BARBIE - PIVOTAL AND PROSPEROUS IN PINK
by Minwa AK
The summer of 2023 is a pretty, pink wonderland. Everywhere one turns to nowadays, whether it’s in stores, on social media, or even in cafes, we’re greeted with shades of the ‘most traditionally feminine’ color, and everyone is well aware of the reason why.
Barbie is the film of the summer - despite the internet and pop culture phenomenon that paired the film with another hit film from an acclaimed director released on the same day - Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. The film had the biggest opening for a movie in 2023 so far and has just grossed over $1 billion at the box office, making it the biggest film of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling’s entire careers and Greta Gerwig the highest-grossing female director of all time (and the first solo female director with a film that has grossed more than $1 billion). Suffice it to say, from an external standpoint that doesn’t even look at the actual film, Barbie’s a hit… when it could have been the farthest thing from it. A Barbie film had been ‘in development’ for years before it actually went into production. Some prospects and news stories looked promising, while other possibilities looked disastrous… I never set my hopes too high, knowing whatever we’d get would likely be a typical modern comedy flick poking fun at women that would be a missed opportunity.
But once it was finally announced that the Barbie film would be in the hands of writer/director Greta Gerwig, everything changed. My expectations shifted entirely and instantly based on that one decision alone, and anyone even remotely familiar with Gerwig surely felt the same. We collectively held out hope that the studios would actually give Gerwig the creative freedom she needs, and in the slight chance that that would happen, we’d be in for something truly incredible… Even to Gerwig and actress/producer Margot Robbie, it seemed as though ‘getting away’ with the film at hand would be an impossible feat expecting (and challenging) the studios and Mattel to exercise their authority and disapprove of the majority of what they set out to do.
Thankfully for us, Greta Gerwig, and everyone involved in the making of the movie, their film saw the light of day…. and, truly and by all accounts, it’s a miracle that this film was made and that it accomplishes all that it does - from a financial standpoint, but more so from a critical, thematic, and storytelling perspective.
Let’s dive into Barbie(land).
Margot Robbie is Barbie. Actually, Margot Robbie is Barbie. To be even more specific, in a world with a hundred other Barbies, Margot Robbie plays Barbieland’s Stereotypical Barbie. Based on her looks alone, so akin to the traditional image of Barbie, she is perfectly cast… but Robbie has also proved her immeasurable acting talents over the years and infuses Barbie with as much life as the script hoped to, making her Barbie not just a symbol, but a character in her own right.
Barbie was always a symbol that carried a heavy weight on her perfectly-proportioned shoulders. She could always be whatever she wanted to be, inspiring little girls around the world of the same - you can have and thus could be Astronaut Barbie, Lawyer Barbie, President Barbie, Doctor Barbie, and hundreds more. Stereotypical Barbie, then, seems like an odd pick for our main character - especially in the current cultural climate and media that encouraged women to either adopt or stray from Barbie’s traditional image - depicting women as such as either the ultimate symbol for perfectionism and femininity or adversely, thick-headed, outdated mean girls. If women aren’t akin to the so-called ‘different’ Barbies and ‘girl boss’ female leads that are highly accomplished (but not “too bossy”) in their specific fields, their stories aren’t worth telling nowadays, it seems, but here we have Stereotypical Barbie. And she is not some ditzy blonde, nor is she this hyper-independent career woman… she’s just Barbie.
So, what makes this Stereotypical Barbie so special? What’s her role? Where does she fit in?Well, that’s where our story starts. She’s wondering the same thing…. and so are millions of women across the world.
Yes, Stereotypical Barbie, who wonders who she could really be, whether she’s good enough, and what she’s made of (to use the title of Billie Eilish’s incredibly emotional song), the Barbie who questions her self-worth in comparison to the highly accomplished other ‘Barbies’ (the typical leads and actual, real-life inspirations if you will) is the most true-to-life version of Barbie there is. We live in a world that feeds and encourages these thoughts, doubts, and fears in women - to keep us at arm’s length, yes, through the patriarchy - and seeing that depicted on screen is an incredibly cathartic experience. For the very first time, we see ourselves as the main character - the innermost parts of ourselves and our identities as women (and how that has been affected by the world around us).
