After months of anticipation and online tug-of war, ‘Barbie’ finally hit the theatres on July 21, 2023.
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| Poster of the Barbie Movie [Photo Courtesy: google/Wikipedia] |
Directed by Greta Gerwig, it was originally assumed that ‘Barbie’ would cater to a much younger and extensively female audience. Due to this belief, the movie was the singular object of ridicule for months even before it was actually released. The reason behind this unwarranted mockery is due to the social phenomenon of ‘Patriarchy’. For hundreds and thousands of years, being feminine has always been faced with contempt. It is a common knowledge that:
‘If you are a woman, your ideas, your passion, your opinions, will never be taken seriously’
Barbie as a movie provides two completely different narratives for the two segments of society- Masculine and Feminine. In this review, we will talk about both the segments and how ‘Barbie’ is a pertinent and apt social kaleidoscope.
The Feminine Perspective:
Barbie is a movie that is peak feminism at its core. We are transported to a dystopian society named ‘BarbieLand’ which is the exact opposite of our society. In Barbieland, the Barbies hold positions of power (every single position of power) and the Kens are just mere accessories for the Barbies. Their emotions and opinions are considered irrelevant and they are just there to play the part of the ‘Blonde Love-Interest’. Sounds familiar? This is the plot for every single blockbuster ‘masala’ Bollywood film.
It was a breath of fresh air to see the roles reversed alongside the pinch of nostalgia that tickled our senses with every scene.
We get to see how the stereotypical Barbie struggles to take Ken’s emotions seriously and even though she cares for Ken, he is rarely a priority for her. There was a foreboding feel that assaulted our senses when Barbie finally stepped into the ‘real world’ and was subjected to ‘hostile’ catcalls and looks. For the audience, their feelings during that scene could be compared to getting doused in a bucket of icy water as the reality of the world finally set in.
Contrary to the popular belief, ‘Barbie’ is not a movie that aimed to alienate men and spread the ideas of Misandry. It is merely a flipped mirror that is meant to show how disturbing it is if the roles are reversed and provide a glimpse of how an average woman is facing- every single day.
The Masculine Perspective:
‘She is Barbie.
He is Just Ken’
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| Barbie and Ken [Photo Courtesy: google/The New York Times] |
The masculine perspective in this case will be an analysis of the behaviour portrayed by Ken such that the viewer can draw their own conclusions.
Even though Barbie cared about Ken, he was hardly a priority for her and this affected him greatly. After going to the ‘real world’ Ken was fascinated by the concept of Patriarchy and Male supremacy, which made him believe that if he was strong, then Barbie will fall in love with him.
Ken loved and enjoyed ‘Patriarchy’ but as the initial power-high wore off, he returned back to feeling just as inadequate as he felt before.
Ken was a true depiction of a victim of patriarchy.
Even though the Kens overthrew BarbieLand and removed all the Barbies from their positions of authority, he was still lonely as he still needed Stereotypical Barbie’s validation. He realised that power is not a substitute for the love he desired.
This movie was intended for all the Men who, knowingly or unknowingly, are victims of Patriarchy.
Even though Barbie’s cinematography is not particularly revolutionary, the storyline, the attention to details and its ‘not so hidden’ implications are sufficient to declare this movie as a social phenomenon. Conceptually, the movie is meant to be plasticky, extremely polished and hyper-feminine and it delivers the intended concept perfectly!
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