I had a lot of Barbies. This was partly because I was the youngest of six sisters, so some of these dated back decades to some of the early models, including a Francie doll with a waist that twisted (an early Barbie friend with her flipped up brunette bob). I think I once counted up 50 of them (including Kens, which were mostly interchangeable accessories). I had the convertible car, the 70s style penthouse, the townhouse (with a real working elevator!), the beach van that came out with the Malibu line, and an earlier Barbie house as well. The budding scientist in me delighted in trying to understand the mechanics of my growing-up Skipper (Barbie’s little sister who got taller and grew breasts if you turned her arm around). I would lay out in the sun next to my Malibu Barbie, Ken, PJ, and Skipper with heart and butterfly stickers on them so that when they got tan (that was the big thing in the 70s), the sticker would leave a lighter colored shape behind. I did not have Christie, the black Barbie in the Malibu line.
When I got too old for them, I gave all of them to a young girl in our ward who didn’t have her own dolls. Giving away those Barbies (and worse, my vast Mad Magazine collection) is one of my life’s regrets. Aside from the sex crimes my brother committed on the dolls (poking holes in their boobs with a pushpin, which frankly sounds like serial killer behavior), they might be worth quite a bit today.
It’s hard to consider Barbie a true feminist icon from a 2023 lens, and even at the time, there were mixed feelings about her. Creator Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel with her husband, noticed her daughter Barbara playing with paper dolls, and saw that this type of play differed from the “traditional” baby dolls that were often given to young girls to prepare them for motherhood. Her daughter enjoyed making up stories with the dolls and trying new outfits on them. While traveling in Germany, she noticed a doll called “Bild Lilli” which was based on a “sexy secretary” comic strip character. This doll was not for children, but was a novelty item mostly for men sold in tobacco shops, similar to a Hula dancer doll one might put on a dashboard.
When I was younger, age 5 or 6, baby dolls were a frequent gift, as were stuffed animals. Baby dolls were mostly about practicing caregiving, but Barbie was about fashion, fun and even independence. Barbie had a boyfriend, but was never married, even after decades. Her life revolved around her female friends. Barbies represented growing up, considering what young adulthood might be like. It was a shift from pretending to mother a doll to the doll being a proxy for the child’s imaginary play.
Critics have pointed out several problems with Barbies:
- Body Image. Barbie presents an unrealistic body image that is physically impossible, which is true; growing up in the 70s and 80s, steeped in airbrushed magazines, she wasn’t alone.
- Gender Stereotypes. Barbie was simultaneously portrayed as having achieved roles like US President, astronaut, doctor, and business-woman, but some versions had her dieting (a mini diet book accessory literally said “Don’t Eat” and came with a scale set to 110 lbs.), focused on “caregiving” roles like teacher, vet or childcare, and one talking Barbie literally said “Math is hard” when you pushed a button on her back. Like actually being a woman, the mixed messages were all over the map.
- Diversity. While Christie was Barbie’s black friend in the Malibu line (almost 20 years after Barbie started out) and some versions of Francie were desribed as “colored” and came out in 1966, most of the dolls were white.
- Consumerism. Let’s face facts, Barbie is a material girl. The whole point of the Barbie line is to buy the outfits and the accessories, the dream house, the cars, etc. I mean, whatever. Some critics aren’t going to be happy unless children are playing with corn husk dolls I guess.
- Environmental Impact. Barbie is plastic (in all the meanings of that word). She’s not recyclable. Basically as soon as plastics emerged on the scene, the entire world became plastic, but let’s blame it on Barbie. I had plenty of baby dolls that were also plastic, BTW, but nobody’s coming after my Baby Alive doll (she peed and pooped after you fed her, which was honestly disgusting and didn’t actually make me want to become a mother which is the subtext of all baby dolls).
The overblown conservative rage against Barbie makes little sense to me. Barbie was never a perfect role model; she was considered a mixed bag even in the 70s. Screeds against her by far right pundits remind me of the ire vented on her by my brother. Some men seem to feel a need to destroy the feminine to distance themselves from anything unmanly. All I can say to that is, methinks thou dost protest too much. It’s a toy.
