Let's be frank, it's not just the stars sitting in the audience that sometimes find the Oscars a little dull. Those of us who watch at home (without even the incentive of a goody bag or a stunt double to take over when we pop to the loo) occasionally allow the thought to cross their mind that maybe this is dragging somewhat, whether or not you've designed a drinking game based on doing a shot every time the charming Jennifer Lawrence falls over.
However, this year a couple of things caused us to prick up our ears and pay attention – and we aren't talking about Neil Patrick Harris's pants.
Reese Witherspoon kicked off the Academy Awards celebrations by championing the #AskHerMore campaign on her Instagram and hoping she would be asked more than just "Who are you wearing?" – an alarming question when you think about it. This sparked the new hashtag #FeministOscars.
Host Neil Patrick Harris noted the continuing lack of diversity at the 87th Academy Awards saying: "Welcome to the 87th Oscars. Tonight we honour Hollywood’s best and whitest — sorry, brightest."
Julieanne Moore won Best Actress for her role of a woman diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers 'Still Alice' and joked that she'd read winning an Oscar can add five years to your life: "If that's true, I want to thank to Academy because my husband is younger than me."
Common and John Legend who won an Oscar for their song 'Glory' in the film 'Selma' made speeches that noted the continued inequality in the land of the free, John Legend, citing Nina Simone, said: "Nina Simone said it’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times in which we live. We wrote this song for a film that was based on events 50 years ago, but we say that Selma is now. Because the struggle for justice is right now. We know that the Voting Rights Act that they fought for 50 years ago is being compromised right now in this country today. We know that right now, the struggle for freedom and justice is real."
Equality was a theme that Patricia Arquette, winner of Best Supporting Actress for 'Boyhood' picked up upon. Having said in previous interviews that she paid her babysitter and dog walker more than she earned for the film 'Boyhood' it was fitting that she ended her acceptance speech on this note: "To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It’s time to have wage equality once and for all. And equal rights for women in the United States of America."
Causing Meryl Streep and JLo to inspire the most popular GIF of the Oscars. Patricia Arquette's call for equal rights was slightly confused when she said backstage: "It's time for all the women in America and all the men who love women and all the gay people and all the people of colour that we’ve fought for, to fight for us now…"
So the Twitter hashtag #FeministOscars might have been a little premature but it looks like Meryl Streep and JLo are ready to get on the march!
