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Barbie

259 replies

h1d1ng1npla1ns1ght · 02/08/2023 03:25

I’m so sick of having to say “no I’m not seeing it”, “but you’re a feminist, you know it’s a feminist movie!” “I’m not that kind of feminist.” I don’t care about barbie and I don’t think it’s an appropriate medium for a feminist message, even ironically. I’m sure it’s a good movie, I’m sure it’s very feminist FOR a barbie movie. I have no interest in it. I’ve been called a bad feminist for not seeing a movie about a symbol of female oppression and body dysmorphia. I don’t care if “barbie can do anything she wants”, I’m a real woman in the real world and I can barely walk down the street safely. I don’t care if they have a slightly overweight barbie, a disabled barbie, a doctor/lawyer/farmer barbie, it’s not good enough. I have no desire to hear a feminist message from barbie’s mouth, nor defend my feminism against it.
I get that for some people it’s just a movie about a doll and they don’t care, that’s fine. But it means something actively negative to me. Can anyone either commiserate or help me to come around to the idea?

OP posts:
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6
WeWereInParis · 02/08/2023 12:52

kikigen · 02/08/2023 12:25

@IcakethereforeIam not sure what a nef is but I didn't notice anything about transgenderism in the film unless there was some casting that went over my head, all the Barbies looked like biological women to me.

I think the article writing "a Nef" is a typo, it should just be "casting of Nef", who played doctor barbie.

Wanderingowl · 02/08/2023 12:48

IcakethereforeIam · 02/08/2023 11:53

I'm sorry, slight derail, but from the Daily Signal article linked upthread

Today, the “Barbie” movie is focused more on the inclusion of non-women into a brand originally intended specially for women. The casting of a Nef is not the first instance of female erasure in the Barbie brand, as Mattel released its first transgender Barbie just last year and gender-neutral Barbie dolls in 2019.

Is the real? Or is the Daily Signal a spoof site like The Onion? I'm imagining (and I don't want to) a little pink dilator and wee, plastic mastectomy scars.

The gender neutral ones are Mattel but not Barbie brand. The transgender one is a Laverne Cox edition Barbie.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/sep/25/barbie-maker-gender-neutral-dolls-release

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61596845

'It was time': maker of Barbie launches line of gender-neutral dolls

Mattel release comes as toy companies retool products to align with fast-advancements in representation, inclusion and diversity

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/sep/25/barbie-maker-gender-neutral-dolls-release

IcakethereforeIam · 02/08/2023 12:47

@kikigen Nef is the tw who played a Doctor Barbie, I believe. Anyway my post was a derail about Mattel rather than the film, so apologies.

kikigen · 02/08/2023 12:44

@Twonewcats it shows the flaws of the patriarchy and that's the reality we are living in, it was funny because of all the jokes about the male heavy leadership, "undercurrent of violence" in the air, America's speech etc, we can laugh at the ironic jokes, but it's the world we live in....and are stuck in.

Twonewcats · 02/08/2023 12:26

kikigen · 02/08/2023 12:23

@Cranberriesandtea I'm surprised they felt empowered, as much as I liked the film it left leave me feeling powerLESS tbh! Agree to the seen bit.

In what way did you leave feeling powerless?

kikigen · 02/08/2023 12:25

@IcakethereforeIam not sure what a nef is but I didn't notice anything about transgenderism in the film unless there was some casting that went over my head, all the Barbies looked like biological women to me.

kikigen · 02/08/2023 12:23

@Cranberriesandtea I'm surprised they felt empowered, as much as I liked the film it left leave me feeling powerLESS tbh! Agree to the seen bit.

Cranberriesandtea · 02/08/2023 11:56

I've seen it, loved it, more importantly watched the most important women in my life, my 15+17 year old nieces walk out feeling empowered and feeling seen. That's all I needed from the movie. Don't know if you are on TikTok but it has thousands of women making changes to their lives since watching the movie. Putting themselves first and men second. It's fantastic.

IcakethereforeIam · 02/08/2023 11:54

Sorry, hadn't noticed the bit I copied had links.

IcakethereforeIam · 02/08/2023 11:53

I'm sorry, slight derail, but from the Daily Signal article linked upthread

Today, the “Barbie” movie is focused more on the inclusion of non-women into a brand originally intended specially for women. The casting of a Nef is not the first instance of female erasure in the Barbie brand, as Mattel released its first transgender Barbie just last year and gender-neutral Barbie dolls in 2019.

Is the real? Or is the Daily Signal a spoof site like The Onion? I'm imagining (and I don't want to) a little pink dilator and wee, plastic mastectomy scars.

