Is there a Barbie Girl in all of us?
As the Barbie movie phenomenon sweeps the world, it feels like it has wriggled into every crevice of the media we consume.
I won’t be able to see the movie in its entirety until I am home from my summer travels next week (yes, I am currently writing this poolside in the Portuguese sun- ah bliss). However, a quick scroll through social media tells me that this is not the flirty, bubblegum pop picture we all expected. Instead, I am being met with captions such as:
‘This film reconstructs what it means to be a woman.’
‘Barbie has me questioning every double standard out there.’
And my personal favourite, from Piers Morgan: ‘This is an assault on not just Ken, but all men.’
The movie has been applauded for its portrayal of gender roles and feminism. It has also been met with criticism from the ‘anti woke,’ as labelled by some online critics.
Feminism in the real world seeks equality for all. In Barbie, we see the females as the favorable gender. In the real world, we are multi-faceted. In Barbie, the characters are gender absolutes. As with any movie, it is a blunt exaggeration of reality in the name of entertainment. However, the movie director- Greta Gerwig, has been incredibly successful in her mission to open up uncomfortable conversations.
I’ve certainly noticed some juxtaposing Barbie moments of my own over the last few weeks. My column is called ‘Truly Twenties’. As a female at the age of 27, I notice them from childhood all the way to the present day.
Girls being praised on appearance; boys being told to man up.
Being a female working in radio, I have been mansplained to more times than I can count. Yet, every job I have ever had in this industry is thanks to a different set of men seeing me as talented and capable.
My phone is constantly pinging from the group chats I’m in, filled with warm, supportive female friendships where we celebrate each other’s wins, Barbie slumber party style. But if you ask me what the most cutting thing someone’s ever said about me was? – it came from a woman.
Being a woman can be fraught with contradictions, and being a man in this day and age comes with its own unique set of challenges also, toxic masculinity is still rife in the year of 2023 and males are 3 times more likely to die from suicide.
So, does the Barbie movie 100% accurately represent feminism at its true core of equality for all? Perhaps not, but it shines a light on girl power and has opened up conversations that needed to be had. Alongside Barbie movie trivia, my social media feed is also filled with Taylor Swift fans making and trading friendship bracelets at her concerts. Male painters and plumbers doing little dances on TikTok, just because. And the ‘how I love being a woman’ montage sound. Sprinkled with visuals of friendship, growth and joy.
Perhaps it’s time to strip it all back. Reconnect with the inner child that takes joy in the simplest things. Remember a time when gender expectations were barely on your radar. And believe- like Barbie- that we females can do anything we set our mind to. I thought my Barbie girl chapter had closed, but in my 20’s I’m learning that perhaps the little girl inside knew best all along.
