologue Scene, Photo from YouTube
In short, directors and actors within the academy did not nominate Robbie and Gerwig for their respective categories.
