Best Actress Oscar Is Sexist

Hey, Academy! Kim Elsesser shouts—acting ain’t the Olympics, so why are you still giving out awards for Best Actress? Female actors consider themselves actors, as the name would imply, and “in the 21st century women contend with men for titles ranging from the American president to the American Idol.” So, “clearly, there is no reason to still segregate acting Oscars by sex.” Plus, the ceremony would be shorter.

“Separate is not equal,” Elsesser reminds the Academy in the New York Times. In sports, of course, it’s fine, but “biological differences do not affect acting performances.” It would be really nice if awards groups acknowledged “that male and female actors do indeed have the same occupation.” If the Academy wants to keep the award count up after it collapses the categories, it could certainly go Golden Globe-style and treat dramatic and comedic performances separately. But if it continues “to segregate awards, then it should at least remain consistent and create an Oscar for best directress.” (More best actress stories.)