There is no Ken without Barbie, as Ken only has a great day if Barbie looks at him. Unfortunately, it would appear that the Oscars didn’t get the memo. With the 96th Academy Awards announcing its nominations on Tuesday (January 23), some movies were unsurprisingly put forward, such as Oppenheimer, which scored the most nominations at 13, including Best Film, Best Director for Christopher Nolan, and Best Actor for Cillian Murphy.
The same number of nominations had been anticipated all year long for the highest-grossing film of 2023, Barbie.
Image credits: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Getty Images
Although the hit movie did end up getting eight nods, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Ryan Gosling, and Best Supporting Actress for America Ferrera, some argued that Barbie also suffered the biggest snubs of this year’s nominations, as its director Greta Gerwig was not nominated for Best Director, and its protagonist, Margot Robbie, was not nominated for Best Actress.
People couldn’t help but point to the irony upon noticing that Barbie’s male actor was nominated, but its female director and the main character weren’t, seeing the movie’s entire plot revolved around the negative impacts of patriarchy and sexism.
Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), Buzzfeed’s television editor wrote: “Academy, don’t worry, it’s really okay. You can nominate more than one woman for Best Director every year. It’s okay.”
“There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie," Ryan Gosling said after the Oscars released their nominations
Image credits: Kyle Buchanan
“Nominating Ken but not Barbie is so on the nose it hurts,” another person commented.
An additional X user penned: “Ken getting nominated and not Barbie is honestly so fitting for a film about a man discovering the power of patriarchy in the Real World.”
Someone else added: “So Ryan Gosling’s nominated for playing Ken, but Margot Robbie isn’t nominated for playing Barbie… in Barbie #Oscars.”
A separate individual chimed in: “Ryan Gosling, while deserving, got an Oscar nomination for Barbie while Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie didn’t? Completely proving the point of the movie in 20 f*****g 24. You cannot make this up.”
Image credits: Rich Polk/Getty Images
Even actress Eve Hewson, the daughter of U2’s lead vocalist Bono, has slammed the Academy Awards, as she shared a photo of Greta Gerwig on her Instagram on Tuesday and called for “justice” for the director.
The Flora and Son actress followed her post up with a quote from Barbie where America Ferrera’s character says that it is “literally impossible to be a woman.”
Eve then shared a link to an LA Times article that asked “Did too many people (particularly women) enjoy Barbie for it to be considered important enough for academy voters?”
Ryan Gosling has since released a statement about his huge disappointment over Greta and Margot’s Oscars snubs.
Image credits: Michael Kovac/Getty Images
The 43-year-old actor wrote, as per Time: “I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films.
“And I never thought I’d [be] saying this, but I’m also incredibly honored and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken.
“But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally celebrated film.
“To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement," Gosling added about Robbie and Gerwig
Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures
“No recognition would be possible for anyone [in] the film without their talent, grit, and genius.
“To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement.
“Against all odds, with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture, and they made history.
“Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees.
“Having said that, I am so happy for America Ferrera and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film.”
America Ferrera, who played the hard-working mom Gloria in Barbie, and who amazed the audience with her incredible monologue about the complexities of being a woman, has also reacted to the snubs.
Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures
The 39-year-old actress told Variety: “I still haven’t really been able to get in my feelings because I’m still on like the top layer of ‘I can’t even believe that this is real.‘”
America went on to respond to Greta and Margot’s absence at the Oscars’ nominations: “I was incredibly disappointed that they weren’t nominated.
“Greta has done just about everything that a director could do to deserve it.
“Creating this world and taking something that didn’t have inherent value to most people and making it a global phenomenon. It feels disappointing to not see her on that list.”
Priscilla, directed by Sofia Coppola, did not receive a single 2024 Oscar nomination
Image credits: Madman Films
The Ugly Betty star added: “Perhaps people got fooled into thinking that the work seems easy, but Margot is a magician as an actress in front of the screen, and it was one of the honors of my career to get to witness her pull off the amazing performance she did.
“She brings so much heart and humor and depth and joy and fun to the character. In my book, she’s a master.”
Sadly, Barbie wasn’t the only Oscar snub affecting female talent in the showbiz industry, as the critically acclaimed Priscilla, directed by Sofia Coppola, did not receive a single 2024 Oscar nomination.
“At the very least, I think Priscilla should have received a nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for the work led by Cliona Furey and Jo-Ann MacNeil,” Buzzfeed writer Natasha Jokic commented.
The Academy Awards (commonly and now officially known as the Oscars) will honor the best films of 2023 and are expected to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, on March 10, 2024.
Many readers expressed their disappointment
