As I walked into the theater, the room was filled to the brim with young girls, most wearing pink tutus and holding their barbie close to their chest. They were soon followed by their mothers who were just as excited to see the film. I took my seat, standing out in a sea of fuschia. Next to me were two women in their mid- 70s, best friends, both wearing matching pink sperrys and pink hats. I was amazed at the turn out, but also the importance of this event. This cinematic experience is for all ages, young and old. All coming to see and connect with the main theme: girlhood.
The movie starts as you would think, full of fun, pink, and of course, Barbies. Set in Barbie Land, we meet the Barbies, all successful and confident women. Their jobs range from doctors to supreme court members to nobel prize winners, and everything in between. They are extraordinary, all amazing in their own way. Then there are the Ken’s, oh and Allen (there is only one Allen). Each Ken has a job, such as beach. They are just Ken, only there for comedic relief. On the other hand, every Barbie is important in Barbie Land; they are the leaders of their communities, unlike in the Real World.
As the story starts to unravel, Original Barbie is conflicted with thoughts of GASP! death. A thought only humans have. Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) set off to the real world to find the girl she is connected with, only to find the Real World is nothing like Barbie Land. After being faced with everyday situations a woman is placed in, Barbie is angry and disappointed. Barbie, Gloria (the mom who had the thoughts of death), and Gloria’s daughter make their way back to Barbie Land, only to find it is overrun by the Ken’s.
The director, Greta Gerwig, takes this moment in the film to see a glimpse of our world from a different perspective. Whereas in Barbie Land, the men aren’t suffering, they aren’t in servitude, they aren’t being objectified or harassed, they just aren’t the main characters. Yet in Ken Land all the Barbies are brainwashed into servitude and obedience, their true selves washed away, while the Ken’s galavant and trash the town. This reveals how the Barbie’s are second-class citizens.
This is where I connect to the movie. Every detail is stemmed from our society, who treats women as second best to men. It’s perfectly shown, especially when Barbie doesn’t think she is as good enough, or smart enough to stop the Kens. She is defeated as she is no longer confident within herself, but falling into a world where no matter how hard we try, no one can be good enough. Then it is followed by one of the most impactful speeches in film history. It is beautiful and powerful. Gloria expresses her feelings of never living up to the expectations of being a woman in our society. She somehow explains what it means to be a woman. Never doing enough, never being beautiful enough, never being strong enough, because we will never be enough. It wrecked me. It was as if Gerwig took the thoughts of every woman on this planet, and made it into a soul-wrenching speech.
It may be a surprise, I never grew up having barbies. Mostly because ‘back in the day’ Barbie’s were not diverse, both in race or size. Yet, I am still deeply connected with this movie. I think this obsession is due to Gerwig, who is an expert at deep diving into the female mind, and somehow putting it all into words. Barbie is a figure of girlhood. She’s a doll many young girls play with. She has every job imaginable, showing young girls, you can be anything you put your mind to. She is kind, beautiful, and signifies the importance of female friendship. She is the reason behind the end of the baby-doll age. So no more playing mothers, she symbolizes womanhood.
That’s why this movie is so impactful, because it shows what it’s like to be a woman. Always second best, never good enough, left in the background. Yet we are extraordinary. We are beautiful and strong. We are kind and brilliant. We can be anything we want to be, just like Barbie said. This film is about growing up in a world where people are constantly awaiting our downfall. But we have to remove ourselves from that narrative to truly be self-actualized. This film establishes girlhood. The ups and downs; the triumphs and lows; it’s like we, as women, were finally heard.
