The Golden Globes And The Reporting Of It Shows A Stark Lack Of Representation
The Golden Globes has long been criticized for the lack of diversity. Things haven’t really changed and, in fact, it was recently reported that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has had no Black members in two decades. Here’s a quick break-down of the 2021 Golden Globes.
Anya Taylor-Joy won Best Performance for an Actress for her role in “The Queen’s Gambit.”
Taylor-Joy’s portrayal as chess genius Beck Harmon earned the actress a Golden Globe. The Argentinian actress stunned in a green gown as she accepted the award while sitting at home. The virtual awards show is a very telling sign of the times as the pandemic lingers on as countries rush to inoculate their populations with available vaccines.
The limited series was a major hit for Netflix as millions of people watched Harmon’s rise to meteoric fame in the world of chess. The show led to a renewed interest in chess with sets flying off the shelves and book sales of the novel soaring.
“The Queen’s Gambit” won Best TV Movie or Limited Series.
Netflix reports that 62 million people watched “The Queen’s Gambit” during the first 28 days that show was live. It set a record. Social media was buzzing about the show that helped one of the oldest games in the world see a renewed interest as people around the world stayed at home because of Covid.
Yet, there is a lot that happened that shows the lack of diversity with the Golden Globes.
Amy Poehler and Tina Fey were the hosts of this year’s award ceremony and they quickly called out the lack of diversity within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Here’s a moment from the opening monologue when the two women specifically called out the HFPA glaring lack of Black journalists.
Poehler: “Yeah, they’re messy. OK, so since you guys aren’t usually here, let us explain what this even is. The Golden Globes are awards given out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.”
Fey: “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is made up of around 90 international — no Black — journalists, who attend movie junkets each year in search of a better life. We say around 90 because a couple of them might be ghosts, and it’s rumored that the German member is just a sausage that somebody drew a little face on.”
Variety was caught in its own scandal after announcing Anya Taylor-Joy’s win.
The entertainment publication called Taylor-Joy the first woman of color to win the award since Queen Latifah in 2008. Some speculate that it was said likely because the actress has Latina heritage but it does not mean that she is a woman of color. Twitter worked quickly to educate Variety on why Taylor-Joy should not have been described as a woman of color.
Latinos run the spectrum of race and it is important that the nuances are not lost in cultural moments. Taylor-Joy is a Latina and a Latina winning the award should be celebrated. However, it is important that people understand what qualifies someone as a person of color.
Variety has changed the story and added a correction at the end of the story addressing the controversy.
One of the most impactful moments from the Golden Globes was Jane Fonda’s moving acceptance speech.
The legendary actress was honored with the Cecl. B DeMille award, which is one of the highest honors the HFPA can bestow. The award is in recognition of one performer’s “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.”
Fonda used her speech to call out the lack of diversity and closed doors within the industry that must be dealt with.
“But there’s a story we’ve been afraid to see and hear about ourselves in this industry. A story about which voices we respect and elevate — and which we tune out,” Fonda said at the start of her closing. “A story about who’s offered a seat at the table and who is kept out of the rooms where decisions are made. So let’s all of us — including all the groups that decide who gets hired and what gets made and who wins awards — let’s all of us make an effort to expand that tent. So that everyone rises and everyone’s story has a chance to be seen and heard. I mean, doing this simply means acknowledging what’s true. Being in step with the emerging diversity that’s happening because of all those who marched and fought in the past and those who’ve picked up the baton today. After all, art has always been not just in step with history but has led the way. So, let’s be leaders, OK?
