We may have lost Amy and Tina as (the best-ever) hosts of the Golden Globes, but this year’s show included a number of great feminist moments. Take a look below for five of our faves!
1. Ricky Gervais called out Hollywood’s gender pay gap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Fi4gZjsblM
Ricky Gervais kicked off the Globes with some highly offensive—and, thankfully, poorly received—transphobic jokes. But he did make one feminist quip while discussing Jennifer Lawrence’s 2015 Lenny Letter on the Hollywood gender pay gap. Pointing out the absurdity of women’s lesser wages, Gervais said, “I’d like to say now, I’m being paid exactly the same as [what Tina Fey and Amy Poehler received] last year. No, I know there were two of them, but it’s not my fault if they want to share the money, is it? That’s their stupid fault. It’s funny because it’s true.”
He also skewered Hollywood studios while discussing female remakes of classic films, such as Ghostbusters, saying, “This is brilliant for the studios because they get guaranteed box office results and they don’t have to spend too much money on the cast.”
2. Bryce Dallas Howard owned the red carpet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrjq_GJsNl4
Before taking the stage, Jurassic World actor Bryce Dallas Howard chatted with E! News’ Giuliana Rancic about presenting an award and attending the Globes for the first time. Before they parted ways, Rancic asked Howard who designed the gown she was wearing. “I’m wearing Jenny Packham,” she said, “but I just picked it up at Neiman’s this week.” Rancic expressed her surprise—it’s unusual for a star to purchase her own awards show gown, let alone choose something from a department store— so Howard explained, “I like having lots of options for a size 6, as opposed to maybe one option, so I always go to department stores.” We loved this moment because Howard, in a subtle way, tore apart the Hollywood fashion norm that requires women actors to fit into sample sizes—usually 0 and 2.
3. Eva Longoria and America Ferrera skewered Hollywood racism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHBijKSOI8U
After Gervais introduced the pair of actors as “two people who your future president, Donald Trump, can’t wait to deport,” America Ferrera and Eva Longoria took the stage to make a further point about racism against Latina/o Americans. Said Longoria, “Yes, hi, I’m Eva Longoria. Not Eva Mendes.” America Ferrera followed up by introducing herself and indicating, “I’m not Gina Rodriguez.” The bit appeared to be a response to an earlier tweet from the Golden Globes official Twitter account, which confused Ferrera with Jane the Virgin actor Gina Rodriguez.
4. Leonardo DiCaprio took a stand for indigenous peoples.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncgFQAISaGo
After winning a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama, Leonardo DiCaprio used his platform to call attention to the Canadian First Nations peoples who worked on his film, The Revenant, and to acknowledge the erasure of their histories.
I want to share this award with all the First Nations people represented in this film and all the indigenous communities around the world. It is time that we recognize your history and that we protect your indigenous lands from corporate interests and people that are out there to exploit them. It is time that we heard your voice and protected this planet for future generations.
DiCaprio previously visited the Alberta tar sands, a highly controversial oil-drilling project located in the province in which he shot The Revenant. He’s been critical of the environmental degradation wrought by the drilling and his currently at work on a documentary about the tar sands.
5. Sophia Bush got excited about Emma Watson’s feminist book club.
Just a few short days ago, Emma Watson announced the launch of an online feminist book club—and the first title she chose is none other than My Life on the Road by cofounding Ms. editor Gloria Steinem. Speaking on the red carpet about joining the book club, called Our Shared Shelf, Chicago P.D. actor Sophia Bush said, “It always excites me when I find like-minded women in this industry who are working to uplift women.” She continued, “It excites me that that sort of thing is happening around treating women better.”
