The Snub Heard Around the World
That's kenough
Yesterday, a snub circled the globe. Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig, two of the most influential women in film this year, were excluded from Oscar nominations for their work on Barbie. Other supporting stars, namely Ryan Gosling for his mimbo-meets-patriarchy-stand-in, naturally, was nominated. America Ferrera, with her tear-jerking monologue, was also nominated. The film itself was nominated for a range of categories including the hallmark “Best Picture” and “Best Production Design,” among others. And yet.
put it best: The snubs simply prove the point of the film. Really, of Ferrera’s scathingly true (if not a little handwring-y) speech. Barbie was a slam dunk in the box offices. It kicked Oppenheimer’s ass. So much so that Barbie has amassed $1.45 billion in global box office sales since its premiere — the highest grossing film of 2023. In viewing the movie, we demonstrated the purchasing power that women and girls (and allies!) offer, should content (or clothes, sports, whatever) cater to our interests.
That wasn’t enough. The film was too bright. Too true. Robbie, both lethally beautiful and brilliant at business. Gerwig, a little too wise — too visionary. The movie compelled us to all wear pink, for god’s sake: on the runway, to see the film, and certainly on the red carpet. Its cultural relevance, something we haven’t seen since…when? Beyoncé? Taylor Swift? Actually, not that long ago. It was the summer of the girl. Apparently, now it’s the winter of our discontent — again.
When I was scrolling through the collective outrage that’s now taken over my feed, I was reminded of a video I watched not terribly long ago: a 1994 interview between ick-master-flex, Charlie Rose and Yale professor, Harold Bloom, one of the most influential literary critics from the past century. In the clip, Rose calls out Bloom for his euro-centric perspective on who deserved to be in his book, “The Western Canon.”
To be sure, Bloom was a very well read man — certainly better than me. But when responding to Rose’s question about Bloom’s decision to exclude “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker (the novel’s most recent adaptation is also nominated for several Oscars this year, it should be noted) from the tome, he simply says, “A very charming lady,” as if that was all there was to say on the matter. When asked about the choice to include Toni Morrison, but not “Beloved,” her most critically acclaimed book to date, he shakes his head, rebuking that it was “not an aesthetic accomplishment.” Rose presses to clarify what he considers an aesthetic accomplishment, which Bloom chuckles (somewhat arrogantly, if I can be so bold), naming Shakespeare, Tolstoy, or Faulkner. Basically the Dead White Dude book club.
Morrison is notorious for saying that she wrote the books that she wanted to read. And I’d venture that Gerwig and Robbie set out to achieve the same with Barbie. They created a movie for girls, by girls, about one of the most iconic, and commodified, girl toys in history. It was bound to make some people in Hollywood uncomfortable. We should have seen the snub coming.
This is to say bluntly, that when art is not made for the patriarchy (or white people, let’s be real), there exists a very strong tradition of retaliation, punishment or bewilderment. Did Gerwig deserve the nom solely based on the film’s merits? I’d say probably? I’m no film expert. But I’d also say that, in a post-Roe world, the Academy needs to consider where these movies are placed within the cultural landscape, should they wish to remain relevant, which based on the viewership numbers, is questionable.
I don’t know what the answer is here, but I do know that Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” is one of the most heralded pieces of contemporary literature, banned or otherwise. I know that Barbie, despite the snubs, still earned a smattering of nominations, which shouldn’t be neglected — and are well deserved. These are bright spots, and sure to light the way for future female film directors, or authors of marginalized groups writing brilliant, beautiful literature. Through the film’s success alone, Gerwig and Robbie proved what’s possible. It would be a disservice to forward momentum should these be overlooked. If anything, Barbie articulated that when we work together, even if only one of us is recognized or applauded, there is still progress, snubs included. Is the sentiment cloyingly trite like a bright pink dress? Yes. Is it true? Also yes.
Bye, Barbie.