Hater Tuesday: “Barbie” Was Dangerous

When Barbie premiered in theaters final summer time, I, like many different girls, rushed to see it throughout opening week. I did the entire thing — I wore a totally pink outfit, smeared sparkly make-up throughout my eyes and walked into the theater with my mates anticipating a film that, whereas enjoyable, had a transferring message about what it’s to exist as a girl. Largely, I used to be excited to lastly have a film that was made particularly for girls. Nevertheless, that was not what I acquired. Barbie was actually not the groundbreaking feminist movie that everybody had mentioned it was. Actually, I discovered it deeply misogynistic for a number of causes, and it was discomfiting for me to see it being lauded as a masterpiece when it so clearly perpetuated lots of the most dangerous mindsets that modern-day girls are pressured to beat.

Firstly, the complete film relies round magnificence. That is certainly not removed from the reality of actual girls. A lot of our lives are based mostly across the aware or unconscious pursuit of magnificence that it was clearly one thing a film in regards to the feminine expertise needed to tackle. Nevertheless, the way in which the writers went about it reeked of typical entry stage feminism. Barbie insists on everybody being lovely — actually, in its most pivotal scene, which options Barbie crying as a result of she doesn’t really feel fairly sufficient, the film’s response is to have one other one of many feminine leads console her by telling her that she is so lovely. Whereas it’s vital to know that magnificence doesn’t exist solely within the inflexible definition that’s usually assigned, by having probably the most emotional scene within the film finish with the primary character receiving validation with a purpose to really feel good once more, it reinforces the concept that with a purpose to be okay, girls must be lovely. In a world the place Barbie preached extra than simply performative feminism, the scene would have gone extra like this:

“I’m not fairly.”

“You don’t must be, it’s not your job.”

Take into consideration how way more influential this dialogue would have been. If such a extensively considered film had modified that one line to be one thing really significant, its influence may have been a lot extra optimistic. To inform girls that they’re lovely, even when they don’t really feel prefer it, is reinforcing the identical age previous thought {that a} girl’s worth relies on her look. What we’d like is a brand new tackle feminism, one that’s not deeply entrenched in misogynistic beliefs. Girls must know that it’s alright to not be lovely, that it’s not their obligation to always, or ever, enchantment to the male gaze.

If it was simply that one scene the place these problematic themes had been prevalent, maybe the film may nonetheless be claimed as an total success. Sadly, the examples of this very same concern pile up. One other extensively mentioned scene in Barbie is when Margot Robbie, enjoying stereotypical Barbie, is speaking to an older girl and tells her that she is gorgeous. The previous girl responds, “I do know it.” Whereas at first a heartwarming sentiment (it’s all the time refreshing to see girls act confidently and never knock themselves down within the face of a praise), this second just isn’t practically as revolutionary as many individuals appear to suppose. As soon as once more, magnificence is framed as the final word praise, the final word objective of each girl. There was a really energetic motion lately in opposition to anti-aging ads and merchandise, aiming as an alternative to simply accept how folks of all ages look, and to embrace the getting older course of as pure and one thing to be skilled totally slightly than averted. Whereas this push is an efficient one — forcing girls to attempt to look younger is actually born of misogynistic beliefs — saying that previous girls are lovely too just isn’t the way in which to go about fixing the problem. This solely implies that even older girls are actually held to male-instigated magnificence requirements. To me, this seems like a jail sentence slightly than a pardon.

Probably the most express continuation of floor stage feminism is the complete plot of “bizarre” Barbie. Bizarre Barbie has uneven quick hair, marker drawn throughout her face and a patchwork outfit. She is ostracized by the opposite Barbies for her variations, and referred to interchangeably as “bizarre” and “ugly” Barbie. That is an outright displaying of how Barbie bases value on look. “Weirdness,” which is normally used to outline one’s habits, is proven as fully flesh with “ugly,” a phrase that’s used primarily as a adverse descriptor for look, (though if truth be told, ‘ugly’ is simply an adjective with no morality hooked up to it). This Barbie is disliked purely as a result of she is ugly, and on the finish of the film, when the opposite Barbies lastly study to simply accept her, they apologize for calling her ugly, not for treating her otherwise based mostly on that commentary. They acknowledge the harm attributable to the phrase, however they under no circumstances dismantle it.

So sure, Barbie was enjoyable, and the aesthetic was actually entertaining, however there was little worth beneath that. What had the potential to be a very highly effective film was thrown away on base stage feminism with deeply dangerous undertones. And whereas it’s good that so many individuals who had by no means seen their battle mirrored on display had been offered that chance, and people who had been completely unaware of ladies’s struggles may develop of their understanding, there may be a lot extra that Barbie may have achieved whereas nonetheless retaining all of its optimistic themes intact. When film after film fails to ship a message really freed from misogyny, particularly a film that explicitly units out to take action, there reaches some extent the place the remaining sexism simply feels lazy. The writers didn’t care sufficient to do away with it. It’s really not that troublesome to write down a non-misogynistic script, it’s simply that folks don’t care sufficient to do it, as long as the narrative that they do present makes them cash. And isn’t that the age previous story of ladies a lot greater than Barbie is?

Hater Tuesday is an authorless column that runs alternate weeks and facilities round critiquing media or tradition.