A new study found that most movie critics are white males, and [loud, low sigh]
As if movies in Hollywood weren’t already dominated by white men both on and off screen, a new study shows that the movie critics in charge of reviewing these very films are even less diverse. Researchers from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative covered 19,559 reviews from leading U.S. newspapers, websites, and outlets, and found that 82% of reviews of 2017’s top-grossing films were penned by white critics. Meanwhile, writers from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups were only responsible for 18% of reviews of top movies even though they make up 38.7% of the population.
And as if those statistics weren’t disheartening enough, 77.8% of the reviews studied were authored by men, while female critics only wrote 22.2%. That comes out to a ratio of 3.5 male critics to every 1 female writer.
This news doesn’t come as a surprise, of course, but Twitter is demanding change.
In my few years of being a critic, here is what I've observed in terms of diversity and inclusion being a black woman:
— Valerie Complex @ TIFF 2022 (@ValerieComplex) June 11, 2018
When the top critics deciding which movies are "good" are overwhelmingly white & male, audiences aren't seeing the full picture. A new report from @Inclusionists @USC shows that diverse voices are vastly underrepresented in film criticism: https://t.co/hJYI9L5KHh #InclusionCrisis pic.twitter.com/TJwFJDOWLT
— TIME'S UP (@TIMESUPNOW) June 11, 2018
LRT -Please do not dismiss this study on film critics. The movies that make it into the awards race are very much influenced by critical praise which are usually by White male (cis) critics. This matters very much for filmmakers of color and from other marginalized groups.
— Rebecca Theodore-Vachon 🇭🇹 🇩🇴 🇺🇸 (@FilmFatale_NYC) June 11, 2018
The top critics on @RottenTomatoes are OVERWHELMINGLY white and male. The newest report from @Inclusionists @USC shows a vast underrepresentation of diverse voices: https://t.co/aMv3mNta78 #InclusionCrisis pic.twitter.com/oHcNQAE4zG
— Stephanie Beatriz (@iamstephbeatz) June 11, 2018
false
Not at ALL surprised. What is generally frustrating is seeing so many mediocre at best white male critics continue to get jobs/be promoted, while women and especially WOC get sidelined, overlooked, ignored even though they put in the work. https://t.co/M72RhYUmRk
— Mae Abdulbaki (@MaeAbdu) June 11, 2018
Critics diversity report: none of this surprises me. Particularly WoC have been talking about this for a long, long time. And it's exhausting, so when is it going to change is my question. This is really a question for the white gatekeepers.
— Candice Frederick (@ReelTalker) June 11, 2018
All this thread is true. Will add 1 thing.
White male critics can go in expecting access bc they're conditioned to think they deserve it, and are usually catered to.
We go in assuming we have to earn access, because we're trained to start with less and think it's our fault. https://t.co/77nohmn64Q
— Beth Elderkin (@BethElderkin) June 11, 2018
Okay, actually, I'm going to take a short break this morning to say that movie reviewing is absolutely a white boys club and that breaking into that club is extremely hard.
— Katharine Trendacosta (@k_trendacosta) June 11, 2018
In 2016, Meryl Streep pointed out this huge gender disparity when she found out that the lack of female film reviewers is adversely influencing the box office performance of female-centric films.
“I submit to you that men and women are not the same," she said. "They like different things. Sometimes they like the same things, but their tastes diverge. If the Tomatometer is slided so completely to one set of tastes, that drives box office in the U.S., absolutely." And she's right. Even though we're seeing quite an influx of female-fronted and racially diverse films on the silver screen, that doesn't translate to critics who are directly responsible for generating buzz for these movies. Which, if you think about it, is extremely unfair, considering that what these reviewers say can potentially make or break the success of the films and affect their chances of being considered at awards shows like the Oscars. Dr. Stacey Smith, the co-author of the study and founder and director of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, calls for the industry's publicity teams to grant women critics the same opportunities as their male counterparts. [quote]"The very individuals who are attuned to the under and misrepresentation of females on screen and behind the camera are often left out of the conversation and critiques," she said in a statement. "The publicity, marketing, and distribution teams in moviemaking have an opportunity to change this quickly by increasing the access and opportunities given to women of color as film reviewers."
We all know that Hollywood has a long history of favoring white men over every other group, and we hope that this study paves the way for marginalized factions to get the representation they deserve. Here’s to inclusion and diversity.
