We were tickled pink by the Barbie movie. It was a brilliant mix of deep, positive messaging and playful and light-hearted fun, making it re-watchable so those lessons are reinforced with every viewing.
It starts out in Barbieland, where everything is pink and plastic, showcasing big-screen replicas of Barbie merchandise my 6-year-old has in her room right now. The Barbies are just moved and set from one place to another, as though a child is playing with them.
Women rule the land, acting as President, Supreme Court Justices, and winning major awards, like the Nobel prize. They boldly display their self-assured confidence as they graciously accept hard-earned accolades, proudly stating, ‘Thank you, I worked hard and I deserve this.’
The Barbies congratulate themselves on solving all female problems in the real world, while the Ken’s are useless, superficial accessories.
The men in this movie mostly served as comic relief, almost too ridiculous to take seriously. Especially the Ken’s and Allan, and the CEO of Mattel, played by the hilarious Will Ferrell, who excels at playing naive, whimsical characters that make him endearing even in the most absurd situations.
The movie takes a serious turn when Barbie and Ken make it to the real world and experience sexism and themes of the patriarchy. This sends Barbie into an existential crisis when she realizes female problems of the real world, while Ken goes into a toxic masculinity spiral when he realizes the power that the patriarchy could grant him.
This film and the emotions the characters experience are so relatable. Ken is working through feeling overlooked and unimportant, while Barbie’s worldview gets shattered when she realizes life isn’t as perfect as she always thought.
Barbie, the stereotypical “perfect” woman, who can literally be anything in the world with the change of her clothes, makes it okay for us to have feelings of being not enough, and to not know exactly what we want.
Additionally, the film touches on heartfelt themes of nostalgia and mother-daughter relationships, as well as acceptance of all life’s circumstances.
There were adult themes, veiled innuendos, and some minor language, earning the film a PG-13 rating, but anything a little risque is glossed over, as though a child, who doesn’t really understand, is just playing with their dolls.
This movie wove themes of feminism, child-like wonder, nostalgia, toxic masculinity, existential angst, and breaking free from cultural stereotypes into playful, pink childsplay.
It was the perfect movie to watch with my daughters.
And they’re obsessed with with soundtrack, specifically the silly, 80’s-reminiscent ballad, “I’m just Ken.”
Way to go, Greta! We are all Kenough!
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