Director Greta Gerwig and actress Margot Robbie were not Oscar-nominated for their recent thematic release “Barbie.” On the other hand, Robbie’s co-star Ryan Gosling was nominated for the best supporting actor for his included role, which ironically contradicts the message of the entire movie.

The release of Barbie has been met with nothing but worldwide success, hitting 1 billion gross worldwide on Aug. 6, 2023, with Gerwig being the first female solo director to accomplish this. In recent award ceremonies, Barbie’s success has done anything but slowed and left the question of what the Oscars had in store for the movie.

The Oscars or the Academy Awards, is an annual award ceremony meant for presenting recognition toward the film industry, the program has been running for 96 years and includes 24 categories.

Barbie encases many themes, but the movie’s most key thematic topics regard equality, it showcases how unfair stereotypes or certain biased social norms can be and are ultimately damaging, the movie also touches on the topic of feminism, referencing what it’s like to be a teenage girl or a woman in modern day society and the impossible pressures to strive for perfection that come with it. Gerwig and Robbie both felt the film was “most certainly a feminist film.” (ABC News)

Regarding Gosling’s nomination, not in any way does he not deserve to be recognized and especially not in any way does he not deserve a nomination because he’s a man, but there is irony behind Gosling getting nominated as the best supporting actor based on his role. A big part of his role is centered on trying to impress the main character played by Robbie. His character Ken does go through a similar personal plotline like Barbie of understanding oneself, but arguably he spends a lot less time going through this emotional development and understanding to reach his conclusion then her character has to.

In contrast, Barbie has to deal with independently changing her understanding of life, questioning her entire self-being, being objectified, being forced to follow the standards set for her and being chased down for lack of cooperation, depression, having to handle the changes of her world and overall degradation to understand herself. Ken primarily faces rejection and dealing with the collapse of the society he thought he wanted, to understand himself. Yes, Gosling’s acting is exceptional, but what isn’t clear is what sets him apart from the lead actress that made him more worth a nomination than Robbie when she portrays plentiful more emotional depth.

Gosling’s nomination is not the only concern regarding Barbie nominations in this Academy Awards, Barbie was also nominated for Best Picture, meaning it could be said that it was the best movie to come out last year. Best Picture is an important nomination and says alot about the quality of the film, but without the lead actress (Margot Robbie)’s performance and the Director (Greta Gerwig)’s actions the movie would not exist.

For a movie receiving eight nominations, an amazing director should be acknowledged for their hard work and effort. Gerwig has been previously acknowledged by the academy, with a nomination for Best Director in 2018 for her movie “Lady Bird,” so the idea is not irrational.

Gosling also released a statement regarding the nominations where he mentions his opinions on Gerwig and Robbie’s lack of recognition.

“I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films,” Gosling said. “And I never thought I’d be saying this, but I’m also incredibly honored and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken. But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film. No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius.”

Gosling continues his appreciation for Gerwig and Robbie and goes further in depth.

“Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history,” Gosling said. “Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees.” (Time Magazine)

Whether the nominations lead to a win is less relevant, the main issue is the Academy’s lack of acknowledgement and recognition for the woman who made the movie what it was.