The Dangers of Mattel's Transgender Barbie

Mattel has gone woke with a transgender Barbie in the likeness of actor Laverne Cox, a biological male who identifies as a female. But why?

https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/06/02/why-mattels-transgender-barbie-poses-harm-to-kids/

kikigen · 02/08/2023 11:32

It's absolutely fine to not want to see it, as you well know there is no one way to be feminist, you do you not sure why you're feeling so aggravated, but it is completely fruitless for anyone to try and debate it if they've not seen it. It's quite an unusual film, if you want to discuss it, you have to see it first (not so much the OP but the posters talking about what they've "heard"). You can't debate a film on hear say, but especially this one whose message has been misunderstood even by many who have seen it.l!

Sausagenbacon · 02/08/2023 11:04

She became a woman rather than a doll, and so now had a vagina and not a plastic bump, and she therefore gleefully went to the gynaecologist - which is a positive message for younger girls, that going to the gynae is important and not something to fear
Thank-you, good point

rookiemere · 02/08/2023 10:59

I saw it and thought it was reasonably enjoyable and reasonably clever. Also saw Oppenheimer which was an amazing film but had only two females in it with very short screen time and one female mostly nude. Ironically whilst Barbie has a female empowerment message Ryan Gosling possibly delivers the best performance and gets more screen time.

So whilst I agree Barbie isn't perfect, there's definitely a place for it and it's generally a positive film from a feminist standpoint. But it's not obligatory to go or indeed talk about it if you don't.

Twonewcats · 02/08/2023 10:50

Sausagenbacon · 02/08/2023 07:26

Your choice OP.
I did see it, twice, because it's fun.
Tbh, I thought the big Feminism speech (which the audience applauded!) Was tedious. And the ending was odd - the film was about women not being defined by their biology but she goes to the gynaecologist at the end because, seemingly, the womb makes you a woman. Plus the whole motherhood montage before it.

She became a woman rather than a doll, and so now had a vagina and not a plastic bump, and she therefore gleefully went to the gynaecologist - which is a positive message for younger girls, that going to the gynae is important and not something to fear

Twonewcats · 02/08/2023 10:46

honestly, you can't make sweeping comments about a movie you haven't seen - at least a couple of your irks ARE addressed in the movie, and pretty well

Twonewcats · 02/08/2023 10:45

"I'M A FEMINIST! I'M A FEMINIST! But I can't tell all the men in my life to piss off when they goad me about seeing a movie about a doll
"

YetAnotherSpartacus · 02/08/2023 10:44

It appeals to the 'fun feminist' crowd.

nonman · 02/08/2023 10:35

The men telling you to see it are posturing their feminist credentials. That is probably worth digging into. Are they better feminists than you because they watched a film, hmmm.
I went, I enjoyed it, I haven’t told anyone to go / not go.

brokenlore · 02/08/2023 10:31

I was thinking of seeing it with DD, but I then read that the director did 'lady bird' and I found that film unbelievably boring, so think I might give Barbie a miss, although DD is keen to see it, so I might change my mind.

ASoapImpressionOfHisWifeWhichHeAte · 02/08/2023 10:20

My pre teen daughters got a lot out of it and it meant that we had a rousing conversation together with their Dad about feminism. That can only be a good thing. And it's definitely got the older one thinking and reading about feminism now, in a way that she wouldn't have if I'd just signposted her to the material. It was also a very funny film, so to my mind going and seeing it was a win for our family.

namitynamechange · 02/08/2023 10:15

being told by multiple men in my life, that as a feminist, I should go see the new Barbie movie.

I'm sorry for your situation but the irony in that is hilarious.

YetAnotherSpartacus · 02/08/2023 10:10

I totally agree with you, OP.

AllOfThemWitches · 02/08/2023 09:58

I don’t care if “barbie can do anything she wants”, I’m a real woman in the real world and I can barely walk down the street safely

Wow, where do you live to feel so at risk when you walk down the street?

tabulahrasa · 02/08/2023 09:48

I didn’t play with barbies, just her horse 😐😂 but the trailers looked good so I went

I liked the film a lot, it is not groundbreaking in terms of the feminism presented, but it’s a mainstream big budget Hollywood film where the main themes are that the patriarchy is harmful to everyone and women aren’t equal - and it’s funny... I thought it was a good film.

But nobody “needs” to see it.

I think the bigger issue is that you’ve got men telling you how to do feminism tbh.

WarriorN · 02/08/2023 09:39

The thing is that the whole pink barbie aesthetic is there and it's not going away.

Young girls are REALLY attracted to it (and boys - obviously some are allowed, some not and those who don't bend to peer pressure and are into it as girls may get told they're therefore a girl.)

It's important to embed key feminist messages in the pinkness.

For me the marketing is the issue and kids should be being taught about that alongside enjoying a film.

And the free shit in schools stuff is plain marketing.