When the nominations for the MTV Movie Awards were announced last week, we were excited about the 7 noms The Hunger Games: Catching Fire received but were scratching our heads over a couple big omissions. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen was not nominated for Best Hero? What?! Seemed a little strange considering Catching Fire is the first film with a female lead to top the box office in 4 decades.
Leave it to our passionate fandom to not take this lying down. Sophie Azran, a college student and one of our favorite members of The Hunger Games fandom (and amazing graphic artist, check out her tumblr), started a petition to get Katniss added to the nominations for Best Hero. The petition reads:
There is not a single woman in the Hero Category. Don't let a strong woman like Katniss be overlooked!
Please sign and share this petition before April 13 to demand that MTV add Katniss Everdeen to the "Best Hero" category at the MTV Movie Awards.
Young women already have too few female heroes represented in film and television. We're constantly shown by the entertainment industry that men are brave, powerful, or successful, while women are often given supporting roles and weak characters.
I loved The Hunger Games, not just because it was a thrilling story, but because I admired the courage, intelligence, and persistence of Katniss Everdeen. Teen girls and young women everywhere need to see that courageous, principled women can be rewarded just like men.
The MTV Movie Awards are widely watched by a young adult audience. It's appalling to me that the event's producers are ignoring this female hero, especially since this film beat out all the others at the box office. But unlike the Oscars, the MTV Movie awards encourages public involvement, allowing the public to vote on winners. If enough of us ask for Katniss to be added, I'm confident that MTV will listen.
And it's getting national attention. E! News ran the story today, and TheWrap and IBTimes ran stories about it as well.
Feel the same? Sign the petition HERE. We did!
You can follow Sophie Azran on tumblr at cinnasownmockingjay.tumblr.com or on twitter at @comockingjay