Our real world mostly only celebrates women such as the other Barbies, and while they do deserve celebration and praise, they do not represent the majority of women watching the film - the everyday women who take on so much in our everyday lives and are just as extraordinary. (Even the other Barbies and their real-life equivalents, the highly accomplished career women, would likely feel just as seen because, as said, the world encourages us to never feel accomplished or good enough).
The film depicts and celebrates women. All women. Our existence, our sisterhood, our natures, our femininity - as they are, in a world that encourages us to never feel accomplished or good enough.
And while the film does reach a (semi-weird) conclusion - those feelings and frustrations remain. The film is self-aware and doesn’t offer a real-world solution or an overblown, shallow message that barely seeks to fix anything, nor does it push Barbie towards a specific agenda or niche. Instead, it simply states the facts of the world we live in, voices how we all feel, and in doing so honestly, it is a form of consolation, which in turn, ends up as a celebration. There is a change, but the film gets there through empathy (via America Farrerra’s emotional, remarkable monologue) rather than a tired fix-it. And really? Sometimes that’s all a person needs or wants - a hug, a hand to hold, to be seen and heard… That’s exactly what Barbie offers, and so that’s why Barbie lands (pun intended).
That tenderness in its universal homage to girlhood, womanhood, and sisterhood, through every possible aspect, makes up the film’s sheer power (just as much as the marketing does). Beyond the thoughtful script and direction, we see it in the marketing, the costume design, the production design, and the soundtrack, to name just a few elements. Even before looking into the ‘behind the scenes’ of it all, it’s clear that the film was made keeping in mind, as a constant, how little girls played with Barbies, what they wanted to see, how they wanted to live, and the type of girly pop music we love to listen to.
It reinforces the good side of validation in a society that can shun women for simply enjoying the things they like. We suddenly see a surge of people opting to wear pink because of the film, with hundreds explaining that they hadn’t done so in years. Girls are embracing their own femininities in whatever way they define it, openly ‘fangirling’ and sharing their excitement over the film and their youth - and that eruption of female joy en masse in relation to media centered around them will undoubtedly be a turning point for our generation (as well the economy - with both Barbie and Taylor Swift’s Eras tour currently saving the US from its recession). No other major blockbuster has ever addressed these themes as clearly in the past while having proof of leaving such a profound impact on viewers as well - the majority being women, at that.
Greta Gerwig has defined herself by her love and ability to capture and portray girlhood and womanhood, and essentially, what it means to be a woman. She’s done it through both of her previous films, Lady Bird and Little Women, and - thankfully, Barbie is not an exception. Such a deep take was probably unexpected for Barbie and a big-budget studio film, but Gerwig took advantage of the possibilities that lay before her with Barbie and everything the iconic doll/symbol/character had to offer, and she did not hold back. As always, she brings her thoughtful touch and perspective that is present in every aspect of the film and makes the film as authentic as it is - in what could have been the most artificial film to come out of Hollywood.
With Gerwig at the helm, the film’s pretty and pink marketing around the world, and its reputation for being “a movie celebrating women,” the masses were quick to incorrectly label the film as ‘anti-man’ -whether it was before or after their viewing of the film. Such a description of the film is baffling because anyone who watched the film with half a brain would be able to see that the film really isn’t so - all it does is simply depict both womanhood and the patriarchy in an honestly humorous and intellectual fashion.
The film’s premise and marketing material tells us that we, the viewers, will be on an adventure into the Real World with Barbie and Ken - and they’re left to face our reality, a stark opposite to their home of Barbieland, the pink wonderland where the matriarchy is in place and everything is as a girl or a woman would dream it would be. The patriarchal Real World is where men - and Ryan Gosling’s Ken - shine. It was incredibly refreshing to see Gosling own his comedic talents once again, years after his comedies ‘The Nice Guys’ and ‘Lars and the Real Girl.’ His satirical charm and performance are what make those scenes as memorable as they are, with Gosling’s dry humor doing exactly what it needs to in service of the story: emphasizing the ridiculousness of the world we live in, with little to no exaggeration (if you doubt that statement, ask any woman their thoughts on those particular scenes… trust me). Those incorrect ‘anti-man’ labels had to have come from those with fragile egos who have grown too used to male-centered media that such a big, public celebration of girlhood and feminity, with women in charge, feels like an attack, and ironically, exactly what the film depicts. If you feel called out, the film is doing exactly what it needs to…. well, it hopes to be empathetic to you as well and make male viewers simply realize the impact the patriarchy has on them as well.
