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Hi Barbie (Thoughts) (Patreon)

Published:
2023-07-25 15:36:53
Edited:
2023-07-30 15:56:58
Imported:
2026-11
Tags:

Content

My initial thoughts on the aspect of feminism on the BARBIE movie having seen it twice. There are some mild spoilers and I also apologize that my mic picked up the intensity of my air conditioner. Those Rode mics are good actually! 

Files

Hi, Barbie (Feminism Discussion Post)!

This Barbie has read bell hooks but also thinks Barbie is neat. Recommended Watching: Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie (2018) ‧ Documentary ‧ 1h 32m They Cloned Tyrone (2023) ‧ Mystery/Fantasy ‧ 2h 2m

Comments

Michelle M.

Awesome quick video. Completely agree with the shallowness of the movie through the lens of a white woman. Very disappointed in the anti-Indigenous BS (i.e., the small pox "joke" and the Barbie Mount Rushmore). Neither were necessary at all in the movie. As you mentioned, she responded to critiques of her past movies by adding more inclusive messaging to this one. I hope she learns from her mistakes in this movie and continues to get better at her craft.

Syn

You can export the audio of just your mic as a .wav and feed it to Adobe Enhance (which is free). It will get rid of any background noise so you can put clean audio back in your video editor.

Carla Marlene Sanchez

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I agree that the film is limited due to its entanglement with Mattel. I don’t know if Greta has the range to discuss race but I do think she has discussed class before in Lady Bird. I am disappointed so many kinds of Barbies were there to check a box. But overall, the film was good.

Beefsteak_Begonia

I really love your commentary and I agree about your comments about it being shallow. I think that for me personally it was well done as a piece of queer coded camp. And I cried because I have never seen such a high budget behind such a queer coded campy film. BUT also yeah I think it would be better as a film created by someone who is not representing the white cis woman viewpoint. I think I consistently read the feminism as campy girlbossing But I think you're right to take the talking points more seriously. I also think that America Ferrera as someone who has had SUCH a wild focus by others on her body through her career delivering the monologue was really hitting home for me. As a Latine AFAB person, I felt like I struggled from afar watching America be so highly critiqued for her body. So I think that monologue hit me different. I can't wait to see more from you about this movie!

Cassandra J.

Thanks for your thoughts. I’m excited to go see this movie but I do feel conflicted. And I find it hard to voice it because how much of a cultural moment this is. But since the first trailer, I have been side eyeing what the messaging of the movie will be. Super feminine/ girly nostalgic things like this are so up my alley. No one can say anything about Josie and the Pussycats live action movie to me, though admittedly still superficial. My frustration was that they were saying something about Val (Rosario Dawson’s character) but not enough! So while it ‘s fun to see Issa Rae (love her so much), I’m gonna walk in expecting nothing will be done with it. Even if she is President Barbie, which I can’t help but roll my eyes to. Thanks for the video! I too had a sky dancer , such sweet memories.

whiskey

i genuinely enjoyed the movie overall but i wanted more: more overt queerness, more addressing mattel as an entity, more speaking lines for the non-white barbies. i think at the end of the day it’s a great (white) feminism 101 movie esp. in the post-trump years but really could’ve pushed the envelope further in so many areas. shout out to sky dancers tho!

Jaime Berkland

I was watching another Barbie critique on YouTube yesterday and it was... whatever enough that I am now afraid to click on more Barbie discourse videos. I clicked on yours with great trepidation because even when I disagree you make a good point. I don't know why I ever doubted you, this was nuanced and thoughtful even if it's just you spitballing. I think there is something to be said about the lack of grace extended to projects that attempt to introduce table-stakes feminism to the mainstream. Yeah, it's still a corporate product and very entry-level, but there are still people who need the 101, even if the people involved in the "discourse" have moved on.

Ry

Ioved hearing your thoughts ! I also enjoyed the movie very much, it's a fun time! I just had to remind myself that I am here to *enjoy " this corporate capitalist release. Which is valid! And an important reminder for me because I knew it wouldn't be perfect I knew it would have problematic parts but I *wanted* to enjoy it. And I did! I have similar critiques, I think the feminist angle was very basic and entry level, but hey it's great for the kiddos. Some stuff was v problematic imo (comparing the bringing of kendom to small pox, oof v unnecessary and v cringe) etc etc. But overall I enjoyed it and will be watching again. It's a Mattel movie made by a white woman, i keep my expectations with that knowledge! Something I did sincerely enjoy was the final conversation barbie had with Ken. I thought it was a very nice reminder/teaching moment that desire for power truly comes from insecurities and lack of love being projected onto others. I thought that was a surprisingly nuanced take considering the relatively surface levelness of the the pro WW feminism in the rest of the movie. Overall a great time, I enjoyed it, and I think it's p clear barbie is a queer aroace icon :)

Yasoman

Just saw it last night, rebranding and white feminism kept popping up in my mind.. So ready to hear your take on the film!

