Importance of diversity at the Oscars

The Oscars are considered to be one of the most prestigious awards for artistic and technical merit in the film industry. This year ended the four year straight decline of ratings, it went up 12% due to the record high diversity with several historic wins for women and people of color. So why is diversity important again?
It’s the first time ¾ of acting winners are people of color but why is this such a big deal? The Oscars are notorious for nominating predominately white people in their categories. Essentially ignoring people of color work and not recognizing their work. Many artists get tired of not receiving the credit they deserve which results in movements like #oscarsowhite. Movements like these are created to raise awareness of the lack of diversity not only in the Oscars but many other award shows as well. Although the academy has might somewhat progressive changes such as including a more diverse board of members.
The impact of making nominations and winners more diverse is huge. Not only did it raise the ratings, it gave the people what they deserve. The cultural influence this this has is also important because viewers want to see actors and actresses on the screen they look like and can relate to. Identities are formed when watching the big screen, but they can also be erased when they barely appear to the public. Having a sense of belonging when watching a film makes it so much more enjoyable for the viewer.
Ratings are predicted to increase for the following year as the nominations are expected to become more diverse. More women are expected to be joining and dominating the film industry within the next few years. Representation causes more women to join this industry and not feel Although yes diversity has increased this does not mean that there is fair representation across Hollywood. Progress has been made but yet again there is so much room for improvement. This is only the beginning of a long battle with the white man.