I can’t spoil the movie as I still haven’t seen it yet (we were out of town), although I am going to the late showing Tuesday night so by the time this posts, I’ll have reactions to share in comments; doubtless some of our readers have already seen it. I’m excited to go, though, as is my daughter. I probably won’t dress up, though, and while I will see both Oppenheimer[1] and Barbie, I’m not doing a double header. I need a little breather in between.
- Did you have Barbies growing up?
- Are your feelings toward Barbie positive, negative or mixed?
- Did you or will you go see the movie?
- What problematic toys (aside from Barbie) did you play with?
Discuss.
[1] If you want to talk about a mixed bag, Oppenheimer, in addition to creating the bomb, was a big time creep. He wrote poetry about rape fantasies, and once on a train, he watched a couple making out. When the man got up to use the restroom he immediately went over and started kissing the woman who was a stranger, which is about the creepiest thing I ever heard. Did he think they were working in shifts, and when one guy punches out, any random idiot gets to take a crack at her?
Wheat & Tares 
I had two Barbies and a skipper. My mother did not approve of Barbie and I only got them because my sister gave me one and someone gave me an old one of theirs. I loved my Barbies and played with them a lot. That said, toys were not plentiful in my home so my options were also limited. Until reading your post I never made the connection (or thought about) fashion, fun, independence, and non-mothering play in regards to Barbie. I was not maternal as a child so this was a good option for me. For me, it was a great way to role play, and clearly Mattel was a trailblazer as action figures and a huge selection of non-infant dolls are now available.
Initially I was not interested in seeing the movie. My general experience is that the more a movie is hyped/advertised the higher the disappointment level. Also, the advertisements make it seem mindless. However, after learning more this is one that is a must-see. At this point, hard-line conservative rage has the opposite effect as intended for me – I want to support whatever they rage against because they are so full of hate and fear I want to counteract it.
I saw an interview with the cast and I agree with their assessment that the movie was “unexpectedly deep.” Lots of discussion about patriarchy and women in our society. America Ferarra was amazing and her speech was the best.
I don’t remember having Barbies at all. I will have to ask my mother about that. I do remember a smaller doll which I loved (not a baby doll, long blonde hair, didn’t look that different from barbie). I also enjoyed paper dolls.
I hate Barbie dolls and I don’t know why exactly though I have some theories. I have the feeling I didn’t like them when I was younger either and neither did my mother. I think maybe I see her as materialistic , shallow, frivolous, and all about unreal looks and expectations and clothing and money. You are probably thinking “So?”
My mother’s ethic, my ethic is that money and looks and impressing others isn’t what is most important in life. In my family life it’s about learning, education, kindness and respect and helping others. It’s about being real and genuine and doing the actual right thing instead of looking like you are doing the right thing. It’s about nature and living in harmony with God, nature and other people. Somehow Barbie feels like she isn’t part of that.
You probably think I was exaggerating when I use the word hate. I am not, I really do hate her and it’s unusual for me. I get a stubborn knot in my stomach just trying to figure out why and what she represents to me. I hate pink, I hate Ken, her trophy man, I hate her unrealistic body, I hate her supposed fixation on clothes. I hate her fixed smile.
Yet, my body, at least most of my life, is probably more like Barbie’s body than most women’s. And I love clothing and dressing just right with the right colors (never that color of pink, Gag!).
I guess I just don’t want to be seen as a dumb, catty materialistic barbie type person. I think when I was in college men saw me and assumed I was that type and would ask me out. Of course I had nothing in common with them. I would only go out with them once. I would rather read a book. I did eventually meet my husband. I had to cut my hair short to attract a man who wasn’t looking for Barbie.
I don’t know what this has to with it but I remember when President Kimball told everyone not to get a second ear piercing etc. I kind of smirked because I didn’t have pierced ears at all and I still don’t.
Anyhow I am NOT going to the movie. One of my sons is excited to go. Another of my sons has read about and hates it and says it represents a “misandrist” society. As the mother of 5 sons anything misandrist is a no go for me, even though I am a feminist.
Lws, I appreciate your candor. I had mostly neutral feelings about Barbie growing up and it is interesting to hear about others’ experiences.
