Last Sunday, after weeks of controversy and debate, the 2016 Oscars ceremony aired on ABC to the lowest ratings in years. When the nominees were announced back in January, last year’s #OscarsSoWhite hashtag resurfaced after another shocking and disheartening year of a lack of diversity. In case you missed it, every single nominee in the acting category was white (for the second year in a row). This sparked a lot of conversation about Hollywood and the need for representation across the nation. Many celebrities announced they were boycotting the Oscars, including #CoupleGoals Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith. Needless to say, the pressure was on for the Academy and this year’s host, Chris Rock. It all came to a head on Sunday night, and boy do we have some thoughts. 1. Chris Rock’s Monologue
We’re so conflicted! On one hand, Chris did a great job at making the issue of a lack of diversity front and center. Simply sweeping it under the rug would not have cut it after the weeks of build up, and he definitely kept the controversy front and center. He even made sure to call Hollywood outright racist. However, he took a few jabs at women of color in the process (how can you disrespect Jada Pinkett-Smith and Rihanna like that?!) and at times even belittled the movement for increased diversity. His quote about how people of color have never protested The Oscars before because “we had real things to protest at the time…” seemed to imply racial minorities no long have “real” issues they face. This was a little bizarre, considering everything that happened in the news this past year. What made that line even worse is that a highly publicized #JusticeforFlint rally was happening that very same night. It was an awkward misstep for Rock, but he seemed to bounce back quickly. 2. Jenny Beavan’s Acceptance
The clothes a woman chooses to wear on her own body should never be controversial, even if it’s The Oscar’s, but Jenny Beavan made waves in the Twittersphere after accepting her Best Costume Design for Mad Max in jeans and a sequined leather jacket. As she was walking up to the stage, the camera even caught a few of the audience member’s reactions to her getup, and we saw quite a few surprised faces — maybe even an eye roll or two. We have no comment on Ms. Beavan’s outfit except she looked super comfy, and we loved her acceptance speech. You do you, Jenny! Honestly, we just hope the jacket she wore means bedazzling our clothes is finally coming back. 3. LADY GAGA
Wow. What a performance. What a song. Did you cry? We might have gotten a little teary. Watching all of those survivors of sexual abuse stand up together and bring this issue to light was one of the most inspiring moments of the night. YAAAAS, Gaga! You might not have won the Oscar, but you won our hearts. 4. Leonardo Dicaprio Wins
Finally! An atrocious injustice is finally made right — Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar. After such a truly divisive few weeks for Hollywood and the Academy, at least, we can all finally agree on something. He took the time in his acceptance speech to address environmental concerns and the threat of global warming too! Swoon. 5. BLACK LIVES MATTER
In the end, although we felt conflicted about a few of Chris Rock’s jokes, he really brought his A-game on Sunday. He addressed the issues that needed to be addressed, and he did so with humor and thoughtfulness. At the end of the night, he made sure “Black lives matter!” were the final words, while Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” song played in the background. We couldn’t have said it any better ourselves, Chris. The ratings may have been low, but this was one of the most action-packed Oscars we’ve seen in a while. All eyes will be on the Academy next year. We can only hope they’ve learned their lesson.