It’s that time of year when the entertainment business is all over the media as actors, singers and directors are receiving recognition for doing their best work in 2014. For an industry always under the spotlight, is award season too much for our culture?
With a season of glitz and glam at its annual high, award season has made its arrival. The public swoons over fashion trends, its favorite celebrity crush steps out in a Giorgio Armani ensemble, the underdog actor makes a compelling acceptance speech and secretly hopes that Kanye West will make another unwarranted appearance.
Over the past couple weekends, my Twitter feed has blown up with people (including me) obsessing over every little detail of the most recent award show. For approximately two months, our culture gets to indulge in a season when we see our favorite entertainers from all areas of the performing arts hopefully receiving another nomination or award to add to their collection.
As a fandom culture, we live for weekends like these, watching our favorite celebrity make a speech that inspires us to continue to strive for our goals. We are motivated to keep going, in hopes that there will be award for us somewhere down the line. We pride ourselves on recognition. We pride ourselves on winning.
Is this a bad thing? For something like good, purposeful art, is recognition justified?
As a society, if we can move past the “Best and Worst Dressed” awards and solely focus on films, music and artists being honored for their contribution to society, then the season is justified.
The academy often nominates for the Oscars those films that have contributed to our culture over the past year. Whether it is honoring the life of the most lethal American sniper, shedding light on a man who changed history by leading a march or recognizing an individual trying to crack the enigma code in World War II, these films matter. These type of films should have their day in the sun. They should receive public recognition.
The 2015 Grammy Awards Show ignited the twitter hashtag #ItsOnUs, bringing awareness to domestic violence within our culture. Through expression of music, we have the power to speak out against this issue. For reasons such as this, award seasons should exist.
Award season can be negative in our culture when seeking trophies outweighs the importance of the actual art and is solely to achieve positive feedback from an older-generation voting member. If award season’s main purpose is to play the comparison game, then we can do without it.
One Oscar win and the honored actor’s career can take off. He or she is seen and discussed in magazines and interviews across the nation. However, not all who win have the best influence on our culture. Many have made public choices in their lives that do not reflect a positive role model’s agenda.
Award season should be set apart from the entertainer’s personal lifestyle, and only judged upon whether a performance was outstanding in telling an important story through music, film or television.
This season is positive for our culture when we honor those who have created stories and music that challenge our intellect, belief systems and lifestyles.