I haven’t seen this movie yet, but plan to. I played with Barbie growing up and even some of her friend of color, though I do not know which bc we named the Barbies individually– as though Barbie was not a name but instead a category (like cabbage patch or magic nursery), so they were all “Barbies” and not “skipper” or “midge” or whatever other names, lol. I honestly don’t think I knew Barbie was a name/nickname! My parents weren’t especially “woke” but instead thought it practical when they had 4 daughters close in age to have multiple of the same dolls that were visibly different so we didn’t fight over whose was whose. I guess that colorblind attitude might have been progressive for the time (80s), it’s hard to say. I was too young to know!
We did not have a Ken, but we did have a Beast (from beauty and the beast – no Belle though, lol). He played the role of Ken for the most part I suppose.
I played with Barbie but preferred baby dolls and caring for them. I was not raised Mormon and was an adult convert raised in a VERY nontraditional family, so I wonder now as an adult if that had some impact on my preferences. Maybe not since one of my siblings very much liked Barbie! I think our parenting has a lot less influence on our children than we care to think. I’ve got 3 young boys now (all under 5) and they show very little interest in dolls or action figures or anything humanoid at all– dinosaurs are vastly preferred.
But I did see Oppenheimer and hawkgirl, I’m so glad you said what you did about him being a creeper! He is definitely the hero of that movie and Nolan makes no attempt to claim or portray otherwise. I didn’t really know much about him as a person but your comment reminded me that biopics are so often biased.
Didn’t ever have a Barbie growing up, but I did buy them for my daughters. They played with them as the owners of their toy horses. Gotta have someone feed the horses and muck the barn and it might as well be Barbie. So, no they were not really into the standard Barbie stuff with all the cloths and dress up.
No interest in the movie, but then the sound in theaters is always so loud that it gives me a migraine, so I just don’t do theaters. When the book comes out I’ll read it.
I loved my Barbies. They got up to some crazy things back in the day. My girls have them and like them, but they don’t get that much play. They’re more into arts and crafts.
Thought the film was great! The men I saw it with liked it too. We didn’t find it misandrist. Having your privilege pointed out doesn’t always feel good, though. Seems like that’s what some men in the public square are reacting to.
I enjoyed the movie, and considered it as more of a clever allegory about patriarchy (although you can of course watch it on many different levels). In my mind, I am comparing and contrasting the movie “Women Talking” with “Barbie,” and also what I learned from a most interesting and important book that I just finished: The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth (by Beth Allison Barr). I think “Barbie” can impact in a positive way the conversation about the problems with patriarchy, and I am encouraged by they way art and literature are dealing with this most important subject. right now. I saw “On the Basis of Sex” (a biopic about Ruth Bader Ginsberg) on a flight last week, and found that to be an inspiring movie that can help people see the problems of patriarchy and participate in hopefully its eventual dismantling.
I didn’t have Barbies growing up because my mom thought they encouraged materialism. But my friends had them and I played with them every chance I got. I loved her beautiful clothes and spent hours putting together outfits. Still, my feelings towards her are very mixed. My mom was right about the materialism. And in some ways giving Barbie all those brillliant career options only added more expectations—you can be an astronaut AND look like a model! Then again, at least she did represent those options. Hm. I loved the movie and have already seen it twice. I would happily see it again. America Ferrara’s speech is amazing. The “misandrist” society at the beginning that evidently bothers some men so much (without their even having seen the movie, of course!) is what many women actually feel fortunate to live every day. It might be good for these men to consider why it makes them so angry: none of the Kens are abused, the Barbies are always nice to them, they have medical care, they have plenty of food and clothing, so why are they complaining? And don’t even get me started on the parallels to the church structure. I have so many more thoughts but…spoilers. I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. It’s amazing how much substance this movie has while still being so enjoyable to watch. It’s a rare thing.
P.S. The men I saw it with also loved it.
I didn’t have Barbie. She was probably not available in the UK when I was that age. Sindy was the go to doll of that sort. I didn’t have her either, but a cheaper version.. my mother made some outfits for my sister and I for our dolls (we had a doll each) and for my brothers’ Action Man dolls. I used to dress my doll in the Action Man outfits mostly, and sometimes drop her from a bedroom window with a home made parachute!
