Barbie Shocked Me
I was expecting a film filled with the fun, campy adventures of Barbie & Ken, but instead, I cried with laughter and emotion.
Barbie Is Polarizing
Warner Bros Pictures
Would they tackle the controversialness of Barbie? When I was a child, there was nothing controversial about her that I could remember. (upon watching the end credits, a core memory was unlocked, and I did indeed have that Midge doll; I now can see how problematic it was 😭) We played with our Barbies, got frustrated at her raised foot arches unwillingness to wear sneakers, and eventually grew into adults and abandoned them.
It wasn’t until middle school that I understood how she could be a controversial figure. Gloria’s daughter Sahsa says that she is everything wrong with society. She perpetuates an unrealistic body image, sets blonde as the default and attractiveness option, and overall is a bimbo. But Barbie doesn't believe that.
In Barbieland, Barbie is everything. She is a doctor, a president, a professor, and more. She empowers women to be the good they want to see in the world, and Barbieland is a safe haven for women. She ignorantly believes this bled into the Real World.
Barbielad Vs. The Real World
Warner Bros Pictures
When entering the Real World, Barbie was immediately objectified and harassed by men and looked down upon by women. Ken was admired and was even respectfully flirted with.
Towards the movie's end, Gloria's monologue sums up the differences between the Real World and Barbieland. Being a woman is challenging and emotionally draining. Her daughter even says everyone hates women; it’s the one thing we can all agree on.
The movie is intelligent and self-aware. You may watch and think it’s perpetuating one idea of why the Real World is the way it is, but it also shows how some women are not looking out for each other. When they banded together, they restored Barbieland to its former beauty, and this is when Barbie realized how she was treating Ken.
Ken Is Not Just Ken
Warner Bros Pictures
Before venturing into the Real World, Ken was… just Ken. His reason for living depended on Stereotypical Barbie’s daily acknowledgment of him. He wanted her attention, and she was not that interested in him. In the Real World, he found a different type of validation.
He discovered the role of men in society and LOVED it. But was very fast brainwashed into toxic masculinity. He wanted to prove himself and be secure in his masculinity and be someone other than just Ken so bad he took all the bad qualities of our society into Barbieland and easily brainwashed others into following his teachings.
Ken isn’t this type of person. He is a non-confrontational guy. He wears bright colors; he lives for Barbie; he hangs out with the other Kens; the other Kens admire him (some as more than a friend), and he is just beach. He is a non-problematic individual, just like Ken dolls in real life. They were just there. He caused no problems and was only relevant whenever Barbie was around.
But this Ken wanted more.
Warner Bros Pictures
He wanted to be more than Barbie’s boyfriend, leading him to follow the teachings of the patriarchy. He wanted to be the center of attention, the person who mattered the most, but he was also losing himself. But he didn’t know who he was without Barbie. She tells him he needs to find that out for himself. (Spin-off movie please)
This movie is perfect. It’s campy yet emotional and funny yet thought-provoking.
I’m currently waiting for the 4K Blu-ray preorders to go live, but in the meantime, I will spend a disgusting amount of money on merch. I’m also patiently (impatiently) waiting for these retailers to drop Ken merch.
He doesn’t have enough y’all.