Cate then used her speech to speak out against the “best actress” category, criticising the “arbitrary” term, “considering how many extraordinary performances” there were by women last year.
“I would love it if we would just change this whole f***ing structure. It’s like what is this patriarchal pyramid where someone stands up here. Why don’t we just say there was a whole raft of female performances that are in concert and in dialogue with one another?”
“And stop the televised horse race of it all,” Cate continued.
“Because, can I tell you, every single woman with a television, film, advertising, tampon commercials — whatever — you’re all out there doing amazing work that is inspiring me continually. So thank you. I share this with you all.”
The passionate speech divided fans, with many either loving - or hating, Cate’s view.
“Cate Blanchett said to stop pitting women against each other and she’s so right,” wrote one fan. Whilst another agreed that it was a “hell of a speech”.
But not everyone agreed, with some calling the acceptance speech “tone deaf,” pointing out the hypocrisy of an actress calling out award ceremonies when they have won numerous awards throughout their career.
Cate joins a number of rising celebrities who have begun to call out award ceremonies. On Aussie shores, musician G Flip has regularly spoken out about the restrictions of genre categories and gendered awards.
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The ARIA Music awards responded to G Flip’s concerns by taking massive steps forward towards better inclusivity last year, scrapping the Best Male Artist and Best Female Artist Awards.
Annabelle Herd, chief executive of ARIA, said in a statement that “If you have categories that are limited to people who identify as male or female, then you are excluding a whole bunch of amazing artists that are non-binary. And it was clear that the time of excluding non-binary artists had absolutely passed.”
“The music industry is demanding a more equal, inclusive, safe and supportive space for everyone and ARIA is working hard to achieve that across the ARIA Awards and everything we do.”