Do The Oscars Really Need A "Best Actress" Category?

Dodai — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:30:00 EST

In today's Guardian, writer Sarah Churchwell rails against the "apartheid" categories of Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards. "We still segregate entertainment awards along gender lines," she muses. "Imagine the uproar if we had Oscars for best performance by a black man in a supporting role, or best leading performance by a Jew." Churchwell argues that our society thinks women are only good at looking pretty and making others look pretty; hence women tend to win the costume design and makeup awards, but rarely those for best picture or screenwriting. Since Oscars began in 1928, a woman has never won Best Director. But, Churchwell explains, "The problem is that awards which do not segregate on the basis of gender tend to overlook women altogether. There is no Nobel prize for women's literature: women go head to head with men. And they've won 10 times in 107 years."

(If we banished the Best Actress category, and just had "Best Acting Performance," would women ever get Oscars?)

Continues Churchwell:

Women do badly in awards in which attractiveness doesn't count, which is why they are so under-represented among producers, directors, and Nobel laureates. By the same token (pun intended), beautiful women on display are used to sell everything in our culture, and the Oscars are no exception.

Are the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories basically affirmative action? In a showcase showdown between Marion Cotillard and Javier Bardem (or between Bardem and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson), who would win? Singer Kate Nash won a Brit award for "best female artist" last week and reportedly declared, "female is not a genre." Except, of course, when it is: At award shows.

And The Best Frock Is... [Guardian]

Earlier: Diablo Cody: A Flash Of Leg, A Tear And An Oscar

CFDA Awards: The Winners, Losers, And Marc Jacobs

Jennifer — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 13:58:54 EDT

As you probably know by now, "The Oscars of Fashion", also known as the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Awards, were held last night. What you may not know is that the CFDA ceremony is an extra-special event that the fashion industry's major players spend weeks and weeks obsessing over, only to arrive on awards night and find that no one wants to take their picture unless they happen to serendipitously find themselves next to an Olsen while walking the red carpet. Anyway, last night's awards featured wins and losses that inspired both shock and awe in our little fashion hearts. Our analysis of those in the winner's circle, after the jump. [Spoiler: Things might be over for Marc Jacobs!]

Womenswear Winners: Oscar de la Renta and Proenza Schouler
This award was awkward. Sure, it's cool that the old-guard and new-guard tied for "first place". But, uh, that leaves only one nominee in the category who didn't win: Marc Jacobs. While Jacobs is definitively "middle-guard" — he could have been the Proenza Schouler boys' baby-sitter, and Oscar De la Renta is old enough to be his dad. Also, you're gonna not give the award to the one dude who just got out of rehab (or, er, plastic surgery?) — way to kick a man when he's down (or just waiting to remove his bandages). Is this the beginning of Marc backlash? Is such a thing even possible? Who will the NY Times' Cathy Horyn love on if Marc falls out of fashion???

Menswear Winner: Ralph Lauren
It seemed impossible, frankly, for Ralph Lauren not to win. After all, it would've been really, really, really embarrassing if the lifestyle mogul lost for design the same year he got a lifetime achievement award. Like, even more embarrassing than being the only one of three nominees not to win Womenswear Designer of the Year.

Accessories Winner: Derek Lam
We're happy Derek won, beating out Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors. Jacobs' accessories are, frankly, a little hit or miss. We mean, you either really want to wear a giant red plastic star necklace circa 1984, or you really don't. And Kors' pieces can veer a little mumsy. But Lam's looks are both fresh and fashion-forward and totally wearable. Also, he was once super nice to one of us on the phone once. Sue us!

Swarovski Womenswear Winner: Phillip Lim
While we're happy Derek Lam won for accessories, we're over the moon that Phillip Lim won the Swarovski Womenswear award (Swarovski awards are given to up-and-coming designers). We're a little skeptical, though, of pegging him as an "up-and-comer". Lim's sleek designs and genius cuts are the real deal: He isn't waiting in the wings with looks like those, he's arrived.

Swarovski Menswear Winner: Rag and Bone
Actually, we take it back: Marc Jacobs' loss for Womenswear Designer of the Year wasn't the most awkward event of the evening: The Rag & Bone kids winning the Swarovski award for menswear when they were the only nominees in the category was.

Swarovski Accessories Winner: Loeffler Randall
We were also seriously pulling for a Loeffler Randall win. We have never seen a pair of shoes or a bag designed by Jessie Randall that we haven't wanted. Plus, her stuff has always reminded us what our New England mom might have sported in the 70's... if some of us had moms from New England or were even born in the 70s.

De La Renta, Proenza Tie For CFDA Award [Guardian, via AP]

Jezebel: winners & losers

Do The Oscars Really Need A "Best Actress" Category?

CFDA Awards: The Winners, Losers, And Marc Jacobs