by Adina Brenner ’20

The year has just begun and for many this beginning signifies the start of award show season; a time full of excitement and anticipation for both celebrities and fans. Just last weekend, millions of people across the country tuned in to watch their favorite musicians have the chance to be recognized for their achievements in the music industry at the Grammy awards. Up next, the Academy Awards, more commonly known as the Oscars. For many in Hollywood, winning an Oscar symbolizes an immeasurable accomplishment that they have wished for their entire career; however, oftentimes those deserving of a win or even just a nomination do not receive the recognition they so rightfully earned. 

Just a few weeks ago, this year’s Oscar nominees were announced and as per usual, other than categories in which all women have to be nominated (i.e. Best Actress), almost every nominee listed was male. In fact, a majority were the same well-known, now older, men who have been nominated for the same awards over and over again for years. Although these men may deserve the nomination and even winning, there are many women and other newcomers in years past who have been snubbed of any nomination altogether. 

In the last ten years alone, the Academy has nominated just one woman for their award for best director and out of the other 49 nominees, just a few have been minorities. But why is it that the trend of stereotypical “older, white and male” nominees has continued for so long? Well, there may be a pretty simple explanation. We, as a society, tend to experience major struggles when it comes to the idea of change. The Oscars is now in its 92nd year and for a majority of that time, women, as well as minorities, were not typically given such a crucial job, including director or producer, let alone get nominated for their work on a film. When it came to equal rights from the years of the first Oscars in 1929 to as recently as the 1980s, America was quite simply used to only seeing the same few men nominated and winning in the Best Director category because that was the norm.

In fact, not only do we, as a country, still view the same male directors as the “best”, but we even have a tendency to want to watch films with a cast that is white and male-centric. Just last year, some of the most marketable and well-liked films happened to be “1917,” directed by Sam Mendes; “The Irishman,” directed by Martin Scorsese; and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” directed by Quentin Tarantino. All three of these names are some of the most recognizable and established in Hollywood. In comparison to these films, “Little Women” directed by Greta Gerwig, containing an almost all female cast, made less than half the amount of profit of any of these movies and many others starring all men. 

Although it may be too late for this year’s Oscars, it is vital that, after all of these years, we finally consider ideas and creations by people who may not necessarily fall under the same, inside the box, category. To put it into simpler terms, it is 2020, everyone. It is time for the progress women and minorities have waited way too long for.