For those of you who’re a bit internet savvy, Barbie drummed up quite the bit of controversy, especially from on side of the political Isle. Ben Shapiro had a fit, and even a movie reviewer on Youtube that I quite like and who’s usually right on the money in his reviews, had nothing but bile to spit at this film etc.
So imagen my shock when I came across a conservative movie reviewer that actually stamped this as a very good film from his perspective, well worth the watch
Hence I recently got around watching BARBIE, in an attempt to position this movie where it IMO in all it controversy rightfully belongs on the ideological and political spectrum… And I’m going in balls deeps with major spoilers down the line So….
if you’re thinking about watching it I recommend you only
read this first paragraph in where I will simply conclude with: 7 or even 8 out of 10 film.. Genuinly recommend you watch it wherever you find yourself on the political spectrum..
yes?
Cool...Now that that’s out of the way: here’s my take on it, (Again.. Spoilers ahead)
Setting:
the movie kicks off with a 2001 a Space Odyssey in where (in the beginning of time) girls where only playing how to be moms with “normal” dolls, when all of a sudden a giant barbie appears, much like the monolith, at which the girls smash the normal dolls in favor of the new Rock..
(^keep this scene in mind, Its important later. )
The rest of the movie plays out in two different worlds.
“Barbie world”
This is movies overblown version of a Utopia, through the Progressive feminist liberal lens. All the major positions of power are held by (minority class) women. Who run it perfectly.. there’s black female president Barbie, there’s trans-female-Stephen hawking Barbie ,Filipino jewish supreme judge Barbie, “Body positivity” Barbie (yes I kid you not
) you name it..all the usual suspects are there. The males (Kens) are basically the serf- sub-class of this world. They’re useless, clumsy, weak, have no value, get bossed around all the time and are basically just...there, and only have a good day if the Barbies notice them.. The barbies don’t even know what they do off-hours or where they sleep at night) etc. etc. basically an entire slave-class of Simps.
Oh and then there’s Midge…A “pregnant” mom- Barbie, who’s treated like a total Outcast, she’s frowned upon, not to be talked with or looked at…just look at all the doctors, and scientist and astronauts etc. etc.
<- again, important later..
The movies protagonists is “normal” barbie, brilliantly played by Margo Robby. She’s the only one who doesn’t have a distinctive feature and is the generic template, who does nothing but party and greet people overtly nicely every and all day long...
Then there’s the...
“Real outside world”
This is movies overblown version of Dystopia, through the progressive feminist liberal lens. Everyone, especially the men, are flawed, and horrible, and manspainy, and rapey, and *insert here. The patriarchy reigns supreme, Ken played by Ryan Gosling can for instance just walk into an office and get a top position purely on the way he dresses. Whereas barbie gets slapped on the buttcheeks in broad daylight on the streets of LA, even though her boyfriend(ken) is literally walking right next to her, etc. etc.
The plot:
Basically: Barbie has to travel there because in Barbie world (Utopia), she starts to get things like cellulite, flat feet, and existential thoughts of death…She finds out this is likely because of the girl that has been playing with her is losing interest, so she has to go to the “Real outside world” to make her happy again and play with her etc.
Ken basically tags along because well…. he has nothing else to do, and is after a short time amazed at the fact that in the Real outside world” men can actually be treated with respect, can earn status, get compliments etc. So he decides to read up on a lot of feminist literature about “the patriarchy” learning how men control everything, dominate everything, hold women down as opposed to them holding him down etc.
Meanwhile Barbie finds the girl (Sasha) who was supposed to be playing with her, only to learn how she’s Super woke, and awful, even calling her (barbie) a Fascist, making her cry.
Barbie learns that it was the Mother of the girl, Gloria (a Mattel employee) was playing with her all along, keeping a good memory alive, but as she went menopausal and well, closer to death, Barbies symptoms started emerging. The Mattel Corporation then try to put Barbie back in a toy box for re-manufacturing but she, the girl and the mom, escape back to Barbie land..
Ken meanwhile, decided to bring “the patriarchy” back to Barbie world, and start a revolt against the Barbies to free his Brothers in chains.. Which ends up being a place with sports, minifridges beer everywhere and the Barbie mansion turning into a de-facto bro-house, in where the Barbies party with the Kens all day and are (surprisingly!) not all that distraught by it… with Barbies even saying: “its nice to not be a leader all the time” and take on roles such as housewives, maids etc.
Barbie, with the help of some inspiration Girl-power speech from Gloria, turn the Kens onto each other with the assistance of Sasha and “Weird Barbie” and restores the matriarchy to Utopia but decide to incorporate some patriarchal elements so as to better treat the kens, and the outcast dolls.