Youngest child went to watch the film with their boyfriend on opening night, and loved it. I am intrigued to see it myself, if I can get past the pink (not a fan)..
Iws329, no pierced ears here either. I accompanied my mother when she wanted to get hers done, and my father thought I didn’t get mine done at the same time. But I never wanted to.
“When the book comes out I’ll read it.” – best line so far; thx Anna.
I am happy that “On the Basis of Sex” has been mentioned. That is a GREAT movie, considering the present discussion.
Haven’t seen the Barbie movie yet, but all the discussions that I have heard about it (NPR etc.) sound like it is an educational film as much as a pure-entertainment project. Good for Greta Gerwig.
I hope y’all don’t find this shocking, but I did not have a Barbie growing up. Just wanted to be forthright about that.
Hmm, no one has mentioned GI Joe (kind of the boy equivalent of Barbie), which also spawned not just one movie but a whole franchise. It was first sold in 1964 (says the Internet). In the UK he was called Action Man, which is kind of cool.
Well, having seen the movie last night, I have a few observations. The comparison to “Women Talking” feels apt to me (but much lighter / sillier / with some fun musical numbers) in that the movie is a conversation between women of various generations and our complicated relationship with Barbie and with being a woman in a world of conflicting messages and motives. While there’s certainly a critique about the pitfalls of both a patriarchy and a matriarchy, and the need for something different, what I was really struck by was that Barbie’s world is how (mostly) prepubescent girls view the world. The world should be fun, full of sisterhood, beach parties, great houses and clothes, and oh, I guess a boyfriend (who is a total afterthought since these girls are too young to have serious designs on romance or relationships). This is at its heart a sexless movie, with good reason, but it still has valuable things to say, more about women than men.
Ken’s plight in the movie felt to me like a subversive version of the traditional role women are cast in, being an appendage, an afterthought, disrespected, sidelined. Barbie is never mean to Ken, but she keeps forgetting he exists, and she has definitely friendzoned him, which is consistent with a prepubescent girl’s view of Barbie’s world. Nobody wants to get stuck playing with the Ken doll. The Ken dolls are just not as cool as the Barbies. This is Barbie’s world, and by extension, the world of the young girl playing with the dolls. So, IMO, this movie is not remotely misandrist. It’s not really about men, just like most prepubescent girls don’t think much about men. The Ken plotline is, partly at least, a way to talk about the traditional role of women.
The Ken dolls definitely poke fun at some patriarchal tropes; some of this was in trailers. Ken, in the real world, with his newfound confidence from being treated with respect just for being a man, tries unsuccessfully to get a job as a doctor, a businessman or a lifeguard, but he finds out that despite being more visible in a patriarchal society he still doesn’t have the qualifications to actually rise to the top without any effort. Barbie too has to come to terms with the fact that maybe she can be an astronaut or POTUS in theory (in the imaginative Barbieland), but in the real world it takes a lot of work to do these things, and there will be struggle and opposition, some of which is based on sex, and some of which is just hard work. You can’t get there just by having a banging wardrobe, a pink convertible, and a lot of gal pals. In that sense, the movie is more about growing up and coming of age than it is about the war of the sexes (even when there is literally a war of the sexes). It’s more about realizing the difference between imagination and reality, between aspiration and hard work, between identity and self-worth.
The closest parallel movie I can think of is 13 Going on 30 with Jennifer Garner, another movie mostly from the naively optimistic perspective of a very early teen girl who still thinks everything is possible vs. the adults we become who realize we had more limitations than we thought and that real life has forced us to make compromises we never expected.
I loved my Barbie dolls as a kid. I’ve always loved storytelling, and dolls were one of my favourite ways to do it. I would make my own stories or play out favourite scenes from books and movies.
