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    Barbie Essay 2

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    ashadyzebra

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    Barbie Essay 2

    Uploaded by

    ashadyzebra
    4 views2 pages

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    4 views2 pages

    Barbie Essay 2

    Uploaded by

    ashadyzebra

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    Cameron Alexander

    Professor Bob Jackson

    Literature and Film: Political Fictions

    9/23/2024

    For director Greta Gerwig, producing Barbie is not just the task of creating a movie—it is

    also the challenge of rehabilitating the titular doll’s regressive reputation. After all, Barbie is a

    name synonymous with 19-inch waists, dolls that blurt “I love shopping!”, and porcelain white

    skin. What we (and Mattel) need is a new Barbie; a 21st Century Barbie. A Barbie that represents

    all colors and body types while still exemplifying femininity. And by all accounts, the Barbie

    movie delivered. Margot Robbie killed her role as the eponymous Barbie, injecting Serious

    emotions into her otherwise flamboyant and pinkalicious role. Anyone who attended in theatres

    —and likely those who didn’t—can remember its cultural phenomenon. The wave of pink

    outfits, high heels, and earnest discussions about the role of women in society. But its success is

    not unequivocal.

    As much as Barbie screams girl power, its feminist message falters under scrutiny. A

    conflict for control over Barbie Land winds its way through the film. As we begin, Barbie Land

    is an absolute matriarchy, with the Kens existing only to hang off the arms of the Barbies. After

    the Kens learn patriarchy from the real world, they seize power and gain control of the

    government, a sense of intrinsic self-worth, and a place to live—all of which they lacked under

    the Barbies. At the end of this narrative arc, after the Barbies retake control of Barbie Land, the

    narrator announces: “One day, the Kens will have as much power and influence in Barbie Land

    as women have in the Real World”—which is to say: not much. In this singular moment, Barbie

    undercuts its entire message for the purpose of a sardonic little quip. Here’s the problem: Ken

    really, genuinely is better off under patriarchy. Telling him he is “Kenough” does not solve the
    institutional discrimination rife in Barbie Land. For Barbie, the liberation of women comes at the

    expense of men, presenting feminism as a solution that doesn’t quite work for all.

    Barbie is at its best when you forget that it’s a 114 minute commercial for a doll and just

    enjoy the adventure, but it struggles when you try to take it seriously. It’s a great movie. Just

    don’t ask it to be more than it is.

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