The 2017 Oscars were less male—and more feminist—than in previous years.
The epic Best Picture mix-up may have stolen the show Sunday night, but let’s not let that outshine the way Hollywood came out in support of the women’s movement. Here are some of the best lady-related moments of the Academy Awards:
Meryl Streep’s “totally undeserved” standing ovation.
At the end of Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue, the Oscars host called out Meryl Streep for “phoning it in for more than 50 films over the course of her lackluster film career.” He continued: “This is Meryl’s 20th nomination. Everyone join me in giving Meryl Streep a totally undeserved round of applause.” The reference to Streep’s “lackluster” film career was a jab at Donald Trump, who called Streep “overrated” after she used her 2017 Golden Globes to deliver a pointed critique of the then-president-elect.
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Katherine Johnson’s on-stage cameo.
Former NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, one of the women who inspired the Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures, was invited onstage with the film’s cast and told the crowd “thank you,” to a standing ovation. The 98-year-old Johnson, portrayed in the movie by Taraji P. Henson, worked for NASA as a research mathematician for more than 30 years, according to NASA’s website.
All the stars who wore ACLU and Planned Parenthood pins.
Best actress awardee Emma Stone and Fifty Shades of Grey actress Dakota Johnson both sported silver Planned Parenthood pins to show their support of the women’s health organization that President Donald Trump has threatened to defund. Meanwhile, Loving actress Ruth Negga, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, and model Karlie Kloss pinned bright blue ACLU ribbons to their ensembles. The ribbons are part of the nonprofit’s “Stand with ACLU” campaign, which launched this week, according to People.
Viola Davis’s history-making night.
Seven female nominees had the chance to make history Sunday night, but in the end, only one did: Viola Davis. She won the award for best supporting actress for her performance in Fences, making her the 23rd actor—and first black actor—to achieve acting’s Triple Crown: a Tony, an Emmy, and an Oscar. Her victory was proof of remarks she made at the 2015 Emmy awards—where she became the first woman to win the award for lead actress in a drama: “You cannot win an Emmy for roles that simply are not there.”
