10 Things I Loved About the Barbie Movie
It's been over a week since I saw Barbie and it's still on my mind
Spoiler alert: there are spoilers here. Definitely go see the movie before reading, unless you don’t mind being spoiled.
I need to preface this essay by telling you that I am not a “Barbie girl.” Yes, I used to play with barbies as a kid (like any good millennial), but that was before I entered the world of sports and donned my tomboy era. When I first heard that this movie was coming out, I rolled my eyes – especially when I saw the images of Margot Robbie in her pink mini dress, leaning against the car. Ew. Barbie is so problematic. What good could this movie possibly have to offer?
A LOT, as it turns out. I’m so glad that I decided to see the movie after reading a few critiques online (this one and this one).
There was so much to love about the movie– it was hard to summarize in a list. Truly, I think I need to see the movie at least five more times to really unpack everything. Every line and character in the movie was so thoughtfully and intentionally curated. It will be on my mind for a long time.
Without further ado, here are 10 things that I loved about the movie:
1. The creativity.
The outfits, cinematography, choreography, acting, and depiction of ‘Barbie Land’ were fantastic. It was fun and funny to watch, especially for those of us who played with Barbie growing up. Her pointed toes, her imaginary morning coffee. The movie explores some very serious and profound themes, all under the guise of hot pink, glitter-exploding fashion of a toy doll. It was a lot for one movie to take on and it was executed brilliantly.
2. The movie was catered towards my generation (aka millennials, those of us who grew up playing with barbies).
This point was made when you discover that the “girl” who is playing with Barbie and disrupting her world (giving her an existential crisis and thoughts of death) is actually a 30-something year old mother. America Ferrera as Gloria is us. She’s a working mom, feeling a bit lost as she ages differently than the generations before and trying to figure it all out. She’s stressed, depressed, and a bit restless but she is doing her BEST. This mom is just so, so relatable. I especially loved the clips of depression barbie who struggles to get out of bed in the morning. It’s just too real, and it brings attention to a serious topic in a fun way.
3. The mother-daughter relationship.
Others have written about this better than I could (here and here, for example). Despite the fact that Barbie is not a mother, motherhood is one of the movie’s major themes. One thing that the movie makes clear is that moms are more than moms – something that Sasha grows to appreciate as the plot develops. During the getaway scene when Barbie discovers that it’s Gloria whose “weird, dark and crazy” drawings are causing her malfunctioning, Sasha compliments the drawings– as if to say I see you, mom, and I appreciate your full humanity. It’s a turning point in the movie where Sasha begins to see her mom as a whole, nuanced person rather than “a boring mom with a daughter who hates her.” In a world that often praises moms who lose themselves in motherhood, this message is especially poignant.
4. The movie acknowledges the contradictory nature of Barbie.
She may have shattered some glass ceilings, but she also introduced a new hall of mirrors for women to lose themselves in. Indeed, Barbie was revolutionary for her time – she opened up a world for girls to imagine and dream of becoming anything they wanted to. And she also created a new “box”to trap women, one that focuses on appearance and perfection and consumerism. The movie attempts to addresses both sides of the debate which is something I appreciated.
5. Reclaiming pink.
I admit: I’m not a pink girl. It’s never been my color. In part because I, like so many, associate pink with frivolity and weakness. It’s hard to take pink seriously because of its affiliation to princesses, tutus, and BARBIES. Because we live in the patriarchy, femininity (and all things feminine) are deemed trivial. Trucks and sports are symbols of power whereas glitter and tea parties are silly and unimportant. Barbie illustrates that pink can be powerful, too. In an over-the-top and obnoxious display of girliness, the movie challenges us not to judge a movie by its color as it deftly confronts larger cultural issues.
6. Weird Barbie.
She’s weird, but she’s real. And she knows things. She’s honest and proud and she doesn’t give an eff about what anyone things of her. She doesn’t try to conform to the perfections of Barbie Land and she owns her uniqueness. Not to mention: Stereotypical Barbie couldn’t have gone on her heroine’s journey without Weird Barbie’s insights. She’s the sage of the story, like Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, and Kate McKinnon’s funny portrayal is superb.
7. Ken.
Ok, not to center the male lead here, I do think that Ryan Gosling as Ken was brilliant. I love that his character was silly and lighthearted- I caught my husband laughing at him throughout the whole movie, which made me smile. Men could use that reminder to not take themselves so seriously.
8. Role reversal: Barbie Land vs. the real world; the patriarchy vs. the matriarchy.
You could easily go down a rabbit hole exploring the implications of this. One thing that I found particularly illuminating was how the Barbies turn the Kens against each other in order reinstate the matriarchy in Barbie Land and strip the Kens of their power. In our real-world patriarchy, women turning against other women (instead of raising each other up) diminishes our strength and influence.
9. Discussion of identity.
The search for self is a primary thread throughout the film. Many of the characters wrestle with the questions “Who am I and what do I want?” Ultimately, our main character (Barbie) must learn to let go of everything that she thought she knew about herself in search of deeper truths. In the end, she begins the process of reinventing herself – no longer identifying herself as Stereotypical Barbie. It’s a profound lesson in self-discovery that I think many could learn from. (I might publish a separate reflection on this– stay tuned!)
10. Last but not least— some of my favorite movie quotes:
“Barbie has a great day every day, but Ken only has a great day if Barbie looks at him.” -Narrator
“Yeah, because actually my job, it’s just Beach.” -Ken
“Come into my weird house. Hi! I’m Weird Barbie. I can do the splits. I have a funky haircut. and I smell like basement.” -Weird Barbie
“To be honest, when I found out the patriarchy wasn’t about horses I lost interest.” -Ken
“I would never wear heels if my feet were shaped like this.” -Barbie
“That’s life. It’s all change.” -Gloria
“We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back to see how far they have come”. -Ruth
“I want to be a part of the people that make meaning, not the thing that is made.” -Barbie
Thank you 💓 I just might go see the movie now 💓
Thank you for sharing. It was illuminating to me when my wife told me that Ken is basically a "woman" in his own world. I went into this film thinking it was going to be pop culture and instead it ended up somewhere trending toward avant garde. I appreciate hearing your take.