MTV’s gender-neutral acting award is great, but the rest of Hollywood is miles behind
Last night at MTV’s Movie and TV Awards ceremony, Emma Watson accepted MTV’s first gender-neutral acting award. This morning, Watson’s speech, which The New York Times called “a potent call for breaking down gender categories,” went viral on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.
The award has been hailed as a watershed moment for equality in entertainment. It’s certainly a step in a positive direction, and it’s nice to think about a future where acting categories aren’t split up by gender — as if performing as a man and as a woman are somehow radically different acts. Gender-neutral “best performance” categories honor the fact that men and women play equally valuable roles in film, and, crucially, they make awards ceremonies more hospitable to...