The 87th annual Oscar nominations were announced early Thursday morning.
Take a look at the light-skinned faces of this year's Best Actress nominees:
Now look at the Best Actor nominees:
And the Best Director noms:
One thing all of the nominees have in common? The color of their skin — white.
And it doesn't stop there. The Best Supporting Actor/Actress categories both look like the same 50 shades of white:
After the nominations were announced, people immediately noticed the lack of diversity among the nominees.
On Twitter, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite quickly blew up with people making "yo mama"-like jokes:
#OscarsSoWhite the show's dinner will be pumpkin flavored everything.
— Wynn (@wynnhsb) January 15, 2015#OscarsSoWhite because 12 years a slave winning last year satiated our white guilt for at least 5 years.
— Jordan Lange (@Jalangaloze) January 15, 2015#OscarsSoWhite Tiger Woods just tried to have an affair with them
— Nate the Sports Guy (@HumbleSportsGuy) January 15, 2015#OscarsSoWhite They nominated Repealing Obamacare
— anibundel (@anibundel) January 15, 2015#OscarsSoWhite its best friend is black
— based kortney ✊ (@fakerapper) January 15, 2015#OscarsSoWhite Paula Deen will be the official Chef at the next Oscar Ceremony
— Rita A (@ritaag) January 15, 2015#OscarsSoWhite it has no idea why this hashtag is necessary.
— April (@ReignOfApril) January 15, 2015All this fuss about no black nominees on #Oscars2015 but what about the yellow people? #OscarsSoWhite#OscarSnubspic.twitter.com/1jaBuGVO4T
— Burt Macklin (@Takingbackcider) January 15, 2015Apparently there was not a single good performance by a person of color this year #OscarsSoWhite
— Manvir Singh (@manwizzle) January 15, 2015A few pointed out that Academy President, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who announced the noms, is actually black:
#OscarsSoWhite but they're not #racist because their president is black.
— Reed Adair Bobroff (@Bobroffing) January 15, 2015Isaacs was forced to respond to the nominations' lack of diversity shortly after they were announced.
When Vulture asked Isaacs whether the organization has a problem with recognizing diversity, she replied, "Not at all. Not at all."
While last year's Oscars were more diverse than past years ("12 Years A Slave" won Best Picture and Lupita Nyong'o Best Supporting Actress), many found this year's lack of color especially troubling because there was a film worthy of the accolades — "Selma," about Martin Luther King Jr.'s monumental Civil Rights March in Selma, Alabama.
Many expected "Selma" director, Ava DuVernay, would make history this year as the first black woman nominated for Best Director. She was snubbed. The film did earn a Best Picture nomination, but "Selma" breakout star David Oyelowo also failed to receive a Best Actor nod.
Vulture asked Isaacs about the seeming "Selma" snub:
"Well, it's a terrific motion picture, and that we can never and should not take away from it, the fact that it is a terrific motion picture," she said. "There are a lot of terrific motion pictures, it's a very competitive time, and there's a lot of great work that has been done. I am very happy that Selma is included in our eight terrific motion-picture [nominations]."
There's clearly a diversity and gender divide within the Academy. According to one report, Oscar voters are nearly 94% Caucasian and 77% male.
Media Diversified posted this graphic showing even more scary stats:
#Oscarssowhite they can't see a problem in this - The diversity gap in the Academy Awards #Oscars2015#OscarNomspic.twitter.com/UOZLOM9Mnl"
— Media Diversified (@WritersofColour) January 15, 2015SEE ALSO: Oscar Nominations Revealed: Here's The Full List
MORE: The 13 Biggest Snubs And Surprises From The Oscar Nominations
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