Margot Robbie surprised Barbie fans by wearing an all-black Versace dress to the Oscars 2024.
Fans speculated that her choice of attire might have been a silent protest against her snub for the Best Actress Oscar nomination.
The 33-year-old Australian actress played the iconic Barbie doll in Greta Gerwig’s hit 2023 movie, and since the release, she has stepped on the red carpet with gorgeous doll-inspired looks on different occasions. For instance, Margot’s outfit at the Golden Globes this year was a replica of the 1977 Superstar Barbie.
Margot Robbie has worn different Barbie-inspired looks since the hit movie’s release
Margot Robbie channels 1977 Superstar Barbie in custom Armani at the 2024 Golden Globes. pic.twitter.com/lrQCAICc34
— best of margot (@bestofmargot) January 8, 2024
Many fans anticipated Margot gracing the Oscars red carpet in an ensemble that would serve as the ultimate wink at Barbie. Alas, it was not to be. As the curtains rose on the 96th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, Margot dazzled in a black sequined Versace gown—undeniably breathtaking, yet, to some, a pivot from the Barbie aesthetic.
Fans online came up with a theory of her outfit being a “protest dress” in response to her being snubbed for a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars this year. Director Greta also did not find her name among the nominees in the Best Director category.
Her black Versace gown was called a “protest dress” over her Oscar snub for the Best Actress nomination
Image credits: Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic / Getty Images
“Black because she was snubbed. Take a stand girlllll! Don’t give them what they want!” one person wrote on social media.
Another wrote, “I think this is dress is a protest againts the Academy … all black, no accesories, hair and make up very neutral.”
“Barbie is in grief for her non-nomination,” another said.
“She’s always beautiful. but is this a protest dress for not getting the best actress nomination?” read a fourth comment.
Some fans said the Oscars night signaled the “end of an era” for Margot’s run as Barbie
margot robbie saying “hi barbie!” for the last time… end of an era😭😭 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/P7MY9dNcsr
— pop culture gal (@allurequinn) March 11, 2024
Barbie was nominated for eight awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Song (with both ‘I’m Just Ken’ and ‘What Was I Made For?’ receiving nominations).
Co-stars Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera were nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, respectively, for their roles of Ken and Gloria in the Barbie movie.
Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell received the Oscar for Best Original Song for their Barbie blockbuster ballad ‘What Was I Made For?’
The win made Billie and her brother the youngest people to pick up the prized golden statuettes in Academy Awards history.
The nominees and winners of some of the 96th Academy Awards categories:
Best picture:
Winner: Oppenheimer
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
Best actress:
Winner: Emma Stone – Poor Things
Annette Bening – Nyad
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Huller – Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Best actor:
Winner: Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Colman Domingo – Rustin
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction
Best supporting actress:
Winner: Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
America Ferrera – Barbie
Jodie Foster – Nyad
Best supporting actor:
Winner: Robert Downey Jr – Oppenheimer
Sterling K Brown – American Fiction
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things
Best director:
Winner: Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan
Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet
Killers of the Flower Moon – Martin Scorsese
Poor Things – Yorgos Lanthimos
The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer
Best original song:
What Was I Made For? – Barbie (Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell)
The Fire Inside – Flamin’ Hot (Diane Warren)
I’m Just Ken – Barbie (Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt)
It Never Went Away – American Symphony (Jon Batiste, Dan Wilson)
Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People) – Killers of the Flower Moon (Scott George)