The Barbie Movie: Masterpiece or ‘Feminist Garbage’?

[Massive Movie spoiler alert]

The name on everybody’s lips is ‘Barbie’.

If you haven’t yet seen the new Barbie movie, I’d don your bright pink top and book a ticket quick.

Barbie is fast-becoming the highest grossing movie of 2023, making over US$1 BILLION globally in just two weeks and is already the highest grossing movie directed by a female director (Greta Gerwig).

Unsurprisingly, it has got a lot of women – and men – talking… and for good reason.

The movie has been described as “a multi layered masterpiece” (by me and no doubt others)…

Whilst also attracting its fair share of ire, in particular from pockets of conservative (largely) men who have got, unsurprisingly, nothing new to say.

So What Happens in The Movie?

The evolutionary growth journey that Mattel has taken with the Barbie doll product (in actual life) is cleverly reflected in the movie, with ‘original’ prim, skinny, long legged, white Barbie characters with cascading hair (that launched the brand back in 1959) featured alongside an array of Barbies of different colour, size and ability (Mattel’s inclusive-Barbie agenda began in earnest in 2015).

Throughout the movie we see Barbieland existing side-by-side with the real human world, the two never crossing.

And, whilst the real, human world is dictated by the patriarchy, we are delighted to see that Barbieland is its happy, mirrored opposite.

In Barbieland, where all women are called ‘Barbie’, we see women in positions of authority and power everywhere.

Women occupy all the jobs: there is a Barbie President, an all-Barbie Senate, there are Barbie doctors, lawyers and even mermaids… every position you need to keep a society functioning (well, maybe not the mermaid, but you get the idea).

The world is a matriarchy where decisions are made by women and where they (largely) all get along – more on that later.

Meanwhile, the male characters in Barbieland are all called ‘Ken’ (apart from a singular ‘Alan’, friend of ‘Ken’) and, despite being coupled up with their ‘own’ Barbie in theory, the Kens seem relatively superfluous to the Barbies’ busy lives.

Then Things Start To Change…

Where things get really interesting is where Stereotypical Barbie (played brilliantly by Margot Robbie) and Just-Beach-Ken (played hilariously by Ryan Gosling) cross the line from Barbieland into the real, human world to seek their fortunes.

Here, they learn that the real, human world is a patriarchy, a fact that is made abundantly clear when we see an assertive Stereotypical Barbie visit Mattel headquarters, to be greeted by an all-male, black-suit wearing, decision-making Executive who desperately try to get her “back in her box” – both literally and obvs, also metaphorically speaking.

Ken’s character arguably experiences the greatest growth as he tries to find his own identity. In the real world, Ken gets exposed to patriarchy and is instantly hooked.

Ken heads back to Barbieland solo and teaches all the other Kens about how to live as the dominant gender.

As we start seeing the Kens go ‘ultra-alpha’, flex their muscles, don fur coats, and turn the Barbies’ ‘dream houses’ into saloons, everything goes awry: gender roles reverse entirely and Stereotypical Barbie returns to see her formerly powerful Barbie sisterhood apparently brainwashed and reduced to mere decorative items, hanging onto every word the Kens say. (And the Senate has become a group of cheerleaders btw).

So before we talk any more about the movie, let’s touch on some of those hysterical, extreme critical reviews circulating the interweb right now.

Barbie has been described as:

·      “An alienating, dangerous and perverse film.”

·      “Man-hating feminist garbage.”

·      “Barbie is nuclear-level feminist nonsense that hates men and imposes gender ideology on children.”

·      “The feminist agenda will kill us all.”

·      “[Barbie is]… an assault on men.”

Note to self:

The idea that “Barbie can be anything” has clearly hit a nerve.

By reversing gender roles, the movie cleverly (and starkly) shines a light on the daily challenges that so many real-women face including:

·      Being seen as ‘trophies’

·      Being underestimated

·      Being judged on physical appearance

·      Being treated as less intelligent

·      Being paid less

·      Being seen as ‘less’…

Which is a point that so many of these critics miss, blinded by their own bias and privilege.

There are multiple triumphs of the movie: its choice of voiceover for starters (Helen Mirren); it’s casting (Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, John Cena; Dua Lipa); the ‘fight scene’ with plastic sports equipment is 100% hilarious (there are no actual weapons in Barbieland obvs); the nauseating group serenade; and that monologue.

Gloria’s monologue (America Ferrera) is simply breath taking. Here is the start:

“It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.”

So it’s got me thinking about those vitriolic comments levelled at the movie.

Of course, I don’t see my role as hoping to change the mind of these people; I doubt we will ever agree.

But perhaps a strong reason this group of men (and perhaps some women) find the movie so threatening is because there isn’t a dominant man / men playing the lead.

Hollywood has always been awash with movies with some male hero at the helm.

Often, writers use plot techniques to give that male lead a springboard to emphasise his virility and alpha-ness even harder.

For example any movie where a female character is killed off or kidnapped (a mother, a wife, a girlfriend, a daughter… and there are MANY, MANY of these movies) gives the male lead a reason to then ‘man-up’, show his true grit, swelling brains and physique as he goes on to solve the problem.

He rules the movie for 2.5 hours, whilst she might only grace the screen for a few minutes at the start (if at all) – she’s often just depicted as a memory in his mind.

When it comes to movies, alpha maleness is everywhere.

Take the huge majority of superhero movies for starters. Action movies. War movies. They are all strewn with men fighting and saving the world from… well, everything. Even Armageddon.

Barbie is, quite frankly, a refreshing change.

There’s a reason why women in my viewing audience applauded at moments throughout the Barbie movie.

There’s a reason why I heard one woman shout, “Hell yeah!”

It’s because women have been busting their guts since before the suffragettes won the vote to be treated as equals, with equal brains, equal opportunities and equal pay.

But a room full of women watching this movie is just us women preaching to the converted.

Barbie doesn’t teach us that matriarchy is better than patriarchy. The Barbies’ ostracism of Weird Barbie touches on that; Barbieland isn’t perfect.

Barbie isn’t about women hating men either – Barbie confirms to Ken at the end that she isn’t in love with him and touchingly encourages him to find his own identity, on his own and without needing her to do it. It’s about empowering the Kens towards independence.

Barbie is about challenging unrealistic expectations. Both the impossible expectations of society placed on women and also the impossible task men have in trying to conform to patriarchal ideals.

As a woman leaving the Barbie movie, I was left with a million questions and thoughts rushing through my mind – and my overall thought was, ‘this movie is a masterpiece’.

I know a number of men who have seen the movie too and guffawed whole-heartedly at the references and perspectives presented. I’d love for more men to go, wearing pink or otherwise, to decide for themselves what all the noise is about.

I’d love you to share your thoughts below about the movie… what did you think? Masterpiece or…?

Rebecca x

P.S.

Discrimination is everywhere (despite it being the 21st century). Progress is being made but in many places, it is slow.

To advance in your career – and indeed in life – it’s really important that we women don’t internalise that discrimination. In other words, that we don’t adopt those discriminatory and sexist views as our own.

As Ken reminds us all, you are Kenough.

And you are: you’re more than qualified, smart enough and ready enough and if you aren’t getting the support you need to succeed, find other ways and opportunities to get it.

At Illuminate, we work with corporate women to see them get promoted, paid appropriately and own their value. Connect with me or download one of our most loved tools here.