Pop + Culture + Monday: Barbie (no spoilers)

Let me first acknowledge that this cisgender male is wading into some potentially treacherous waters here with any review or critique of Greta Gerwig’s movie, Barbie. I am going in and I’ll think I’ll be fine :-)

When our first child was born, we were very clear with the family about a few things: do not give them refined sugar, avoid gendered clothing, and under no circumstances were you to buy them Barbies. We didn’t care if Barbie was a doctor, athlete, or politician; body-shaming, Barbie was not welcome in our home. Of course, over the years we became more flexible, and at some point, Barbie did arrive. Never reaching the heights of Polly Pocket, My Little Pony, or smelly soccer socks, Stereotypical Barbie and all the Barbies of color did eventually get their own storage box.

So when the movie was announced and started to make the rounds, I honestly didn’t pay much attention. It was not going to be on my list. And then . . . I started seeing friends and colleagues on socials creating Barbie Memes.

What the what?!?!?!?
So I read a few articles.
Oh . . . Greta Gerwig. Okay, it’s starting to make sense.
Me, “Hmmm, maybe I’ll see it.”

And then came the flood of “man-hating, anti-man” accusations and reactions by conservative pundits and alike*. You can’t buy that kind of marketing reach.
Me, “Oh, I’m definitely seeing it now.”

This past week, I finally saw it while in a small city in New Zealand (which was fun in itself) with three young adults in my world. From the spirited car ride home to the reactions in my social media circles, it’s clear that Barbie hits differently for everyone.

If your social threads are like mine, the reactions have ranged from loved it to hated it. Some folks are clearly smitten with the creative vibe and powerful messages around being a woman today; some feel like the message is pretty surface and could have gone much further, some feel like it has done unnecessary damage and reinforced white feminism, and others will be unable to get themselves to see it after what Barbie has stood for over the years.

No matter the reaction, what cannot be denied is that this movie has created space for conversations about feminism, womanhood, masculinity, patriarchy, body imagery, white feminism, intersectionality, artistry, and mainstream movie-making.

And Barbie is super mainstream. This is not bad. What mainstream movies can do more than niche projects is to instigate conversations in a wide variety of communities, prompt large groups of people to think about things that they had not previously been challenged to, and remind all of us that people enter into these conversations in different ways and at different times.

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Like any movie that attempts to take on social issues, many things can be true all at the same time: the message can be powerfully liberating, disappointingly basic, or dangerously dismissive, all depending on who is hearing the message. And within reason* all of those reactions and responses should be honored.

A good example of where the varying reactions play out concerns the monologue by Gloria, played by America Ferrera. Most of what was shared was not all that new to anyone who has engaged in conversations or heard a good sermon about gender justice, feminism, toxic masculinity, or institutional sexism. The delivery was top-notch and powerful, but the monologue content has been spoken by many people in many places over many generations. My car definitely wanted more from Greta, but from the reactions that I have read, I have got to believe that there are women for whom that monologue, for whatever reason, was powerfully liberating and gave voice to struggles that they have been holding onto in silence. That, in itself, is worthwhile.

But make so mistake, while we have heard the words before, that monologue was also for the men, if not mostly for the men. It was a powerful and public reminder for those of us men who consider ourselves co-collaborators in the struggle for gender justice and equity. We were being reminded in no uncertain terms that we still have the capacity to perpetuate and reinforce the injustices spoken upon our female siblings. While it is easy to cast the incels as the cultural villains of the story, this is a dangerous posture to embody for those of us men who still hold power, influence, and privilege in the world. For it is when we believe that we are beyond acting like the monsters we claim to reject that we can become more sinister, insidious, and dangerous perpetrators of the very pain we are trying to heal.

Fighting the patriarchy within is a lifetime endeavor. That monology is a powerful reminder and a gut check on whether we are still up for the fight.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Barbie as a movie experience. I am always down for the creation of alternative universes, I love me a good dance battle, I appreciate a well-timed fourth wall break, I am grateful for the conversations that have been sparked, and I hope that it is a catalyst for even more in-depth conversations in spaces of meaning in churches, classrooms, family groups, etc.

Movies like Barbie will never be able to be all things to all people, and it would be unfair to expect them to be. That said, Barbie does have a little something for everyone, which, these days, is a feat unto itself. So, if you are on the fence about seeing it or want to keep up with so many cultural references, Barbie is worth the time and money.

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*My only nod to the incel, men’s rights activist, and blatant misogynist who feels like this movie is anti-man, you get a footnote. Barbue is anti-patriarchy, which is about systems and not individuals. Yes, you may exhibit symptoms of that system, but that is not an inherently male thing to do. But if you do happen to exhibit some of the traits that Ken did, if this movie really bothered you, or if it threatened your manly manliness, I encourage you to take a breath, think about why the empowerment of women makes you feel the way you do, and remember, it is only a movie.