Barbie was never a big part of my childhood. I mean,I had one, and a Ken too, so I wasn’t deprived or anything. They just held no fascination for me. So all the hype over the Barbie movie just washed over me, until, I saw it.
On Saturday, my husband wanted to go for a movie. We enjoy going to INOX Insignia for dinner and a movie date, mainly because we really like the food, the luxury seats and the cozy blankets.
The options at any decent time slot boiled down to Barbie and Oppenheimer. No, we were not in the mood for atom bombs. Having read the book and being physicists, we knew we would watch it sooner or later. The raves I’ve hear make me think it’s likely to be sooner, but it wasn’t the kind of thing we felt like watching just then. So I checked out the Barbie trailer and frankly, I knew not what to make of it.
My girls have never played with Barbie, but they generally like dolls and stuffed animals. So with no idea what to expect, we stepped into the movie theater.
After all, the trailer had said,
If you love Barbie, this movie is for you.
If you hate Barbie, this movie is for you.
But what if, like me, you’re indifferent to Barbie? Then what?
Then this movie may still be for you, because although sometimes the gender roles are reversed, it explores patriarchy and the evolution of feminism from various perspectives, fully acknowledging that the journey is by no means complete. Allow me to share a few glimpses.
Good natured and Insensitive
That may sound like an oxymoron, but it’s not.
Barbie is sweet, friendly, polite and joyful. She would never knowingly hurt anyone.
She spends her free time with her doting boyfriend Ken. Unlike Barbie, Ken has no friends, interests, job or house. But Barbie makes it quite clear, that every night is girls night, and Ken has no place in Barbie’s dream-house. What can she do? That’s just how it is in Barbie Land. She’s only following the rules.
Barbie sympathizes, but she doesn’t notice the hurt in Ken’s eyes, as she turns him away to go have a good time with her friends. His acceptance of the situation stems not from wisdom or understanding, but a lack of choice.
But Barbie notices none of this, until she returns from the real world and the tables are turned. The movie effectively demonstrates the difference between sympathy and empathy.
Barbie and Ken
“It’s Barbie and Ken, it’s always Barbie and Ken,” Ken complains. His identity is completely tied to Barbie.
Barbie eventually empathizes. She encourages him to go find himself. She says “It’s Barbie, and it’s Ken.”
The real world for once agrees, as an increasing number of women choose not to change their surnames after marriage. It doesn’t have to be Mr. and Mrs. any more. Each person in a married couple can retain their identity.
Real World Woes
When Ken goes to the real world, he is thrilled that it is male dominated. He figures he can finally have a meaningful life and tries to get a job. But he is most amazed that he can’t, only because he doesn’t have any experience or qualifications. He desperately tries to get the apparel and accessories used by doctors because he simply can’t conceive that once he is dressed as a doctor, he is not automatically a doctor.
Barbie was meant to inspire little girls that they could be anything they wanted. That’s why there is a Barbie for each glamorous profession. But the only thing that makes these Barbies different, are their clothes and the accessories. So Ken’s confusion and disappointment is completely understandable.
Just like girls in the real world are confused and disappointed, when they find out that everything they were told about being qualified and efficient, was all that mattered for success, is not quite true, because being a woman still puts you at a subtle disadvantage.
As the man tells Ken, “Oh yeah, patriarchy is still here. We’ve just learned to hide it better.”
When Love Turns to Hate …
It is still love, because the feelings are just as strong, only now, they are being driven off the rails by hurt. When Ken takes over Barbie’s Dreamhouse, in her absence, he wants her to feel his pain. In spite of his advantageous position, he still craves her respect. None of what he has acquired, has any meaning to him. Of course revenge feels good for a fleeting moment. But his faulty assumption is, acquiring those items would finally earn him Barbie’s respect. It fails, so in desperation he cruelly lashes out at her.
The feminist movement too has been through these stages. Women eventually realized that they needed to stop hoping for the approval of men, and learn to love and respect themselves, independently of what men in their lives thought of them. A meaningful life must stem from within.
Basic Rights
Through the various professional Barbies, the toy endeavors to inspire girls to follow their dreams. But that's why it was only right, that stereotypical Barbie experienced the real world. For a woman should not have to have a specal talent or a fabulous career to deserve basic rights. The feminist movement had to fight for basic rights for women. Women had to prove they deserved them, but the question is why? What special quality did ALL men, but not women, have for so many years, that made them, eligible to vote, or do a myriad other things denied to women?
That's why, it is fitting that change in this story is not initiated by lawyer Barbie, or President Barbie, or scientist Barbie, but by run of the mill, stereotypical Barbie.
Women don't have to be special or accomplished to deserve fundamental rights. In fact, every human should automatically enjoy all the fundamental rights until they have done something to have them revoked by law.
A Brilliant Ending
My husband said he thought Barbie was a weird toy. He argued that on one hand it was a toy for little girls that sexualizes women, while on the other it is anatomically quite absurd. And that’s where the brilliant ending of the movie comes in. I won’t give it away except to say, it’s time we ended the shame and taboos.
Highlights
Margot Robbie has the perfect Barbie smile plastered on her face, even as she conveys a complex range of emotions through her eyes.
Ryan Gosling expertly depicts a complex cocktail of emotions in his role as Ken.
The movie touches upon many aspects of feminism, exploring its journey through the ages. It presents an intelligent and sensitive summary, while constantly entertaining and amusing the audience.
Little known Barbie trivia is strategically interspersed throughout the movie, evoking nostalgia among ardent Barbie fans, while also effectively highlighting several societal prejudices.
Intelligent, witty and packed with vivid imagery, the movie is a cerebral treat.
The toy story of feminism