Greta Gerwig Is the Only ‘Barbie’ Snub that Really Stings

Four years ago, actress and future Barbie president Issa Rae snuck in a little dig against the Oscars while announcing 2020’s directing nominees live. Like most years’ crops, they were all men. In the months leading upt othe nominations, both Lulu Wang and Greta Gerwig had emerged as likely contenders for The Farewell and Little Women, but neither made the final list. As Rae put it on stage, “Congratulations to those men.”

This year’s Academy Award nominations brought the usual snubs and surprises, but no contender has generated as much attention as the Barbie movie. Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera will compete for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, and the film has also been nominated in categories including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture and two Best Original Song entries. Still, Barbie lovers on social media are more than a little annoyed that Margot Robbie will not be in contention for Best Actress while Greta Gerwig has been locked out of the director’s race once again. Sobbing Barbie GIFs are spreading across the internet like a hot pink mushroom cloud of disappointment.

As disappointing as Robbie’s exclusion might be, Gerwig’s seems genuinely egregious. It illustrates multiple frustrating impulses within the Academy, most of all its historic failure to recognize and celebrate female directors.

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