By Lindsay Albanese
Barbie is a funny and creative take on one of the most famous toys in the world. The movie touches on gender roles, identity, and how women are treated in society. Margot Robbie makes Barbie feel real, showing her excitement and growing doubts as she realizes her world isn’t what she thought. Ryan Gosling as Ken is ridiculous in the best way. Whether he’s obsessing over Barbie’s attention, wearing a fur coat, or dramatically singing about his feelings, every scene he’s in is so amusing. The movie is full of nostalgia and unique visuals, like the bright pink set, costumes, and choreographed dances that bring the movie to life. But while Barbie has a strong feminist message, it doesn’t always go as deep as it could. Some ideas feel a little surface-level, and weirdly enough, a lot of the story focuses on Ken instead of Barbie.
The movie starts in Barbieland, where everything is perfect, and women are in charge. Barbie has a perfect life– everyone loves her, and she never has to worry about anything. But then she starts thinking about death and noticing strange changes in herself. To fix this, she goes to the real world, where men are in charge, and quickly realizes that life isn’t as great for women outside of Barbieland. Meanwhile, Ken learns about patriarchy and decides to bring those ideas back, changing Barbieland into a place where the Kens are now in control. Now, Barbie has to figure out who she really is and what she wants beyond just being “stereotypical Barbie.”
Some of the best things about the film are its humor and set design. It constantly makes fun of Barbie’s history, from unrealistic beauty standards to the way the doll has been criticized over the years for promoting a narrow view of what girls should aspire to be and look like. The set design makes Barbieland look just like a life-sized toy world. Everything is bright pink, from the roads to the sky. Barbie’s Dreamhouse has no walls or stairs, so she just floats down each morning, exactly like how kids play with the doll. The ocean isn’t real, just blue plastic shaped like waves, and the beach looks more like a perfect backdrop than an actual place. Many of the clothes are inspired by real vintage Barbie outfits, making everything look like a real-life playset. But while the movie is fun and talks about how women are treated unfairly and expected to be everything at once—perfect, successful, kind, and beautiful—it doesn’t spend enough time showing the pressure that creates or how it actually affects women in the real world.
One of Barbie’s most powerful moments is a speech delivered by America Ferrera’s character Gloria, a mom who works at Mattel. She becomes friends with Barbie and helps her see what it’s really like to be a woman in the real world. This speech makes the audience feel frustrated, sad, and also a little hopeful. It shows both the emotional part of the film’s feminist message and the film’s tendency to simplify these complex issues: “You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean…” She explains how exhausting it is for women to constantly balance these impossible expectations while still being underestimated. As a woman, I related to the speech and it made me feel seen. It mentions things that I’ve felt but never expressed before. The speech is one of the film’s most emotional moments. However, while it does deliver an important message, it also feels like the movie’s way of summarizing feminism in a few minutes instead of fully getting into these issues. Ferrera herself acknowledges this, saying, “If you are well-versed in feminism, then it might seem like an oversimplification, but there are entire countries that banned this film for a reason… To say that something that is maybe foundational, or, in some people’s view, basic feminism isn’t needed is an oversimplification” (Aguilar). This highlights that, for many people, the ideas in the speech are still crucial and even foundational, even if they seem basic to those already familiar with feminism. While the film may feel like it’s rushing through these ideas, it’s presenting a message that still needs to be heard by a large audience. However, the film doesn’t fully explore how these issues are experienced differently by women based on their race, class, or background. The speech makes an important point, but it feels like it rushes through the issue and doesn’t dive deep enough into the complexities of it.
The amount of time the film spends on Ken is another concern. While Barbie is trying to figure out her identity, Ken goes on his own journey, taking over Barbieland and then realizing he doesn’t need Barbie to define him. For a movie about female empowerment, it’s surprising how much focus is put on the male character. Instead of fully exploring Barbie’s growth, the film spends a lot of time resolving Ken’s feelings and insecurities, making it seem like his self-discovery is just as important as Barbie’s. This weakens the movie’s message even more because it reinforces the idea that even in a film about Barbie, a man’s struggles still end up getting just as much attention.
There’s also the question of representation. The movie tries to be inclusive by featuring different types of Barbies, like Issa Rae as President Barbie and Hari Nef as Doctor Barbie, but the main Barbie is still the classic blonde, thin version. The film acknowledges that Barbie has been criticized for promoting unrealistic beauty standards, but it doesn’t necessarily challenge them. The diverse Barbies are there, but they don’t have major roles in the story. For example, Alexandra Shipp and Ritu Arya’s Barbies mostly stay in the background, while the story centers on Robbie’s Barbie and Gosling’s Ken. If the movie wanted to push for inclusivity, it could have done more to show different kinds of Barbies in more important or leading roles, showing them as central characters instead of just supporting ones. This could have made the film’s message about representation feel more genuine.
Overall, Barbie is still a fun and creative movie that gives a new and interesting take on a very well known toy. Prior to the film, we thought of Barbie as just a pretty doll with perfect hair and clothes, but Gerwig’s film transforms her into a character whose fictional journey speaks to the real life struggles that women continue to face. Although its feminist message is inspiring, it doesn’t completely break away from the beauty standards and gender roles it tries to critique. It’s fun to watch, making you laugh with its humor and crazy moments. It’s also touching, especially in the parts that talk about the pressure women feel. These scenes leave you feeling moved, but it doesn’t push its message as much as it could.
Works Cited
Aguilar, Carlos. “America Ferrera and the “Barbie” Monologue We All Talked About.” The New York Times, 1 Jan. 2024.
Barbie. Directed by Greta Gerwig, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2023.
Lindsay Albanese is currently a student at SUNY Cortland, where she is studying inclusive childhood education. Originally from Long Island, New York, Lindsay is passionate about working with children and currently gains hands-on experience by working in multiple schools and daycares.