Outrage sparks through Hollywood and film lovers alike as Ryan Gosling picks up an Oscar nomination for his role as Ken in “Barbie”, while powerhouse women including the female star and director are snubbed.

It’s that time of year – awards season is upon us and on Tuesday Jan. 23, the Oscar nominations were released. As hoped by many ardent fans, “Barbie” was nominated for Best Picture and two of the main cast members were also nominated. 

“Barbie” is widely considered a ground-breaking film that deftly navigates the difficulties and wonders of womanhood, feminism, and equality. Yet, neither Margot Robbie (Barbie) nor Greta Gerwig (director) were noticed by the Academy despite their stellar performances and cinematic directing.

Both Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie brought this film to life with their vision and execution. Though Gerwig was nominated for Best Director in 2018 for her film “Ladybird” many believed “Barbie” would be​​ her magnum opus – skyrocketing her into the hall of fame that is the Academy Awards. 

Likewise Robbie has starred as a variety of characters in multiple genres such as Harley Quinn in “The Suicide Squad”, Tonya Harding in “I, Tonya”, and now as Barbie in “Barbie” – her range is evident. Her ability to completely embody her characters allows viewers to get immersed in the stories being told rather than nitpick performances. 

Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera were nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. For Gosling this was his third nomination, for Ferrera her first. Gosling played the part of Ken, Barbie’s famous boyfriend, while Ferrera played the woman who owned Margot Robbie’s Barbie doll. 

America Ferrera is a woman of color and her nomination is noteworthy because she is not alone, in fact more women of color were nominated this year than ever in the Academy’s history. 

Podcasters, Ada Enechi and Hanifah R., of “Seasoned Sessions” discussed the impact of this award snub on TikTok, focusing primarily on how people being upset by this snub rather than celebrating the sheer number of nominations given to women of color is a direct example of white feminism. 

This is noted as both Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig are white women. “It’s not a feminist debate because if anything you should be happy that more women of color have been nominated than ever before, but everyones forgot about that. Because of how the awards are set up, no less women have been nominated. It’s still the same amount of women, it’s just that Margot Robbie didn’t get nominated.”

It is clear that Ferrera was nominated for her show stopping monologue about the impossibilities of being a woman in modern society, but Gosling’s nomination feels like an ironic twist showing that a man, no matter how insignificant or mediocre he may be, will still be seen as more valuable than a limitless woman with untapped potential. 

Considering the critical lens with which “Barbie” takes stock of the world we live in, it seems only fitting that the world at large also now sees what she saw, and feels what she felt. That being said, Ryan Gosling is nothing like his empty-headed character, and it is clear he was quite upset about this oversight. 

Gosling was not quiet about the snubs to his co-star or his director. He can be quoted from his full statement on Time Magazine saying, “[T]here 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.

“To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement.” 

It is interesting to note that Gosling even had reservations about playing Ken due to his concerns he may not have the right energy for the part. After much convincing on the part of Margot Robbie, he accepted the role. 

Ask anyone who enjoyed “Barbie” and they will say they loved Ken, but one could argue that the deeper message, heartfelt and poignant, is more nuanced than the humor that Gosling brought to his role. 

Regardless, the Academy has had their say and though there is a great air of disappointment surrounding the two Oscar snubs, fans of the “Barbie” movie still wait hopefully for the film to receive some of the awards it was nominated for.