Barbie and Ken apologize, separate, and Barbie, with guidance of the spirit of Mattel co-founder Ruth handler (lol) is left with a choice…Does she stay in Utopia? Or does she become a real human.
She chooses the latter,
<again important later, and takes on the name “Barbara handler”.
The movie ends with her getting her first gynaecological appointment
Main Ideologies:
the movie basically has two opposing ideologies in its overall arc, of which you can write a book onto itself. I am however going to quickly and very basically summarise these in the context of this film.
1 Progressive, liberal feminism
Like all liberal ideologies: it takes issue with (any sort) of limits on the human in this case human womanhood, condition… and seeks to eradicate them. Its striving ideal or “God” for lack of a better word is basically the aforementioned Utopia. A perfect, idealistic, platonic form in where all perceived wrongs for women are rights, where all injustice has been eradicated, where there is perfection and no such thing as limitations, where everyone is happy, all the time.. This ideal must be pursued, at all cost.
“humanity needs to do better, relentless push forward is the only way forward”
2 Conservative, post-liberalism.
The conservative branch of Post-liberalism is, as opposed to its “dreamy” counterpart, way more reality grounded (hence for instance the made-up term, “based”) in that it seeks to understand the world, rather than change it into something unobtainable by its very essence. It sees participating in the eternal Jihad of progress as ultimately futile and regressive, as ideologically utopian systems will inevitably collapse back into basic human hierarchies again, given the nature of the beast, and promotes the thought that, given this universe and its rules, certain limitation to the human condition are not just inevitable, but acceptable. It keeps (dare I say conserves) and promotes what, ever so flawed maybe, at the very least works, rather then it being perfect.
“This is, unfortunatly, as good as it is going to get, and downhill is demonstrably the path of those trying to radically alter it, ”
So…Is this movie a progressive feminist movie?
Lets be clear.. This movie was supposed to be a female empowerment movie from the get go. It defo has cat-calling, it has patriarchy, it has man-splaining and all sorts of other wokery concepts. “girl power” and “female boss” are often front line and centre throughout various scenes….These things where all going to be in there in there like calories in a Big Mac and I wasn’t expecting anything else…. Which is fine. Both Gerwig, the director and Margo Robbie had both felt the film was "most certainly a feminist film" something Mattel officials rejected.
However…what the creator don’t (or do they?....) realize is that, in its essence…what they ended up with isn’t the type of 2016 guardian article feminist triumph….what they ended up with is basically the stronk “problematic” female conservative one, but with a pink veneer.
Case(s) in point:
- The Progressive feminist liberal ideal (barbie world) is almost eerily depicted as being wrong.. and in the end forever changed for the better of all parties by “patriarical elements”
- The movie support a conclusion in where, much like Homer’s Odyssey, the protagonist voluntarily rejects Utopia, in favour of the real “problematic” world.
- The story arc of the Kens is basically a righteous masculine triumph, over chocking feminist doctrine. The “oppressive matriarchy” is forever altered and made more compatible, rights and freedom given to the serfs. It’s the reverse situation of a feminist movie…unless you’re an extreme ideologue, you exit this movie with sympathy for Ken and the Ken’s, rather then him being the hated antagonist. In the movie the supposedly “pushed” ideology actually acknowledges its own oppressive shortcomings, and instead tries to negotiate/incorporate.
- Despite the movie starting of with the complete rejection of “problematic conservative” motherhood and “disgusting nuclear family values” it ends with not only Midge “pregnant mom barby, being accepted and vindicated. The movie actually ends with a very real world, very suggestive, I would even say, life affirming message of Barbie visiting a gynaecologist in the end.
Is, that said: this movie a Conservative post-liberal movie?
Mostly at least....Yes. This movie is, even given the not so subliminal messaging of the director and main cast, a negotiation between the two with an end conclusion supporting the latter.
What I find amazing about this is that it only is if you think about it about for a little bit, which is clearly what said initial reviewer and Shapiro didn’t. It is in that sense, quite insidious.
And I genuinely don’t know if this was due to Mattel as a corporation maybe interference into not making the Barbie movie not overtly feminist (which, given it being a major antagonist in the movie doesn’t seem likely) Or Gerwig’s sheer blindless to it.
What I do know is that I recommend this movie to anyone basically, despite me having a headacke from all the plasticy pink throught the movie. The humor is often quircky/cringe, but given its subject that’s understandable. The acting on all sides was fine. And the story is, as outlined actually quite wholesome and connective, rather then devisive.
7 maybe 8 out of 10.
7.9 | Action, Biography, Drama
Came across an interesting review explaining how Barbie, beneath the feminist veneer, is deep down actually pushing a conservative story/ agenda, so that should be interesting.
What say ye? (if uberhaubt possible that is)
