Does the Barbie movie have a deeper meaning? The new Barbie movie has much more meaning than just dolls and toys; Barbie ultimately wants to make a more equal society and encourage men to pursue their wants in life. This makes the movie itself very inspiring.
Many people who have watched the Barbie movie could say it is about women’s empowerment, but I would say that is not quite true; It is much deeper than that. The movie has much more meaning than just this one important topic which is empowerment for women.
“The most common criticisms of Barbie are of excessive materialism communicated through the doll’s lifestyle and the doll’s unrealistic body proportions” (Britannica.com). Barbie can be stereotyped as a blond-haired, blue-eyed girl with an unrealistic body, but in the Barbie movie created by Ruth Handler and directed by Greta Gerwig, these dolls aren’t just created one way. Barbie is every woman who lives in the Barbie world, and every woman is considered a Barbie despite their differences, which is why the Barbie movie is considered inclusive. No matter the way, shape, or form of these dolls, they are included in this family and this imaginary world. “It’s celebrating multiculturalism by featuring characters from different races and ethnicities, young audiences will develop empathy, understanding, and appreciation for diverse perspectives” (blackdollsmatter.com). The Barbie movie is extremely meaningful to the public because our society nowadays has evolved over time. Fashion vogue models are standardized to be a certain size, and a certain height as well and Barbie being a Caucasian, blue-eyed girl with an impractical body that other women and young girls were set to those standards. This movie changed the point of view of many individuals and it is very eye-opening, as it represents that anyone can be a boss without being discriminated against.
In the movie, Barbie once said, “Everything that men do in your world, women do in ours” (theknot.com). The imaginary setting called Barbie World is the place where women rule, where women are presidents, lawyers, physicists, and doctors. Our humanity has come a very long way, there were times when women weren’t able to go to school and have the same education as men. Women couldn’t even own houses, young girls at the age of just four-teen had to get married, have children, stay home and take care of everything while the men went off to work. This shows that the Barbie movie creates the image of the women’s capabilities in leadership roles, representing a positive and empowering image towards women.
Furthermore, the director Greta Gerwig “transforms a joke about the forgettable male doll into a meditation on the state of masculinity” (time.com). The movie represents how the patriarchy affects both genders mentally and emotionally, Gerwig shows a moment when the young men are most vulnerable and the feeling of dis-empowered due to the way our communism works.
Therefore, this movie is a collection of meaningful events that are very similar to the real world. The actors and artists featured in the movie are impacted by the messages placed in dialogue of Barbie, they are also very lucky to be a part of the amazing piece of work. The viewers are also motivated by the important topics of women empowerment, equality, men’s mental health and inclusion.