Spoiler alert: This review contains plot elements of the film.
Many have wanted to see Barbie come to life at one point or another, and this year Greta Gerwig has blessed viewers by helping that dream come true.
Before viewing the Barbie movie, I thought it would be just a silly little kids movie about Barbie and her life, but I was proven wrong by the time it was over. This movie had a deep and controversial message behind all of the fun colors and silly themes, and the writers perfectly showcased the underlying theme.
OHS Social Studies teacher Ariana Treakas explained that “there are two meanings to the Barbie movie, one is Ken finding his self-worth also the problems that popped up in society when it was ‘Ken’s land’ or ‘Barbie’s land.’ This movie had two sides. One was finding yourself between Barbie and Ken, and facing the problems of wanting to rule ‘Ken land’ or ‘Barbie land.’”
Trekas also stated, “The producer wanted to create a doll that was based on a famous doll that many people owned and still own. I think the producer put her twist in it to make it relatable.”
In “Barbie World,” everything is pink, pretty, and perfect. Every Barbie is flawless and has a perfect life, never having to worry about anything. In the beginning, Barbie has an internal conflict with thoughts of death and what is to come in the future, which is not normal for Barbies to think about. This creates a “portal” from Barbie’s world to the real world which Barbie and Ken have to travel through and learn what life is like in our world.
Ken first learns about “the patriarchy” when he steps into the city’s business world. A video montage of “manly” and bold pictures/videos is played on a giant TV screen influencing Ken’s perspective of what America is. He sees his peers acting with no emotion towards women in the workforce, which he then adapts into his own life. He started to treat Barbie poorly and acted like he didn’t care about her anymore, but it was just a mask for his insecurities.
Some people might find this movie unrealistic. The film depicts womanhood and how this concept is shared through society. This movie and previous other Barbie films are based on beauty standards.
This movie could also be seen differently in grown women’s eyes, with a deep meaning because they are showing Barbie the reality of what it means to be human, but that reality might not be every girl’s life so can hurt some people in a way.
OHS parent Patrica Brown said, “Yes, there was a deeper meaning in the Barbie world all about women ruling the world, but in reality, that’s not true: it’s a man’s world.”
Brown shared that she believes Barbie thinks she controls the world, but in reality, things in the movie were unrealistic, and that is what Barbie was just figuring out.
This movie was live-action to send a different message behind Barbie: a deeper message that people can be who they want to be, but they can not be perfect and rule the world, land, or anything.
I thought this movie would be fun, silly, and PINK! Boy was I surprised with the second half. Thanks for sharing Ms. Trekas’ breakdown and the parent views. Those were great additions to your article!
[…] more in-depth review of the film was recently published by 42Fifty staff […]
I thought this movie was so smartly written, and so are all other movies directed/written by Greta Gerwig. Check out Lady Bird or Little Women!