I’ve heard plenty of criticism against Barbie all my life, and maybe it has negatively affected me in some ways, but any bad messaging from the toys had plenty of real-world reinforcement, so I don’t think I would have been spared if I had never played with a Barbie doll. Yes, there was lack of diversity in the dolls – just like there was in movies and TV. Yes, she was super skinny – and if my mom and other women in my life were to be believed, losing weight was a lifelong goal and hating your body was normal. I don’t actually remember being bothered by the unrealistic doll proportions, though. If I was jealous of one thing as a young curly girl, it was that I could brush her hair to be silky smooth but couldn’t do that with my own hair. But even then, I had an older cousin who told me I would grow up to hate my curly hair, so that’s not exclusive to Barbie either.
DaveB, if you read my comment, Action Man is mentioned.. he didn’t fair as well being dropped from upstairs windows however, being a brittler than the Sindy substitute.. if I recall correctly one of the Action Man dolls lost a leg that way..
Elder millennial mother of three girls (6-12). I know I had a Duke University Basketball shooting Barbie as a kid. She was fun. I’ll see the movie eventually with a friend but I’m not planning to show it to my kids.
As a mother, I was anti-Barbie. I was planning to keep her away from my girls. But then came Bratz and Monster High, and Barbie decided to start doing some awesome careers. So in came Barbie. Sure, the proportions are wrong, but I’m good with the creative play and “Girls Can Be Anything!”. I deliberately buy non-white Barbies so my girls have an ethnic mix.
Over the past 8 years, we’ve had:
Arctic biologist
Astrophysicist
EMT
Dentist
Pediatrician
Nurse
Wilderness Trail Guide
Scientist
Soccer Player
Gymnastics Coach
Ballerina
Chef
Woman in Wheelchair
Fairy
Mermaid
In a similar vein, the little girl “Chelsea” doll has been a huge hit with my youngest, so we have several of those with various fun sets (camper, carnival, mermaid, etc).
Interesting take from Pulitzer-Prize winner Susan Faludi: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/25/opinion/barbie-movie-faludi-feminism.html?smid=em-share
**SPOILER WARNING**
Since there’s a paywall, I’ll share a few of the article’s points. She sees the movie as a commentary about abortion:
1) Girls reject motherhood. The opening scene (also in one of the trailers) is right out of 2001: A Space Odyssey, with young girls seeing an alternative to the baby dolls they’ve been restricted to when Barbie shows up on the scene. For the first time, they envision being adult women who aren’t mothers, who aren’t married, who pursue their own interests. The little girls destroy the baby dolls in anger, essentially rejecting the limited role of motherhood they’ve been given.
2) Barbieland lawyers debate personhood.
3) The Kens attempt to change the Constitution of Barbieland, after all the hard work the Barbies have done. Barbie laments “You can’t just undo it in a day,” to which Ken replies “Literally and figuratively watch me.” Hello, Dobbs, stripping the rights of women after 50 years of precedent, gone in one day, *poof.*
4) Midge’s weirdness. Midge was the pregnant Barbie, a concept that was discontinued. In the movie, she makes everyone a little uncomfortable, both in Barbieland and in the “real world.”
5) The movie ends with Barbie choosing to go to the real world, wearing pink Birkenstocks and a business casual outfit, messy bun. We think she’s going to a job interview, but instead she goes to a gynecologist, a strange nod to the fact that she is no longer a doll but now has genitals, but also (?) a nod to abortion and women’s reproductive health care being concerns that she has to deal with.
It’s a pretty convincing perspective that all of this was intentional subtext, but it’s not the only theme of the movie. Still, worth considering, and it’s impossible to have a discussion about women’s lives without considering the impacts of rulings like Dobbs.
I don’t remember having any Barbies of my own as a kid. I had some that were hand me downs from my older sisters. They sat in a box, naked and colored on with marker from my brother. Most of them were missing a limb or two and had been the subject of bad haircuts. My best friend had Barbies from her older sisters that were in much better shape and we played with them every once in a while, but I always found it tedious.
I’m not sure if the dislike of Barbie is a generational thing or particular to my family dynamic. At about the age Barbie may have started to appeal to me, my family got our first Nintendo, followed by getting my own Gameboy. With my mom being a 70s computer programmer and my dad being a high school athlete and coach of multiple sports, we had more computer games than anyone I knew and a whole closet devoted to sporting equipment with a yard large enough to play most sports. How was Barbie supposed to compete with that?
