Barbie It’s not a children’s movie about a doll. We all know that already. It is clear that it has a clear feminist intentionbut does he get it? Since its premiere, the film Greta Gerwig It has not stopped sweeping the box office, with mostly positive opinions. However, perhaps due to the expectations generated, some people complain that it is not a good film about feminism. That there are thousands of films that are much more feminist than They have not had the same impact. And it’s true, but to what extent is that a bad thing?
It is important to note that this is an opinion article, with many spoilers. And also that it is totally legitimate that there are different visions on how feminism is approached in Barbie. Now, why, in my opinion, has there been so different opinions among feminists? possibly because It is not an essay or a brainy film on the subject.
In Barbie are exposed patriarchy problems through something similar to a reductio ad absurdum. The ends are shown. On the one hand, the initial world of Barbie, in which power resides in women, and on the other, the new model imposed by Ken after traveling to real life. They may not be real extremes, and that is what has upset some feminists, but it is also true that it is a curious way of presenting the problem, especially to women. girls and teenagers that they go to see the movie thinking that they are only going to see the life of a doll.
say no without fear
Something that draws the attention of the first part of the film is the forcefulness with which Barbie rejects Ken when he proposes to stay at his house. “No, because I don’t want to.” With a smile and no desire to hurt. She simply expresses his opinion.
Barbie lives in a perfect world, in which she has never experienced the discomfort of a man insisting on spending time with her. He has not been afraid of the reaction of some men (not all) before a rejection. That’s why, Express your opinion freely.
This is something that happens almost at the beginning of the film and that sets the tone of its plot. A analysis of feminism from the extremes. And, of course, with humor.
Feminism through the clichés of patriarchy
Some people have also criticized Barbie for being a movie full of clichés. In my opinion, this is a problem when you fall into the cliché by accident. But, in the case of Barbie, the clichés accumulate, one after another, totally deliberately and with a clear intention: that the girls, adolescents and women who see the film feel identified. And hopefully some men do too.
Women are beginning to talk about these issues in recent years. Before, at most, we discussed them among ourselves, but we did not share them publicly. That is a problem, since if something is not counted, it seems that it does not exist. Barbie makes a reduction to the absurd, but everything she shows is real.
To begin with, it perfectly describes the mansplaining. This term is used to describe men who enjoy explaining to women things that women fully understand, even if they insist they don’t need to know. Almost any woman has ever been through that situation. The journalist Rebecca Solnit He tells it very well in his book men explain things to mein which she begins by recounting the day a man tried to explain to her a book that she herself had written.
In Barbie we see the Kens take pride in explaining things from movies to computers to Barbies who are actually well trained to understand it. We also see how they fight over women as if they were trophies, further reducing them to a pretty face that, if he lives with them, it is to serve them and work at home.
The latter is a stale patriarchy, which luckily is no longer so current. But when Barbie and Ken travel to the real world, they do reveal issues that we’ve all come across today.
The glass ceiling problem
When Ken goes looking for a job in the real world, one of the companies tells him that nowadays everything is easier for women. Because that’s what many entrepreneurs say. They complain that women are given facilities, when in reality, what is attempted is to equalize the opportunities that men have historically enjoyed in a practical exclusivity.
But it has not yet been able to match, no matter how much some complain. The Mattel offices are a good example of this. And it is that, despite the fact that the company was founded by a woman, absolutely all its managers are men. Also, when Barbie asks them why there are no women, they are proud that they had a female director in the ’90s.
Again we are facing a funny extreme. A reduction to absurdity. But in real life we see it in many sectors. In science, for example, there is what is known as the glass roof. This is that, even in careers where the majority of people are women, in Management positions there are still men. There are laboratories with very high percentages of female scientists that continue to have a man as group leader. There are many reasons why this occurs. Among them is the fact that women often have to put their working lives on hold to become mothers, and this in some sectors is something that is not only not easy. It is penalized.
In addition, since in the past many obstacles were placed for women to access certain professional careers, today many have less experience than men. They play with a clear disadvantage for which it is logical that they are given certain aid, which in no way pretends that they are above men. They just look for equality.
In fact, there is a part of the movie where this is referenced. In the end, when trying to return to the world of initial Barbie, the Kens are allowed to have more responsible positions, but not as tall as those of the Barbies. Because, after all, they have been at a disadvantage for years and will have to do it little by little. It is a clear reference to what, conversely, happens in real life. If we see the movie and it seems unfair to the Kens, we should think deeply about it.
From the perfect Barbie to the normal Barbie: a clear example of feminism
Barbie has evolved a lot since its origins. Initially, she showed an impossible body, with which the girls compared themselves, coming to underestimate hers. For this reason, over time Barbies have been added with very varied sizes, different skin colors and all kinds of professions. This was also intended to show that, like her, a girl can be whatever she wants to be: from a vet to an astronaut.
But there is a problem that is also shown in Barbie. What’s wrong with not being exceptional? One of the most vindictive moments of the film is the Gloria’s motivational speech, the Mattel worker, who talks to Barbie about what it’s like to be a woman in the real world. She tells him about the importance of perfection. Even today, women try to be perfect in order to be taken seriously in their profession. Perfect aesthetically to feel integrated into the canons of society. Perfect students, perfect mothers, perfect daughters…
Women are branded a path from which they must not leave. If a man has had many partners, he is a Don Juan. On the other hand, if a woman has strayed from the path and has had several partners, she is fresh or an unstable person who does not know how to keep a man by her side. If a man talks about sex, he is an open person. But, if a woman does the same, she is desperate. So, with a multitude of issues. The boundaries of the men’s path are very well blurred, while those of the women seem to be made of barbed wire. Men are rewarded for normality, but women are penalized. Even Barbie herself does it, which is why in the film they try to make up for it, talking about what would be the normal Barbie.
For all this, in my opinion, Barbie Yes, it does feminism a favor. Girls and teens who have seen the movie may have simply been amused by watching the Kens fight each other with rubber arrows and toy horses. But, perhaps, a seed has been planted in their minds that will germinate when they do a first mansplaining. Or when they are asked in a job interview if they intend to be mothers. Perhaps when a man treats them as if they were his property, under the false pretense of love. If that seed germinates at the right time, Barbie will have fulfilled her function. I think she can do it.