Spoiler alert!
In between nights spent at the hospital, what better way to unwind and disconnect from work than by going to the movies with a girlfriend and watching something “light” while devouring a good old jumbo bucket of salty popcorn.
Or so I thought.
Having not read or listened to any reviews or ratings, I was not expecting Barbie’s full-blown political message disguised as the adventures of an all-time classic toy for girls.
Unexpectedly, I left the movie theater with an even busier mind, feeling uneasy, uncomfortable, and kind of sad. I kept thinking about it during my shift and I couldn’t put my mind to rest until I finally figured out exactly what was wrong with the whole thing.
At first, I was mesmerized by the photography, the unapologetically girly esthetics, the catchy original songs by popular contemporary artists, and the clever ideas executed to recreate a fantasy world populated by live actors. I liked the simple, innocent and optimistic ways of these creatures in their Barbieland, and the plot twist presented by the breach between that parallel dimension and the “Real World” piqued my interest and made me excited for the upcoming interactions between the main characters and “real people”.
But shortly after setting foot in L.A., the politically charged portrayal of reality became increasingly apparent, with a very blunt (probably to a significant degree comically intended) over-generalization of feminine vs. masculine stereotypes, with an obvious moralizing undertone. At first, I hoped for a significant degree of irony behind the very intentional dichotomic and antagonistic depiction of masculinity and femininity, but its consistent presence even during the most dramatic scenes ruled out any solely comical intentions.
Firstly, regarding Barbie’s first contact with “real men”, unwarranted, obscene catcalling does exist. From my own personal experience, it even might be particularly exacerbated in the streets of Santa Monica. Barbie makes a point to disassociate herself from the reductionist view of women implied by the objectifying outcries of these men by very graphically stating her lack of reproductive organs (due to her being, indeed, a doll). Yet the movie ends with the contradictory irony of her proudly announcing an appointment with a gynecologist first thing after becoming human. Addressing this theme twice, making it the very last scene of the movie, paradoxically ends up reducing women to their sexuality in a way which kind of contradicts the modern feminism defended during the previous two hours.
Barbies are brainwashed into becoming submissive Ken-pleasers, as their male counterparts take over Barbieland. And so, most of the plot revolves around women losing power and trying to reestablish a matriarcal system once their world is contaminated by the pervasive ideology of “modern patriarchy”. In the context of the storyline, this seems like a legitimate motive (though I would have preferred a more equal and balanced end goal). But the means used by Babies to achieve this portray them in an unflattering way.
Their collective behavior in some instances is morally disenchanting and disappointing. I felt appalled at the cruelty and remorsefulness with which barbies collectively play with and manipulate Kens´ feelings to manufacture a jealousy driven rivalry among them, ultimately leading to their violent self-destruction. That kind of cunning play is more characteristic of villains than heroes. How does such behavior portray women in that instance? As sleazy. Dishonest. Hypocritical. Definitely not as integrous or brave. It just made me feel bad for all Kens, regardless of their previous wrongdoings, as Barbies’ victory feels like a disingenuous cheat.
Self-proclaimed moral superiority and the implied idea that certain unmoral behaviors are justified to counter others, do something I deem very dangerous for human coexistence: they blur the boundaries between right and wrong, decreasing the value and meaning of these concepts, and turn justice and virtue subjective and contextualizable.
There is further controversy derived from the very element that makes brainwashed Barbies snap out of their trance, as it relies upon the realization of their general oppression and victimhood in society. The long speech delivered by the unlikeable real-world mother character elaborates on women’s victim role in today’s misogynistic society, the existential unfairness, pressures and expectations they are constantly subjected to. I don’t remember the exact lines of her dramatic (rather histrionic) supposedly enlightening speech, but among other things it touched upon how we are expected to be great mothers but not talk about our children too much, to be leaders without coming across as insensitive or bossy, to be thin while pretending all we attempt to be is “healthy”, to always put everyone else first, to never be selfish, and so on.
In my personal experience (and according to research and psychology), self-perceived victimhood leads to feelings of hopelessness, low self-esteem, sadness, anxiety, lack of purpose. Inequalities do exist but as it with ANY major complex topic, oversimplification and generalizations lead to the erroneous axiomatic acceptance of certain ideas that can be fundamentally wrong and damaging.
In developed, free countries every person, regardless of gender, has the freedom of choice, to live and act according to their own moral values within legal, socioeconomic and societal limitations. We have the privilege of making choices for ourselves. We have a say in how we are perceived by ourselves and our peers, we can act with dignity and honesty, avoiding or condemning situations and people that contradict our values. We can find and give the best of ourselves with self-awareness and self-compassion. And there is no need for women to constantly interpret EVERY setback in life through the lens of patriarchal oppression or gender inequality. Such an attitude by default implies a sense of unavoidable doom and condemnation, and acts as the perfect breeding ground for feelings of resentment and general discontent. And, ironically, rivalry between the sexes itself.
It is not a mentality that allows anyone, neither women nor men, to grow within their possibilities.
Then there’s the two main “real” female characters, mother and teenage daughter, who come across as everything but grounded, mature and/or realistic. They both are bitter and cynical in their own way. The mother from the moment she volunteers her self-pitying reductionist self-perception as a “boring mom with a boring job”. The daughter for the coldness and cruelty displayed at Barbie upon meeting her, and her continuously gloomy and dismissive demeanor throughout most of their interactions, targeting her own mother as well. Being a teenager is biologically tumultuous and difficult, but it doesn’t give anyone a free pass to be disrespectful, callous or ill-spirited. Am I supposed to identify with these women? Without knowing the intricacies of their fictional personal lives, especially the overall attitude of the teenage girl doesn’t seem relatable to me. She has a structured family unit and two parents who seem present and loving. Although in accordance with the movie’s general depiction of men, the one or two scenes actually featuring the dad, he seems aloof and rather moronic.
Lastly, something I did not enjoy was watching Ken’s love for Barbie get diminished and dismissed as immature and inconvenient. He is pushed to find himself “independently from Barbie”. Because, even though he was created as her counterpart and companion, isolation and loneliness is the best way to find fulfilment, and men and women don’t belong together, they belong apart.
A movie about Barbie had the potential to be approached from a hundred different angles. It could have still appealed to a broad audience without making it about the male vs. female dichotomy or the “patriarchy”. But the fact it was is, in my opinion, redundant, unoriginal and, ironically, backward.
Entertainment like this accentuates whatever disparities, inequalities, differences, animosities between men and women that do exist. Ken and Barbie could have been a team joining forces to defeat or conquer something external to themselves, without turning against one another. The idea of a Barbie doll in the real world, delivered by this charismatic cast, could have been amazing had it been free of contemporary ideologies. It would have appealed to a broader public, making a better job at honoring the long multigenerational history of the beloved toy. Instead, the chosen approach kind of ruins the movie’s potential of becoming a timeless classic.
Unfortunately, masculinity, both in the Real World and in Babieland, is consistently portrayed as intrinsically predatory, unassertive, erratic, aggressive, unhinged, clumsy. And, again, it might have all been with a characterizing comical intent. But contrary to the case with female characters, there was really no scene in which any man was portrayed as wise or serene or truly virtuous. There was no need to frame the girliness of Barbie’s world in contrast to toxic masculinity.
I don’t appreciate how increasingly political the film industry is becoming. I want to be able to watch a movie before a night shift without having the same propaganda I am regularly subjected to in the media shoved down my throat next to my popcorn.
I could not identify with the kind of womanhood portrayed by any of these characters, but Ken I found likeable and easy to empathize with.
Had I been him, I would have escaped Barbieland too.
