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07/20/2023

Review of "Barbie" by Greta Gerwig - Mattel's Doll, the Catalyst of Female Awakening


By Sandra M Ríos U
Twitter: @sandritamrios

In Greta Gerwig's version, the legendary Mattel doll has much more to offer than just frivolity.

Barbie Superstar, Barbie fashionista, Barbie Curvy, Barbie ballerina, Barbie teacher, Barbie yogi, Barbie fitness trainer, Barbie athlete, Barbie pediatrician, Barbie lifeguard, Barbie dentist, Barbie rancher, Barbie soccer player, Barbie firefighter, Barbie photographer, Barbie interior designer, Barbie baker, Barbie musician, Barbie traveler... and so on. There are over 170 styles of this doll (some made from recycled plastic), with nine body types, 35 skin tones, and more than 90 hairstyles available today.

Since its first edition in 1959, this doll has not only idealized beauty standards but also lifestyles and opportunities that many of us women cannot ultimately access in adulthood. Those fantasy worlds constructed with enthusiasm in childhood fade away for many in reality. That is the biggest criticism of this legendary creation by Ruth Handler, inspired by her daughter Barbara when she noticed that she preferred to play with adult dolls, engaging in her first role-playing games.

64 years after that release, the expert in giving stories a twist, Greta Gerwig, presents in her musical satire a shift from the idea that Barbies have been a harmful invention and asks: What if all these dreams we imagined as little girls with the doll have somehow served as inspiration to become what we really want to be? Could it be that during all this time, patriarchal culture left us with limiting thoughts and that in these modern times, we can confirm that we were capable of being and doing all that we imagined with the plastic doll?

Then Gerwig's Barbie appears to "enlighten" and take a "evolutionary leap" in women's mentality, which is as funny, dignified, and visually stunning as "2001: A Space Odyssey," its immediate reference. With fantastic irony, Gerwig opens this film and makes it clear what can be expected from it, especially for those unfamiliar with her narrative style.

"Barbie" is a movie about female empowerment, one that has been able to gain strength until now. The film itself is an example of those winds of change, breaking down paradigms and exploiting them, taking advantage of the fact that Barbie's universe is so feminine. In this story, our world and the world of Barbies happen in parallel, with an invisible "bridge" between them that allows them to pass from one to the other, although the idea is not to intervene. In the world of Barbies, they are the owners and rulers of everything. The Kens are decorative pieces, always looking handsome and well-put, and they serve the Barbies. It sounds like revenge, but that is the game the director proposes. Overnight, "Barbie" (Margot Robbie) experiences an existential crisis and begins to feel human emotions. The only way to resolve it is to enter the real world and find the cure. She embarks on this journey with Ken (Ryan Gosling). Their journey, before reaching their manufacturers, will make them discover that in our world, men are the dominant ones, and humans experience life very differently. While Barbie deals with reclaiming her identity in the real world, Ken returns to Barbieland to impose the sexist dynamics he witnessed in our world. Restoring order in the land of dolls becomes their next objective.

With a suitcase full of ironies, Greta Gerwig's script (Little Women, Lady Bird, Frances Ha), co-written with her partner, filmmaker Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story, The Squid and the Whale, The Meyerowitz Stories), offers social critique of machismo, the job market, gender inequality in opportunities, stereotypes, and prejudices, ridiculing them to reveal their absurdity. Amid the many laughs provoked by their ideas and musical numbers, the movie aims to deliver an inspiring message about "yes, we can," resilience, embracing diversity, accepting differences, and the need to continue thinking collectively to bring about the change where women can reign. What Gerwig proposes cleverly and comically gives little space to gender equality for men (perhaps to their dismay).

Some may say that "Barbie" shouldn't be taken so seriously, but I'm not so sure about that. Gerwig has made a film for the general public, where she pokes fun at the doll manufacturer herself and sells a story of feminist vindication. After all, in both real life and cinema, men have dominated, and now, according to this script, it's time for women to take the lead. With this screenplay, Gerwig acts as a kind of avenger who neither revictimizes nor idealizes women, as she also mocks their weaknesses or flaws.

It's likely that some people (even women) may not fully embrace this sort of makeover for Mattel and its iconic doll, but the version presented is at least convincing, whether "Barbie" is seen as mere entertainment or a story that conveys powerful feminist messages to some. In the fervor of this era and themes like feminism, there has been a desire to judge the past with the same liberties of today. Of course, Mattel has reflected that male dominance, and editions of its dolls in past times have remained as a historical record of that. "Barbie" has been, whether we like it or not, the desired doll for every generation since its release. As girls, we have engaged with it to imagine wonderful worlds, where we weave those future dreams of becoming everything we long to be when we grow up, or what we want to escape, and that's not a bad thing.

"Barbie" is enjoyable, fun, joyful, and even manages to be emotional. It's a musical comedy with an uneven pace, moments of gratuitous silliness, and slightly lengthy, but it features great performances from the marvelous Margot (nobody else could be Barbie), Gosling (who is fantastic in my opinion), and America Ferrera, with a charming character. This may not be Greta's best film or one that will change the history of cinema, but her sweet feminist revenge offers memorable moments.

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