They did watch the same Barbie film as everybody else, didn't they? They did watch the film that critiques the patriarchy, has an unapologetically pink colour palette and an unforgettable monologue about how hard it can be to be a woman in a world geared towards favouring men, right?

Because if that were the case, why is it the male lead is the one with the Oscar nomination right now, and not the female lead? Or the female director?

This is not to say that Ryan Gosling did not do an incredible job with Ken and does not deserve the best supporting actor nod. Or that people are not ecstatic that America Ferrara - who plays Gloria, the human lens through which we view the Barbie world - received her first Oscar nod as best supporting actress.

But that does not mean that Margot Robbie's performance as Barbie, and Greta Gerwig's directorial role were not cosmically snubbed. So much so that in a world that is used to the Academy leaving key people out of their nominations, these two particular snubs are still setting the world (or rather, the internet) on fire.

Even Gosling addressed the issue - mere hours after the announcement.

"There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally celebrated film," he said in a statement on Tuesday, US time.

"No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius. To say that I'm disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement."

And he's right.

There was an incredible hill both Robbie - as an actor and producer - and Gerwig - as a director and co-screenwriter with Noah Baumbach - had to climb to make Barbie the juggernaut that it became.

This was a project that had tried to get off the ground multiple times, with various versions - including ones where Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway played the title role - continuously falling before even reaching the first hurdle.

And for what it's worth, both of these actresses have come out praising Robbie's version. It's hard not to. Robbie managed to perfectly embody a doll that somehow feels both relatable and anything but relatable, simultaneously and makes it look effortless in the process.

Not to mention then creating a screenplay that managed to discuss the complexities and uphold the criticisms alongside the praise that this at-times controversial doll has had over the decades, and still manage to drive home a message fit for a 2023 audience.

Oh, and they managed to make more than $US1.4 billion ($A2.1 billion) in the process.

And yet despite all of this - despite the money and the impact and the overall achievement that Barbie was - these two women were left out of the running for the film industry's biggest achievements.

Is it that hard for the Academy to admit that a film can be successful commercially, with a female gaze and critically acclaimed at the same time?

When you look at who the Academy actually is - a group of overwhelmingly white men who are mainly over the age of 60 - perhaps it's not so hard to see why they continually dismiss "girl movies".

This comes just six years after the #MeToo and #TimesUp era when the Oscars committed to including films with a female gaze in their considerations. A time when the industry as a whole described itself as a new era for women. A fresh new start.

But as always, actions speak louder than words and it's clear that it was all a flimsy public relations move with no actual backbone.

Sure, you could argue that the film industry is a slow-moving one - and that's not wrong. But how do you explain excluding a perfect candidate such as this one if not gender bias?

It's not about Barbie winning the awards. It's about women, women-led projects, and women-focused content being included and held up to the same standard as their male counterparts. Surely that small step forward is not too much to ask?