Meghan Whitten

Greta Gerwig’s lack of nomination creates a discussion about power and sexism in Hollywood.

In Barbie land, Barbie is capable of doing anything. But in the real world, the director of “Barbie” couldn’t even get nominated for an Oscar. 

The success of the Barbie movie took the world by storm, generating $1.38 billion dollars globally to the box office. Besides being one of the highest earning movies of 2023, “Barbie” also influenced and educated viewers on the importance of gender equality.

But when the Oscar nominations were announced, many were surprised that Greta Gerwig, a director known for “Ladybird,” “Little Women,” and most famously “Barbie,” did not receive a nomination for Best Director. 

The lack of nomination prompted an article by the New York Times titled, “Why Was Greta Gerwig Snubbed for a Best Director Nomination?” Many articles soon followed, the majority of which expressed confusion and surprise at the announcement. 

Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie, was also snubbed of a nomination for Best Actress at the Oscars. 

 Ryan Gosling received an Oscar nomination for the role of Ken.

Gosling commented on X, formerly known as Twitter, following the nomination announcement. 

“[There is] no Ken without Barbie,” Gosling commented, “and…no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie.”

Sophomore Sawyer Harper, didn’t agree with the Academy’s choices either.

“I feel the same response Ryan [Gosling] felt when he talked about it,” said Harper. “Just confused because he just said the lines and acted in it, but she directed it. Like it was her movie and he got a nomination and she didn’t.”

Gerwig’s snub was delivered by the directors branch of the, which is made up of just 587 voters, about a quarter of whom are women. 

Historically, only three women have won an Oscar for best director, which, according to Sky News, is only 3% of all winners. 

While Gerwig has won awards in the past for her work on “Isle of the Dogs,” and “Little Women” it is her work on “Barbie” that caused a sizable impact in gender equality and the empowerment of womanhood. 

According to PR Newswire, “Barbie” broke Warner Brothers 100 years-old record for highest grossing movie and was the highest grossing movie by a female filmmaker of all time. 

While Robbie was nominated for a Golden Globes, her nomination was clouded by the jokes of Jo Koy, a comedian who claimed that all Barbie was, was a movie about “a doll with big boobies.” 

The joke took away from all the lessons taught in the movie. It made the work and impact of the movie seem meaningless. 

Junior Luella Gerth thinks the lack of nomination for Gerwig is just another example of sexism in Hollywood.

“This is one of the things that the movie was talking about,” said Gerth. “Women who are working hard don’t always get credit for their work. And I think this is a prime example.”