Image by Juliette Dickens at Unsplash

This past summer a revolutionary movie for girls everywhere was released. For many girls, the foundation of their childhood was playing with barbies. The idea of a live-action Barbie movie drew hundreds of people in, but the plot made people stay. The Barbie Movie tackles the heavy topic of gender roles. The movie empowers young girls to believe in themselves and realize there is no exact definition of perfect. It showcases strong, intelligent, and independent female characters who come together to tackle gender stereotypes. This representation is important for promoting inclusivity and diversity in the entertainment industry.
Ironically, the lead female actress, Margot Robbie, was not nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars while her male co-lead, Ryan Gosling, was. A lot of fans were quick to react, claiming that nominating Gosling and not Robbie defeated the entire point of the movie. Luckily, the Barbie Movie itself was nominated for Best Picture. To not have Barbie win Best Picture would be a detrimental blow to women’s progress. The whole point of the movie was to highlight expectations for women, patriarchy, and the female experience as a whole. Barbie shined a spotlight on what every woman feels behind closed doors. Receiving the Best Picture award would be the world’s way of saying we see you, we hear you, and we understand. I think snubbing Barbie of an Oscar would be the worst decision in the entertainment industry ever.