The criticisms are even more befuddling and ironic considering that the film’s weakest point is the excessiveness of men and Ken. The Studio Choom-style music video, The War of the Kens, and the scenes with Will Ferrell and Co. simply went on for far longer than necessary, and it doesn’t help that every Ken actor besides Ryan Gosling is almost entirely devoid of charm or charisma. (Perhaps they paled in comparison when playing alongside Gosling, who, as I’ve mentioned, was fantastic, but the same cannot be said for the other Barbies - all the women were sensational. Wait… could that be the point?!) Still, while we chuckle at the comedic take depicting the ridiculousness of toxic male violence as a result of their own patriarchal values - it ends up feeling more like filler scenes than anything else, and a simple joke or two would have sufficed.
Unfortunately, it might be another case of men holding back a woman from accessing her full potential. It stings to even type that sentence, yet it applies within the context of the film and the possible behind-the-scenes scenario of the studio or Mattel interfering, as indicated by one story, that of their rejected request to cut out one of the film’s best moments: when Barbie meets an elderly woman for the first time and instantly calls her beautiful. The scene Greta fought for, though brief, held a chasm of depth to it - especially after seeing the young Barbies panic over ‘imperfections’ such as cellulite and flat feet just minutes prior. It was a few seconds of genius that reinforced the film’s universal celebration of womanhood and our inherent ability to see beauty in others outside the confines of what men and advertising executives taught us and the women before us. It calls out that invisible, toxic trap in merely a few seconds, a stroke of genius and pure heart, and it will be a scene that will be remembered in cinema for years to come.
I’d rather have had more scenes as such and more time spent further developing Gloria’s character as well as her relationship with her daughter, a rushed plotline that deserved more (though America Farrera’s speech was a highlight for the film). I also still have mixed feelings about the ending (unexpectedly hilarious closing line aside), as well as the fact that romance is almost entirely absent from the film. In films with female-empowering stories, it usually goes one of two ways with romance diluting the messaging, or it can be entirely absent and re-emphasize the wrong idea that feminism and romantic love cannot coexist. Barbie goes down neither of those two paths, which makes it lie in a weird middle ground because of Ken’s screentime, but I’ll take it, considering it’s better than leaning into either extreme, and we need more representation of women who don’t reject romance altogether, but are merely focusing on themselves.
Truly, the film takes on more than it should - as we women always do, sadly - but in doing so, the film almost pressures itself into covering more ground than it should. Womanhood, the patriarchy, toxic masculinity, mothers and daughters, ambition, love, existentialism, self-worth, perfectionism…. centering on only two or three of those at most would’ve clarified the film’s themes and messaging and further clarify and emphasize what it actually wanted to say.
Thankfully, though, Barbie and the entire team behind it did have something(s) to say - which cannot be said for the majority of today’s blockbusters. The reason Barbie succeeds as a film, despite its messiness and finances aside, is because of its empathy and how it makes us viewers feel - and sometimes, that could be the most factor to consider, especially considering no other film has done what Barbie has. And at this point, with everything it has accomplished, Barbie can definitely be considered a pivotal cultural phenomenon. It will be a long while until any film will leave as much of an impact, if ever - whether you’re looking at it from a critical movie standpoint or a financial one, it continues to send shockwaves across the globe. Barbie is changing the game, as she did way back when in the toy industry - that is if studios take away the right lessons from all its success and continue developing films from writers/directors with unique voices and themes rather than building on existing intellectual property and franchises… Barbie worked because she is Barbie, Margot Robbie, and Greta Gerwig rolled into one and allows women to feel seen, heard, and loved… Thank you for that, Hollywood, truly…. but for the record, no one wants to see a UNO, Polly Pocket, Fulla, or Monopoly movie anytime soon.
