“Barbie” Elevates The Topics of Gender Roles and Feminism Through its Playful Plotline and Witty Humor
Greta Gerwig’s summer blockbuster ‘Barbie’ uses a playful and fun plotline to communicate important messages about gender roles and the power and struggles of women.
Ryan Gosling (left) and Margot Robbie (right) in ‘Barbie’ / Warner Bros
I’m not going to lie, when I heard a movie about Barbie was coming out, I was very hesitant about even considering going to see it. I couldn’t imagine a movie about Barbie and Ken could be any good or a beneficial form of entertainment. I especially ignored the advertisements once I learned Ryan Gosling was cast as Ken. Nothing about the films seeing right to me or that it could be any good. However, to my surprise, the film ended up being quite enjoyable - and extremely unexpected. It was fresh and creative, and a movie made in a way I had never seen before. Aside from the incredibly beautiful set designs, wardrobe, and soundtrack, what stood out above everything was the deep and heartfelt messages woven in the film.
I didn’t go into the movie expecting to feel so moved at the messages concerning gender roles, feminism, and how it feels to be a woman. Having a film about Barbie immediately sparked some debates as Barbie as a brand is in general quite controversial for many reasons; some of which are even brought up in the movie. Since it’s invention, Barbie has been an icon for women and girls and has held immense importance in societal popular culture. Unfortunately, while the intention of Barbie’s inventor was not malicious, the brand sparked problems surrounding stereotypes around women’s appearance and body image problems. Being someone who also grew up playing with the dolls, it was inevitable to feel pressure to look like Barbie since she only ever had one body type. In the movie, a young girl named Sasha describes Barbie’s detrimental affects in more detail, explaining how Barbie represents everything wrong in today’s culture and how it set back the feminist movement 50 years. She also details how Barbie elevated and promoted the ideas of women being objectified and sexualized by men, and how appearance is the only factor playing into a woman’s worth. The movie does a great job of owning up to the damage Mattel and Barbie have had on society and women/girls especially, but also uses Barbie and her world as a platform to display new and positive messages that hit deep.
The main messages I took away from the movie were that you can anyone you want to be, uplifting female empowerment and discussing the negative effects of patriarchy. The movie communicates the idea that women don’t need anyone to be worthy and you have the freedom to define your own model of perfection. A big idea talked about in the film is that society and figures like Barbie create the idealistic image of beauty and what a “pretty” girl is supposed to look like. However, in the movie it addresses how Barbie has had this effect on people, but now it’s time to recognize how there is no one perfect image of what a women should be. At the end of the day, it’s up to her to decide that and she should feel embraced by society no matter her appearance, chosen career path, etc.
While many of the critics of the film discussed how the movie talks down men and is putting them down, if you really look at the plot and the characters that claim is simply untrue. The story delves into the problems the Kens face, and how they feel inferior to the Barbie’s in Barbieland. They also feel frustration for not having power or voice to make any decisions, much like the real world but with gender roles reversed. Once Barbie and Ken venture into the real world in search of the girl causing Barbie to malfunction, Ken becomes aware of how gender roles exist in society. He notices how men hold the power and authority, and how women tend to struggle to get their voice or opinions heard. This fuels his drive to take back what he learned to Barbieland and show the other Kens how things can be very different for them. This entire plotline is an incredibly clever way of demonstrating gender roles in society and poking fun at the egos of men without making it deeply offensive. All in all, the movie uses Barbie and the world we know to point out problems like patriarchy, feminism, and how women have to constantly fight the battles of feeling good or worthy enough.
Once Ken arrives back to Barbieland, he brainwashes the Barbie’s and teaches the Ken’s what he learned and suddenly the gender roles shift to more what we know in the real world today. The Kens are adamant about being superior to the Barbie’s, and the Barbie’s lose touch of what they were before and their accomplishments, and therefore do whatever the Kens say. This shocks Barbie when she returns to Barbieland as she doesn’t understand why the Barbie’s forgot who they were and she begins to lose hope. She’s heartbroken at how the Ken’s are treating the women, but with the help of her human friends, they devise a plan to reverse what the Ken’s did and restore order to Barbieland. After talking the Barbie’s out of their trance by telling them individually how they hold their own power not the men, the Barbie’s slowly come back to reality. While the Ken’s are turned against each other and eventually engage in a big fight, they are shown to not be truly evil. All the Ken’s wanted was to feel loved and appreciated, which is something the Barbie’s didn’t really show them before. By showcasing the roles reversed like this, it helps to understand how both sides were feeling that they each had their own struggles to deal with. By the end of the movie, the Barbie’s were willing to grant the Ken’s some power, but they still hold most authority. Gloria, the human that Barbie went into the real world for, advocates that women in the real world face a very distinct reality that that of the Barbie’s.
Towards the end of the movie, Gloria who is played by America Ferrera, has a lengthy and powerful monologue discussing how women in the real world never, ever feel good enough. She talks about how women are expected to be extraordinary and accomplish big things and that girls face pressure to be that or else they have no worth. She explains that women constantly feel they have to please everyone but are not recognized for it, and no matter what we do or how we look, it’s never good enough. This piece of the movie was my personal favorite and I believe the one that resonated with women the most. Ferrera’s monologue speaks to all women, and she even said on press tour that there is no woman in her life that those words aren’t true for. Her speech is a true testament to the struggles women and girls face every single day, and that men don’t seem to recognize or understand. The film highlights how women tend to not feel pretty enough or good enough, but the reality is, they are. Barbie comes to the understanding by the end of the movie that women haven’t reached equality in the real world and that they actually constantly feel insecure and degraded.
Another important point to note is that at the conclusion of the film, the corporate workers of Mattel find themselves in Barbieland where Gloria suggests they sell and “Ordinary” Barbie. One that hasn’t accomplished anything extraordinary but is simply trying to get through the day feeling good about herself. This small part of the film elevates how you don’t need to do certain things with your life to be considered worthy. At the end of the day, doing your best and simply existing and being you is all you need to be and are worthy.
I thoroughly enjoyed every second of the “Barbie” movie and believe the messaging and unfiltered discussion on gender roles and women empowerment were inspiring and incredibly noteworthy. In combination with the soundtrack, acting, and production design, I can confidently say I was pleasantly surprised after watching the film. It’s concept and messaging is something so rare to see in the film industry and I can only hope it will inspire more films like this. I deeply appreciate and recognize director Greta Gerwig’s effort to make a film all women can resonate with and use a symbol like Barbie to tell a story about what women deal with on a day to day basis. It was an incredible film overall, and I know anyone, especially men, can take away something meaningful from this movie and learn a new perspective often kept in the shadows in the film and television industry.