To say I was utterly disappointed in the 2024 Golden Globes would be an understatement. I turned on the TV hoping for some lighthearted jokes about all the success and fanatics that went on throughout 2023, but that hope dissipated to disgust all too quickly.
The Golden Globe Awards celebrate excellence in American and international film. Awards are presented for varying achievements, such as Best Motion Picture, Best Actress in a Motion Picture and Best Original Song, to name a few. The first Golden Globes was held in 1944, and we saw a wrap on the 81st Golden Globes Jan. 7.
Let’s first break down the opening monologue by “comedian” Jo Koy. I’ll acknowledge that it’s beyond intimidating to host an award show in front of such remarkable icons, but that’s no excuse for executing the same boring jokes that are outdated and just flat out lazy.
The first time I internally cringed was alongside the audience’s reactions. There were a few pity laughs from the celebrities, but the joke he made about how impossible it was for Robert De Niro, at his age, to get his wife, Tiffany Chen, pregnant, left me outwardly grimacing. What a weird start to the show…
His next target happened to be two of the greatest films we got from 2023: “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie.” While he praised the concept of Oppenheimer, directed by a male, Christopher Nolan, he managed to downgrade the brilliant film by female director Greta Gerwig, which deeply dove into the struggles of womanhood and finding our place in this world, to a “movie about a plastic doll with big boobies.”
Once again, we’re witnessing how so many men refuse to even attempt to acknowledge the severity of women’s struggles. Although this film was created and marketed for young girls and for women, men were invited into the story in hopes of changing their perspectives. For the world, this movie was created to show us that it’s okay and realistic to be scared of the transition from girlhood to womanhood.
While once safe in our playrooms, we’re now thrown into a world of everyday struggles. And it hurts to see the complete disregard from men, where us women are continuously depleted to our bodies. In conclusion, the masterpiece that is “Barbie” is so much more than just a film about dolls. Where many women got the message, it went straight over most men’s heads. Although disappointing, it was not surprising in the slightest regard.
Another “joke” that earned zero laughs was the expense of Taylor Swift. By now, we are all aware of the arguably most famous couple of today’s age: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. An iconic duo, the pair is known for showing up and supporting each other at their shows and games.
The NFL took their chance and ran with it when Taylor first showed up to support Travis, showing her every other game play. It’s important to understand that these showings are not coming from Taylor herself, and in fact, she’s even said in an interview, “I’m just there to support Travis. I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.”
So when Jo Koy said, “The biggest difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer shots of Taylor Swift,” it just seemed to be recycled stuff that we’ve already heard. I’m not shocked there weren’t any laughs, and I’m also not shocked that Taylor took a swig of her drink when he said it. She just seemed plain bored of the whole debacle.
What pains me more, however, is how the media came out and berated Taylor for “overreacting,” by not reacting at all. I mean have we forgotten that Will Smith got up on stage and slapped Chris Rock at the award show two years ago? He was painted as a man defending his wife’s honor, but a woman sits and doesn’t laugh, and she’s somehow the pinnacle of overreacting?
Let’s also look at Ryan Gosling’s straight faced reaction to Koy admitting to being attracted to his plastic doll character as Ken from “Barbie.” No one batted an eye at that one. When it’s laid out on paper, the double standard is uncanny.
It’s 2024, but the principles haven’t changed a bit. 2023 had some of the greatest successes for women in their respective careers, but it seemed that wasn’t on the agenda to announce or acknowledge at the Golden Globes. My hopes are that collectively, we stop making lazy, overused jokes at women’s expenses, and maybe finally accept and recognize the success of everyone who wholeheartedly deserves it.
