"It's definitely not a good look that the Academy members left out Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie for directing and starring in a movie that's largely about how impressive women are often marginalized," says Dave Karger, Turner Classic Movies host and author of 50 Oscar Nights.

Karger is referring to Barbie, the box-office smash that became the highest-grossing film of 2023 following its July release. The adaptation secured eight Academy Award nominations this year, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Ryan Gosling and Best Supporting Actress for America Ferrera.

It was therefore surprising that lead actress, Robbie and director, Gerwig were snubbed for individual awards.

Co-star, Gosling expressed in a statement that no recognition would be possible for anyone without the genius of Robbie and Gerwig. “To say that I am that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement,” he said.

Social media fans also expressed their disappointment in these outcomes.

“It’s wild how barbie is “oscar worthy” but not the women who made it so,” writer Zoe Rose Bryant, reacted on X, formerly Twitter.

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Nevertheless, Robbie has snagged many awards this year for her lead role in Barbie, including acting nominations at both the Critics Choice Awards and the Golden Globe Awards.

Gerwig too,who co-wrote Barbie alongside her now-husband Noah Baumbach has won awards in previous years— a Best Director nod for 2017's Lady Bird, her debut, though she was not nominated for her other film, 2019's Little Women.