For some reason the Grammy Awards didn’t get as much attention when they did it in 2011 but MTV’s been in the headlines because they made a dramatic change to their awards show format. MTV has officially scrapped gender specific categories for its upcoming Movie & TV Awards. In place of the Best Actress and Best Actor categories, this year’s awards will honor a non-gendered Best Actor in a Movie and Best Actor in a Show. The move follows the Grammy Awards’ decision in 2011 to dump gender distinctions between male and female singers, collaborations and groups.
Personally I see this as being 100% positive. There are zero negative ramifications to this movie and I hope that larger awards shows like the Emmys, Tonys, Golden Globes, and Oscars start to adopt this policy. If we’re going to be promoting gender equality in this country then it’s time to actually treat both genders as equal. The way to do this is by eliminating a gender tag altogether. The tricky part is that there are times when you need to differentiate between genders and there are time when you shouldn’t.
I think when it comes to awards, there’s absolutely no need to separate. Acting is acting, period. Doesn’t matter if it’s a male or a female in the role. Same goes for singing. It’s a slippery slope but I think MTV got it 100% on this one. Areas where I think distinctions are necessary are places like sports, fashion (men and women’s clothing lines), health, etc etc. These are areas where a gender difference is more “literal.” I’m just glad MTV’s getting the conversation started.
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