“And the Golden Globe goes to… Barbie!” The audience exploded into roaring applause as the camera panned over to actress Margot Robbie and the cast of “Barbie.” They had just won the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, a new category added in 2024. However, the show did not treat “Barbie” as deserving of such an award.
The Golden Globes takes place at the beginning of each year, commending the hard work and dedication that were poured into creating outstanding films in the year prior. At the award show, motion pictures (alongside their contributors) are recognized in 27 different categories, ranging from Best Performance to Best Director.
When the time came to present the winners of the 81st annual Golden Globes with their awards, the majority of the audience and viewers online were in agreement that the recipients earned their respective titles. Strong emotions of delight and honor filled the venue as the show carried on their acknowledgements.
Main host comedian Jo Koy kicked off the event and gave his opening monologue. He started off by welcoming everyone to the moment “we all dreamt of,” and then proceeded on a tangent about the greatness of his favorite film, “Oppenheimer.” Koy praised the movie in a peculiar way: by bringing down another.
“Oppenheimer and Barbie are competing for Cinematic Box Office Achievement,” Koy said. “Oppenheimer is based on a 721 page Pulitzer Prize winning book about the Manhattan Project and Barbie is on a plastic doll with big boobies.”
Koy continued his monologue by describing the plot of “Barbie.” He shared his interpretation of the story: how Margot Robbie went from “perfect beauty” to “bad breath, cellulite, and flat feet,” a statement that received nothing but silence and disappointment.
His joke went against everything in the message that the film and its crew had fought to spread. After the movie hit the theaters in July of 2023, director Greta Gerwig took to interviews to describe her efforts in illustrating the challenges that society faced when it came to identity and gender norms.
“We ask ourselves — not just as women, men too — that we walk this impossible tightrope of being perfect,” Gerwig said. “Barbie has always been a symbol of this thing that you could never reach because she physically couldn’t stand up if she were a human being.”
With an emphasis on feminism and womanhood, “Barbie” inspired millions worldwide to feel empowered and motivated to embark down a path of self-discovery. It wasn’t Barbie’s cellulite or flat feet that taught her resilience or how to recognize her worth. The true lessons came from the encouragement and support of the women that she encountered on her journey back to Barbieland. Yet, this idea was completely reduced by Koy, himself representing the society that hindered growth.
What should have been an amazing opportunity for Koy to be highlighted for making history (by becoming the first Filipino-American host of the Golden Globes) turned into a media disaster. It was astonishing how in just five minutes the lively room became uncomfortable.
To add onto his list of offenses, Koy later went on to target Taylor Swift, who was present at the award show for the success of her movie, “The Eras Tour.”
“The biggest difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL– on the Golden Globes we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift,” Koy said.
It was quite a feat to bring up one of the most successful pop artists in history just to talk about her boyfriend’s NFL games. This unnecessary comparison received no reaction from Swift, but rage from the Swifties watching.
Despite 2023 being a powerful year for women, Koy’s ill-mannered monologue seemed to insinuate the opposite. Following the show, Koy expressed that he had been put on the spot, working off of a very last-minute script. In an attempt to alleviate the heat, he confronted the reactions to his monologue.
“The reaction to the Barbie joke… I’m telling a joke– what happened to society where we can’t even joke with each other anymore… You want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up!”
Nevertheless, he fell flat on his duties. Perhaps that was why this year’s Golden Globes felt very reminiscent of the one in 2023. One where the main host became the greatest debacle.
Although it was disappointing for this series of unfortunate events to unfold this way, the Golden Globes had much to be celebrated. Hayao Miyaizaki–the legendary animator of many Studio Ghibli films–won his first academy award since 2001. In addition, Billie Eilish alongside her brother, Finneas O’Connell, won the “Best Original Song” award for their song, “What Was I Made For?”
After all, the goal of the Golden Globes is to recognize and praise excellence in filmmaking and television production, as well as providing a platform to promote and showcase noteworthy works in the industry. The award show turned the dreams of many into realities.
