My Hot (Pink) Takes on Barbie
by Opinion Editor Baneen Talpur
When Barbie came out, promising a revolutionary story about feminism, I was ready to be transported to “Barbieland”. I was lured by its promise of pink Cadillacs, a world where women could be whoever they wanted to be, and no one could stop them. I left however, with a bittersweet feeling. I think that frankly, the film that was fine, but could have done so much better. I left reminded that no matter what women do, there is not much hope because a film that could have inspired and could have finally opened up men’s eyes to the difficulties of what it is like to be a woman, ended up being a one hour thirty minute-fiasco on feminism for newborns.
The film’s opening got my hopes up, and I think that it is the best part. We see a strong, independent Barbie on her way to meet all the other Barbies. All the other Barbies were recognised high achievers: Barbies who worked hard and knew that they deserved their success and affirmed themselves too. I was nearly crying at this part and thought about just how much more I could have achieved if I was supported enough, if words of affirmation like that were spoken to me, and if I was made to believe that I am worthy. That if I had female role models like that to look up to, then maybe I would believe that I am invincible too. This simple yet incredible opening sequence had me thinking, that if this was only the start of this film, the rest was going to be amazing.
Sadly, this did not happen. They tried hard but I felt that the script fell flat in its execution. While there were some great gems of storytelling scattered throughout the film, the film was almost too direct and could have worked much better if the technique was more subtle. What would have been more effective was if the audience had to sit with it and figure it out. When Ken asked Barbie if she knew what patriarchy was, I felt that I was watching an episode of Dora, not Barbie. It no longer felt like a film for people of all ages, and that I, who feels very strongly about feminism and women’s rights, was beginning to be excluded from the conversation.
As the plot “develops”, for lack of a better word, and the Kens take control of Barbieland, patriarchy is perceived jokingly as being about leather and horses, when really it is about exerting control. The Barbies, once physicists, doctors and lawyers are now reduced to literal maids, who’s only purposes are to serve beer to the Kens. The film manages to discredit both the fear that women have to deal with in a patriarchal society, and the severity of how deeply patriarchy also damages men. Men’s thoughts were reduced to beer and leather, and they in turn reduce the complexity of the female experience to being a waitress.
The affirmations that I hoped would set me up for life, were cut short to the Barbies being given a crash course on their true value as a woman. It was reminiscent to me of how women are constantly cut short when trying to contribute to a meeting or be active members of society. The sentences were great, and Gloria’s speech consisted well-crafted lines that would have meant much more if only they were given more time to sink in. The lines that women needed to hear about how they were important and influential suddenly lost their meaning. Sometimes it is not about what you say but how you say it.
The most effective storytelling in the film probably came from its soundtrack. Sam Smith’s “Man I am” captured the complexity of manhood much better than any Ken did. or Billie Eilish’s “What was I made for?” allowed me to question my entire self-worth and how so much of it has come from falling for the patriarchy’s trap of appeasing to men. Even the hyper pop of Charlie XCX’s “Speed Drive” drew me into the film, making me feel like I was in that pink Cadillac off to chase my dreams with the girlies.
I also believe that Ken deserved no mercy at the end of the film. Hot take, but he took Barbie’s house. He left her with nothing and the expectation that Barbie had to forgive him was not it for me. The fact that at the end in Barbie land, none of the other Ken’s got their issues solved, was also confusing for me. After all, wasn't the point of the film to demonstrate that we need not just Barbies or Kens in power, but that we need equal rights and opportunities for all? Barbieland can only be the perfect world if we all come together. At the end, none of the Kens’ issues were really solved, and I still couldn’t tell you where Ken lives.
The film had potential, but the story needed more polishing. What could have been an experience that left me reset to face the world with a newfound sense of joy in being a woman, ended up making me think about how the film could be perceived as an insight into how close-minded our society is becoming. The target audience of the film was confusing, do other adults need to have things practically spelled out in order to understand them? It made me think about how many men probably won’t watch the film, not just because they are intimidated by the pink, but because the film failed to capture the complexity of just how intricate the problems that men have to deal with are. Their very real problems were brought down to “beach”. If the film was supposed to be for kids, then I felt that Disney, especially Pixar, would have done a much better job had they been given the script. Pixar has the ability to tell a nuanced story in a very child friendly manner that does not feel dumbed down, that still manages to keep the integrity of the story at its heart. The experience that the characters face in a Pixar film are grounded in reality, Pixar is subtle but also never fails to get its point across.
I will rejoice in wearing pink and embrace Barbie fever because the brand has stood up for women’s rights and dreams in the past. Barbie had a bank account before any other American woman, after all. Barbie taught us that if she can do it all, then we can do it too. Or if we want to stay ordinary, that is okay too. But I never want a doll to try to minimise or dumb down the complexity of the female or male experience. Barbie represents the facts that women have choices and I want the choice of seeing a better story. Maybe I’ll be the Barbie who writes it.
