I look forward to award season every year.
I keep up with most ceremonies, but there are obviously two I favor — The Grammys and The Oscars — and are certified holidays in my mind. I like the idea of celebrating art and the creatives behind it, and I think award shows are a great way to archive pop culture of the times.
Award season is obviously competitive for those nominated, but it's also a feat for fans. As an award season devotee, it can be hard to not see your favorite artist, actor or director winning, but sometimes blind adoration can cloud judgment.
The day after a major award show, social media is buzzing. Snubs and successes are being debated. The Monday after this year's Grammys was no exception, but to my surprise, I found a lot of people in my inner circles and online discussing how disappointing it was.
I was under the impression that this year's Grammys were the best in a while. I thought every major award was deserved and I'm a great fan of most winners.
The main conversations I saw surrounded album of the year: Fans were upset with Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" receiving the most coveted award of the night. I observed a lot of Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Charli XCX fans who deemed "Cowboy Carter" undeserving.
And you know what — that's okay. You don't have to agree with all the winners.
But what I can't stand is someone belittling art they haven't given the time of day. It seems silly and counteractive.
I want to start by saying I'm not a major Beyoncé fan, I'm more of a casual listener. I think she's great and I actually really enjoyed "Cowboy Carter." It was deserving of album of the year, and out of all the nominees, I can see why the Recording Academy deemed it a winner.
On social media I saw a lot of fans debating the album's validity. I saw posts saying "Hit Me Hard And Soft" by Billie Eilish changed lives. I saw videos comparing deep lyrics from Taylor Swift's "The Tortured Poets Department" to Beyoncé's lead single "Texas Hold 'Em," asking how a lyrical masterpiece of an album could lose to a vapid pop hit.
It left a sour taste in my mouth. How do you know "Cowboy Carter" didn't change lives just because it didn't change yours?
And how can a Taylor Swift fan claim shallow lyrics when that's an allegation she's fought her entire career?
It's not a crime to be disappointed if a work of art you loved is snubbed, but it's also not fair to exile a winner who you deem undeserving, especially if you haven't consumed the winning media.
Instead, take it as an opportunity – listen to the album winner, watch the best picture. Give it the benefit of the doubt because that movie, that album, probably means a whole lot to the people who made it and the fans who love it.
I've been guilty of this too. This year I saw a lot of discourse surrounding "Emilia Pérez" as it started winning awards. I heard about the film and some of its controversies surrounding the director's depiction of Mexico and had just written it off.
But that's hypocritical of me. I should, according to my own standards, watch the film and gauge it from there. And I intend to.
Award season should be looked at as a celebration. Yes, there are many flaws within the system and many opportunities for growth, but at the end of the day I just love good movies, good music and hope to get my fill of Oscar nights for many years to come.
Edited by Andrew Dirst, Abigail Beck and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at jagon128@asu.edu.
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Jazlyn is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication. This is her second semester with The State Press. She has also worked at Blaze Radio.
