Barbie

Synopsis: Barbie, a doll, leaves Barbie Land for the real world and is surprised by what she finds.

Barbie is aspirational: she has the social currency of being pretty and she has prestigious employment. Back in 1959 when the Barbie doll, created by Ruth Handler, came on the market, Barbie was a representation of an adult female with an oversized forehead and tiny waist. Lest you think Barbie was not inclusive, let me assure you that Barbie was available as a blonde or brunette doll.

Barbie was marketed to girls. Various outfits and fashion accessories were available for purchase, like high heels to wedge onto her itty bitty feet. In the early years, Barbie had pink-collar jobs like nurse and flight attendant. But by the 1970’s she added surgeon to her resume. One thing that didn’t change was Barbie’s uncommon proportions. Barbie was supposed to represent an ideal body form for a woman. However, proportioned upwards, the doll’s measurements would translate to a woman who was seriously underweight. And, bafflingly, although Barbie is 5’9″ tall, her shoe size is 3. IRL, the shoe size for a woman that height would be at least a 9. Barbie must also have a very foreshortened Achilles heel, because she walks on her tip toes.

In Greta Gerwig’s Barbie the women portraying the dolls are not CGI’d to have Barbie figures. That would’ve looked frightening. We’re introduced to them in Barbie Land where the Barbies and Kens live in a seemingly harmonious matriarchy. Margot Robbie is Stereotypical Barbie; tall, skinny and blonde. She lives in a dream house and cavorts with the other Barbies who are jurists, doctors, pilots etc.  The Barbie President is portrayed by Issa Rae. Margot Robbie Barbie is friends with Ken (Ryan Gosling) who clearly has a crush on her. But Barbie would rather have dance and slumber parties with the other Barbies than spend time with Ken. There are lots of Kens in Barbie Land, but their doll lives only have meaning in relation to the Barbies. The unemployment rate for Kens appears to be 100%.

Barbie seems happy all the time. Ken seems happy when Barbie notices him. Each day appears to be a groundhog-ish repeat of trips to the beach, frequent outfit changes and recreational drug-free parties. Until, one day, a human thought comes to Barbie. She worries about her own mortality. Then, the soles of her feet flatten out! To human eyes, this makes Barbie come off as less of a creepy automaton. But Barbie is unnerved.

Screenwriters Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach contrive a trip to the real world for Barbie. Ken goes along for the ride. An afterthought in Barbie Land, he learns what living in a patriarchy is like when they get to Los Angeles. Barbie gets schooled too when she gets street harassed by men. She voices that it seems threatening. Because, as accounts from women’s lived experiences attest to, it is threatening. In fact, when Barbie gets slapped on the ass by a man passing by and hits back, she gets arrested!

Feminism is a statement that all persons are equal in rights and dignity regardless of their sex or gender. So why are some people taking issue with Barbie’s feminist message? I guess because–channeling the patriarchy–when women push back, and say that they aren’t being treated fairly, they’re seen as ungrateful, misguided or rebelling against a fair status quo. If women aren’t equally represented in areas of political or economic power, it must be their own fault or choice. Why do they have to protest and march? Is it because they want favors? Is it because they hate men? I do wish that Mattel had made a feminist Barbie with flat feet and a “Destroy the Patriarchy”-sloganed tee shirt. But at least the movie itself makes the case that neither a patriarchy nor a matriarchy can be a just society. Unless it’s on the Wonder Woman island where the population is 100% women. At least until Chris Pine comes along as Steve Trevor and Gal Gadot’s Diana realizes she’s thirsty for a man. Wonder Woman also had to deal with the patriarchy in our world just like Barbie!

So, I don’t want to get all preachy, but data backs up women’s “complaints.” According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women make about 83% of what men make. Even in the same occupations, women earn less on average than men. In Saudi Arabia, male relatives control much of what women are allowed to do. Barbie certainly wouldn’t like being restricted from wearing body-conscious pink outfits.

And while men and women contribute equal genetic shares to creating the next generation, the physical labor of growing and nursing children are borne by women. In the U.S., women don’t have guaranteed parental leave. In many American states, women can’t even get an abortion. In much of the world, women bear more negative economic consequences of parenthood. Only Midge has to contend with these predicaments in Barbie Land…

Barbies and Kens don’t deal with fallouts from childbearing. They are plastic and have no offspring. It only follows that they would have no need for genitals. Barbie Land does, however, have a pregnant resident: Midge. Pregnant Midge is a doll that Barbie’s maker, Mattel rolled out in 1993. Because the public’s memory seemed fixed on Midge as Barbie’s young best friend, they didn’t register that Midge had “grown up” and married. Some people with nothing better to do, claimed that Midge — personified by writer-director Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Women)– promoted teen pregnancy. Midge is married to Allan (Michael Cera), Ken’s best friend who is the same clothing and shoe size as Ken. Maybe this is what cemented their friendship. Allan is also the presumptive father to Midge’s fetus. I guess that they had genitals at some point.

Barbie is culture-shocked in the human world. She cries when a teen girl calls her a fascist. She meets the head of Mattel–a man! And not just any man, but a boobish uber capitalist played by Will Ferrell.

I was hoping that Barbie would partake of the LA food scene and gain a few pounds like a human, but she maintained her skinny actress bod. In fact, Margot Robbie is not only objectified in the movie as Barbie, but on the red carpet as herself with trolls weighing in on her appearance. They can piss off, because what I’m seeing is a woman who is making a name for herself as an actor and producer.

No spoilers on the ending, but Barbie doesn’t conquer sexism in the real world — that would be just too much of a fantasy. Although I did see plenty of men at the movie theater where Barbie was playing refusing to conform to the genderfication of color. Along with women moviegoers, they were adorned in Barbiecore pink. Fun for everyone! And so is Barbie, the movie.

P.S. Other Barbies include: Alexandra Shipp, Hari Nef, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Rita Arya and Dua Lipa.

Kens include: Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa and John Cena.

Movie Loon Movie Review Shortcut:

Grade:   B +

Cut to the Chase:  A slew of funny one-liners. Margot Robbie & Ryan Gosling shine. Some story elements feel shoehorned in, like the parts with Rhea Perlman and America Ferrara. The Will Ferrell-Mattel piece fell flat. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mr. Ferrell can rollerblade.

Humor Highlight:  Ryan Gosling’s performance. His emoting while singing Just Ken was particularly inspired.