The Barbie movie was the talk of the town this summer, but not only because of the dual release with Oppenheimer, but for its touching themes of feminism and girlhood. As this movie was released more than two months ago, this opinion piece will contain minor spoilers.
Barbie—directed by Greta Gerwig—follows the life of Margot Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie as she goes on a journey of self-discovery while her seemingly perfect life begins to burst at the seams. On her path to rediscovery, she is joined by Ken—played by Ryan Gosling—who is charming and charismatic, yearning for Barbie’s attention.
Though the film had beautiful and bright imagery, the most intriguing and thought provoking aspect of the film was its overarching message.
It isn’t just a film to show the wondrous life of a Barbie– it’s about girlhood. It is about what being born into a life filled with roadblocks, and being excluded from the narrative feels like.
Barbie highlights the diminishing setbacks, contradictions, and societal standards women have to fight against to this day, in a way that most visibly shows the double standard that is often ignored. Similar to the historical treatment of women all over the world, the Kens of Barbieland are seen as an accessory to Barbie and do not have real value to them. This is one of the more brilliant ways Gerwig is able to turn the tables on society and point out how arbitrary the system is.
Women are constantly pitted against one another—most of the time for circumstances out of their control—and forced to compete until one is on top. This competition and overall living for validation is something the Kens experience in this world, and is their ultimate demise as the patriarchy they create crumbles.
Barbie is a clear and accurate representation of every feeling every woman has felt at some point in their lives. Insecurity, imperfection, sadness, anger, relief, are felt by Barbie, an item—besides single use water bottles—most identified with being plastic or fake. To see the struggles of a woman represented by the very item that is our so-called standard, is very ironic but also so extremely meaningful.
It is clear that Barbie is more than its title, and that Barbie is more than just a plastic doll. She is a representation of the experience of a girl; the struggle, angst, confusion, and complex emotions all bundled into one. She is human.
