Barbie by Warner Bros
Have You Seen Barbie?
I have to be honest, I did not want to see Barbie. And yet I went.
Did I fall prey to the relentless promotion of it? In a way, yes. But in my defence Greta Gerwig was involved so I thought just how bad could it be? Also, I am a Gender Equality freak, I mean specialist, so almost everyone I encountered was asking me if I had seen it. I almost had to go for my professional credibility…
As it was work I decided I could go in the day time. I did make a slight error in taking my husband with me, but, as he slept through almost all but the opening and end credits, he has nothing useful to add from the male perspective.
I booked at a local multiplex and there were loads of seats available. However, when I arrived the cinema was almost full, despite the film showing throughout the day at several screens. I settled down, seemingly the only person in the audience without a gallon of popcorn and snacks, and definitely the only woman in the audience with a bus pass…
Cynical Barbie?
The opening scenes were flooded with pink and some clever shots. I never had an actual Barbie doll, (I was a Sindy girl), but I still recognised so much of the merchandise. There is a huge amount of product placement going on in this film, that’s for sure. It was clever and slick. But it was making me very sad.
I was sad and perhaps a little angry. What was going on with me? This is a film that gives a very full account of what the patriarchy means. What it is, how it impacts on us as women, but also some passing references to how it doesn’t do a lot of men much good, either. Margot Robbie was excellent as Barbie. The acting is so good, although I might question why Will Ferrell was cast as I’d like to have seen someone like Brian Cox in that role. Will is too cuddly. But I digress.
Why wasn’t I celebrating it? Me, an ardent proponent of gender equality?
Why Didn’t I Like Barbie – The Feminist Film?
I didn’t like it because it was too close to home. I have spent almost my entire life railing against the inequalities meted out to women: trying to bring attention to it, trying to help women navigate their way through the minefield that is the patriarchy. And yet here, over sixty years later, the issues were the same. Still, women don’t feel safe in the world. Men are accorded a higher status by simply possessing a penis. (Ryan Gosling is perfect in portraying that as he struts around town, growing visibly taller and swaggering). It made me sad.
And Then It Hit Me
And then it hit me. Barbie the movie wasn’t for me. I was most definitely not in the intended demographic. Any woman my age has lived this stuff, whether we’ve called it the patriarchy or just life.
I looked around the audience comprised mainly of young women and they were rapt. Totally engrossed and absorbed. That’s when I got it. This is a massive propaganda (I think), instructive film on behalf of gender equality. Young women will have walked into that cinema believing that they had equality, that they didn’t feel a need to call themselves feminists. I think they will have walked out with a different set of beliefs. At the very least I think they will have begun questioning some of the facts of life that they had previously taken for granted.
And that’s when I started loving the film. I began to relax. I allowed myself to laugh and even almost cry. So, my recommendation is it is worth seeing, even if you wait until it comes around on TV. If you can, watch it with some younger women.
P.S Shameless Promotion
If you look closely at the picture above you’ll see it’s not actually Barbie and Ken. It’s my son and daughter in law who are the talent behind NewOldFriends. They actually loved Barbie the movie. NewOldFriends have a tennis show about to tour nationwide so used this picture of Barbie and Ken dressed for tennis to promote it on social media. It’s a very funny show so do go if you get the chance. (End of shameless maternal promotion).
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Posted on August 9th, 2023 by Jane