Alex

I had fun with the film and definitely appreciated aspects of it. But I definitely agree with your thoughts on the shallowness/narrowness of the feminism presented. I also felt a bit weird about the ending gag being Barbie visiting the gynecologist. In our current context, it felt misguided to highlight that "Barbie becoming a real human woman" = having a vagina. Like, I am all for people talking and joking about their gynecological experiences -- we go through a lot in those offices! But in the context, it felt like a bit of biological essentialism that wasn't necessary. And like a missed opportunity to keep some potential subtextual subversiveness regarding the relationship between biology and gender -- like, in Barbieland, genitalia is irrelevant to gender. Not saying they should have commented on a lack of genitalia at the end instead, but just that it wasn't necessary to highlight that and end on this association between womanhood and "female genetalia".

Zack

it would have been interesting to me if Gerwig and Robie had allowed Barbie to... stop being Barbie. Like, she already decides to stay in the real world where she'll get cellulite, experience objectification, and die. What if the movie showed Margot Robie gaining 30 pounds, exploring her queerness, balancing 3 different service jobs just to survive in LA, and embrace having light brown hair? What if she allowed her privileged protagonist to do something powerful people always refuse to do: depart with her own privilege so she can confront broken systems of patriarchy and capitalism? Mattel would never, but I think that might be the way to make this movie have a coherent, noncontradictory message.

DeadManReading

To me at least it is the most explicitly feminist box-office breaking, corporate backed mainstream movie that I've ever seen. I agree the movie gives maybe a small slice of bread feminism, but so many other movies just shit in our mouth. I watched Kat Blaque's review as well, and I'm just... not quite ready to do a full analysis of this yet. It fell short but I think the movie was self-aware of that. From what I've heard of Oppenheimer it hardly gives a thought to the Japanese victims, yet it's supposed to be all morally complex? I don't know... This movie is great but I think it just shows the limitation of symbolism. I doubt it'll have a material impact on the masses, there's only so much a two hour mainstream film can do.

DeadManReading

Great movie just also depressing all that'll probably come out of it is pink coffins or whatever. They'll probably make more movies and get around to marginalized Barbies, but they'll all fall short too. 'They Cloned Tyrone,' looks interesting.

sunlit_music

I really appreciate this video, Princess Weekes! I loved your commentary on Barbie. I haven't seen it yet, but I plan to. I'm glad you enjoyed the film! And you're right to mention your criticisms of the film. It's ok to like something and criticise it as well. Thanks for mentioning They Cloned Tyrone and recommending it! I'm planning to watch it too.

Virtuosas Viewings

I just saw the movie finally lol. I totally loved it; the saturated pastels and the acting were great. The cinematography was excellent and I giggled at the use of miniatures and 1950's sets. The tone of the film really felt like singing in the rain with a wholesome exterior hiding darker, more mature themes. However, I have to totally agree with you that the film does what a lot of films attempting to have depth do which is apologize for something that it is actively still participating in. The film apologizes for barbie promoting a sort of Aryan ideal in a world where most people obviously are not blonde, white and germanic while casting the most aryan-ideal looking actors as the leads lol. They even went as far as having supporting characters of color prop up stereotypical barbie and ken unironically. This film is fun, well made, and full of eye candy but it basically says "As a white woman Im so so sorry we created a white patriarchal supremacist world but we're just gonna keep using our advantages anyways". On a smaller note, as a cis gendered straight male I wondered what they were trying to say about gender unification, it just felt like both sides gave up on common ground and the power struggle was just given up by the kens lol. I personally think audiences (especially children) need to at least see an idealized version of a gender equal world so that they can have something to strive for. Instead this film just showed two worlds where the gender power dynamics were unbalanced; in our world in favor of the men and in Barbie land in favor of the women. I was watching the film anticipating at least a fantasy resolution to gender equality.