{"id":206,"date":"2011-02-15T09:03:05","date_gmt":"2011-02-15T17:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/elizabethcheong\/?p=206"},"modified":"2011-03-21T00:43:29","modified_gmt":"2011-03-21T07:43:29","slug":"oscars-curse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/elizabethcheong\/2011\/02\/oscars-curse\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s the B.A.C.?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nAre you curious?
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\nLet me enlighten you.
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\nIn recent years, media and tabloids alike have noticed an eerie trend that unfolds post-Oscars. \u00a0Many recipients of the Best Actress Oscar have later faced detrimental marriage issues (aka the B<\/strong>est A<\/strong>ctress C<\/strong>urse) that lead to very public divorces.\u00a0 Of the 10 actors who have received the Oscar nod in the past decade, of which 5 were single at the time and thereby exempt, 4 of them have been struck by the curse. \u00a0Only the great Helen Mirren survived this seemingly absurd coincidence (although her husband of 13 years is currently the President of the Directors Guild of America and in fact has a directing Oscar under his own belt). \u00a0Hilary Swank, Reese Witherspoon, Kate Winslet, and most recently Sandra Bullock all filed for divorce from their husbands within two years of receiving the award.
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\nInterestingly enough, the Best Actress Curse (B.A.C.) that has plagued our Hollywood starlets is not mere fluke. \u00a0A study conducted<\/a> by the organizational behaviour department of the Rotman School of Management under the \u00a0University of Toronto found that Best Actress winners from 1936 to 2010 have a 63% chance of divorce sooner than Best Actress nominees. \u00a0The median marriage duration for Best Actress winners was 4.3 years (keep in mind that this includes the marriages of people like Frances McDormand and the previously mentioned Helen Mirren, whose respective husbands are Oscar-winning directors and have been married for ages<\/em><\/strong>), while the median marriage duration for non-winners was 9.51 years.
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\nSo why this huge gap between winners and non-winners? \u00a0The article that I read points out that because traditionally, males have a dominant and higher status in the family, and when that “norm” is violated with an Oscar for the leading lady, couples consequently feel confused with what their future holds. \u00a0Should the wife take on more chores to “compensate” or “make-up” for her career achievement so that the ‘equilibrium’ can be re-established? \u00a0Inevitably, however, the wife will receive a confidence boost from the award, and the husband may either feel intimidated or ashamed at his own relative un-success. \u00a0Problems easily stem from this issue of power dynamics, and happiness in the relationship is hugely threatened.
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\nWhether or not the Best Actress winner in two weeks will undergo a divorce cannot truly be predicted. \u00a0But the study results are there. \u00a0How do you decipher them? \u00a0What factors do you think should be considered to determine the accuracy of this ‘Oscar jinx’?
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\nRegardless, I myself am looking forward to watching the hosts of<\/del><\/strong> the 53rd annual Academy Awards on February 27th. \u00a0James Franco, as you can tell from my previous blog, is one of my favourites. \u00a0And Anne captured my heart since the first\u00a0installment\u00a0of the Princess Diaries; I hope she sings sometime during the show!
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\nEnjoy!
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\nFurther reading: Does a Best Actress Oscar Lead to Divorce?<\/a><\/p>\n