Feb. 9, 2020. A date undoubtedly marked in the agenda of every A-List celebrity. The Academy Awards is the most significant event in Hollywood — everyone dreams of bringing home a new friend named Oscar.
The award symbolizes success and shows the world that you made it.
However, the Academy Awards have been criticized for their cookie-cutter standards of ‘Best Actor’ and ‘Best Director,’ along with their host.
The limited diversity of Hollywood results in white, white, and white. The white standard isn’t strictly in the movie industry. Throughout history, white (blue eyes, blond hair) was the image of quintessential beauty— Hollywood merely mimics socio-economic standards.
Hollywood, as of the past five years, has adjusted these standards and adopted images of inclusion, but do they mean it?
The Academy Awards feels the pressure of obtaining cultural clout of inclusion in a modern #MeToo society where this movement has fostered several forms of change.
The change started with Harvey Weinstein, a once Hollywood mega-producer, accused of sexual abuse by several women, diminished his white male superiority.
With one leading to another, the idea of male dominance and abuse of power is ravishing Hollywood, as activists rally for change.
Representing a broader community, the Academy Awards used this opportunity to repair their damaged image. The 2018 awards, hostless, had a heavy emphasis on African-Americans and other Hollywood minorities when presenting the awards, arguably to overcompensate for the lack of in years past. Despite this, we still see very little diversity in the actual nominations. Best Actor, Best Director, Best Actress, and such, are heavy on the white-male image. People of color are presenting awards to the same bunch of white individuals.
“It wasn’t about overcompensating, but it was blowing it out of proportion,” says senior Paige Levinson. “Hollywood and the Academy forgot what this day was really about–we’re here to celebrate movies.”
The purpose of the Academy Awards isn’t to cleanse Hollywood of discriminatory sins, but rather encourage changes.
At the 1972 Academy Awards, actor Marlon Brando used his nomination to argue against Hollywood politics. “The Godfather” actor, refusing the honor of an Oscar, sent Native American Activist Littlefeather to decline his award via a political testimony speaking to the mistreatment of indigenous people in the movie industry.
“The motion picture community has been as responsible as any,” Brando wrote and read by Littlefeather, “for degrading the Indian and making a mockery of his character, describing his as savage, hostile and evil.” This speaks to the larger picture of mistreatment of diverse people in a competitive workplace, but here it’s the competitive workplace of Hollywood
Today, almost 50 years after this shocking testimony from one of the most controversial actors in Hollywood, we begin to see changes.
Well, in the past few years, yes, but it’s better late than never, and change is coming. The aftershocks of the #MeToo Movement are changing Hollywood for the better and expanding diverse horizons through an odd obligation producers and directors feel to repair their broken images. Cultivating a diverse environment that fosters talent should be Hollywood’s priority.

and the nominees are…

ACADEMY AWARD FOR THE BEST PICTURE

The Irishman
Little Women
Jojo Rabbit
Marriage Story
1917
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite