Award ceremonies are a huge part of celebrity culture. The designer gowns, inclusive speeches and exclusive after parties are remembered for weeks to come. However, due to the digital format of the Golden Globes, what really matters has been put under a magnifying glass. The winners, the nominations, and how utterly biased they were.
The acting and media community were outraged by the nominations of the Golden Globes. Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You – a masterpiece on consent, trauma surrounding sexual assault and privilege was disappointingly snubbed Meanwhile, programmes such as Emily in Paris (focused on an American’s relocation to France) and Schitts Creek (focused on a white family’s delve from bourgeoisie to middle class) gained nominations.
The thirty-three-year-old writer’s drama aired on BBC iPlayer in June 2020, and has received much acclaim due to its focus on rape culture and white privilege. The ignorance of the Golden Globes is devastating, as Michaela Coel invoked trauma from her past experiences of sexual assault when writing the series, and aimed to give a voice to survivors much like herself.
In an interview, Cole told Vulture Magazine that “the show is calling for introspection”, due to the exposing nature of the narrative. A show with such impact on society, and a perspective on sexual assault that had never been vocalised before, should surely have received more recognition from the arts community and award boards. While other nominees took to social media to express their disbelief, Deborah Copaken – a writer for Netflix’s hit series Emily in Paris – wrote an article for The Guardian expressing her dismay that such a wonder didn’t receive a nomination.
I May Destroy You has now been nominated for a SAG award, but we are forced to examine the cause of this. Are the arts community finally acknowledging Michaela Coel’s genius, or are they just avoiding further backlash?
