Y’all Are Really Mad at Barbie?
The girlies are reaching across the isle to find reasons to be mad at a doll… and its weird.
Spoiler warnings for the 2023 Barbie film
As a woman in her late twenties who was born and raised in the United States, I have a very long and storied history with Barbie. I grew up in the the 2000’s during a time where Barbie had stiff competition in the form of Bratz dolls. While I did (and still do) prefer her competitor, I did own several Barbie dolls as a kid .
I decided to see the film during its release week. The movie certainly had a few flaws, but overall I enjoyed it. Much to my surprise, there were many who did not share this sentiment, and backlash can be seen all over the internet from both conservatives and progressives. All of this chatter about the movie opens up an opportunity for discussion, as the film sheds an interesting reflection back on the viewing public about its perception and expectations of media created by and for women.
What is the movie even about?
Barbie (2023) stars Margo Robbie in the role of the titular character. Viewers are introduced to Robbie’s Barbie as she moves through her perfect life in Barbieland with her Barbie friends played by Issa Rae, Hari Neff, Sharon Rooney, Alexandra Shipp, and Dua Lipa. This version of Barbieland is presented as a feminist Utopia where woman rule and all of societies problems are solved.
When disaster strikes, Barbie suddenly must leave her home and venture out into the real world to help a wayward girl find happiness again. Barbie is joined by Ken (played by Ryan Reynolds) on this adventure. There, the two are confronted with a reality that shows how imperfect life is for women due to a patriarchal society. Ken takes the lessons from the real world and its concept of ‘patriarchy’ and back to Barbieland to gain control. To put a stop to his antics, Barbie must enlist the help of her real world friends to bring order back to Barbieland and unpack what it really means to be woman.
The film does a good job of being self-aware (of its choices and the brand Mattel has developed over the years). We get acknowledgements of the lack of depth in the feminist ideals presented by Barbie as well as the foolish nature of patriarchy as a whole. All of these themes come into play while keeping a fun and light tone as we pay homage to many of the iconic dolls made throughout Barbie’s 64 year history.
So Y’all are Mad?
Conservative Outrage
Though the film is receiving much praise from critics and a large portion of the viewing public, backlash has begun to surface. Politically conservative figures had many negative (and unsurprising) things to say about the film. A site created and frequented by Christian conservatives called Movieguide was one of many platforms slamming the film for its inclusion of trans talent and for pushing “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender character stories…” even though none of the aforementioned ‘themes’ were discussed in the film. Ginger Gaetz, wife of Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, also critiqued the film and noted that it neglected to “address any notion of faith or family.” Gaetz also noted irritation with Ken and his “beta” male presentation.
While I cannot wait to unpack this silly and baseless commentary, there was also chatter from progressive spaces that noted strong disappointment in the film.
Progressive Annoyance
Progressive communities online have been home to discussions noting that viewers were left wanting more out of the adaptation. The anti-racist educational organization Race2Dinner reposted a series of tweets on their instagram made by Dr. Crystal Flemming on Twitter. One of the tweets reads as follows,
“ Like.. after we lost our reproductive rights.. as trans folks, women included, are being scapegoated and attacked across the country.. THIS is the silly ass fake feminist move white women are celebrating and right wingers are demonizing??????”
Other criticism online called out the films lack of accountability for the doll’s contributions to body image issues in women as well as the lack of intersectional perspective in the stories highlighted in the film.