My own daughter has always hated Barbies and dolls. She was 5 the first time I had her go through her toys to pick the ones she wanted to donate. She picked every doll and every Barbie in the collection and off they went to the DI.
I have never really seen Barbie as a feminist icon (although I can understand why people do). I had zero intention of going to see the Barbie movie since I never liked Barbie much. However, once all the angry conservative anti-feminist anti-Barbie rants came out, I realized that the feminist message is definitely something that may interest me. I’m now planning to go and debating on taking my preteen. So I guess if all the anger was manufactured as a clever marketing ploy, it worked on me.
My best friend had the Barbie dream house and the Barbies and all the accessories. I loved playing Barbies at her house. When I asked for a Barbie doll, I got a knock-off doll that was two inches taller than Barbie and so didn’t fit in the car or the house or anything. Giant Barbie was not my favorite, and I didn’t ask for any more Barbies. We couldn’t afford name brand toys.
I grew up with Barbie being criticized for her unrealistic measurements, but that’s the only criticism I remember. I wasn’t big into dolls so Giant Barbie was lonely.
I really want to see the movie and hope to go this weekend. It looks fun and fluffy and upbeat.
When Disney’s “The Tigger Movie” came out in the ?2000’s it caused a great deal of controversy among my family and relatives.
Essentially the problem in their mind was that the movie emphasized that one’s friends could be just as important as one’s biological family- especially where such bio-families are either nonexistent or terrible people.
Looking back on it now tho, it makes sense why the orthodoxy felt threatened. Mormonism is (currently) predicated upon the idea that heterosexual, biological families between married man and women is the building block for society.
Why need Mormonism if extra-familial relationships can be just as nurturing? Why need Mormonism if we can decide as agents how best to create family, society, meaning, irrespective of what the orthodoxy tells us?
It’s therefore in this same vein that I consider the current moral panic about Barbie. Their concern trolling is a tell. They dislike the self-awareness of movie; how it problematizes corporate-nurtured fantasies that insufficiently reflects nor challenges ‘the real world’.
The Barbie movie is likely to sting especially for (Orthodox) Mormons because it neatly resembles the (arguably metaphorical) Heroes’ Journey of Adam and Eve from the Garden to the ‘Telestial world’.
And once again it’s Barbie making decisions; Adam along for the ride; and a ‘great Trespass’ from ignorant boundaries to ‘knowledge’ that’s required for ‘progression’.
Interestingly enough, there’s also no ‘atonement’ nor ‘Atoner’ in the movie, as the act of knowledge-seeking/trespassing is celebrated. Furthermore – (***SPOILERS***)
-the heroine discovers that while some of the changes she experienced was due to events beyond her control, she took those experiences, and managed to ***change herself*** requiring no further intermediary beyond the first happy accident of the She-Atlas and ‘figure of clay’.
(***End-SPOILERS***)
Essentially, the Ven Diagram between the Barbie movie and Mormonism is that the former is a rough depiction of what the values of the latter would look like if it’s corporate patriarchy, and arrogant-faith-claims were both replaced by a muted form of Feminist Existentialism .
Six of us representing three generations of our family saw the movie a couple of days ago and all of us thoroughly enjoyed it – probably all for different reasons. Some even said they had tears -the speech by America Ferrera. It was a very clever script with some strong messages, all the while keeping it fun to watch.
Parenting our kids we didn’t initially allow them to have Barbies or toy guns but that all backfired as the boys made guns out of Tinker Toys anyway, and I caved on the Barbies when younger daughters arrived on the scene. I don’t recall what our actual rational was at the time – the guns for more obvious reasons but Barbie was probably all about commercialism and our limited budget. I don’t think my oldest forgave me on that so she especially enjoyed the movie. She reminded me that the only reason she would play with a particular girl who lived down the street was because she had a big stash of Barbies, the house, car and horses.
@ Angela C – I particularly enjoyed your analysis in the comments and also the one from Susan Faludi. Both spot on.
I’m not sure if I had a Barbie growing up, though I remember wanting one. Probably did have one. But honestly I had trouble imagining what to do with it. I was deep into parentification by the time I was prime Barbie age, first as the oldest of a widowed mother, then as most senior child in a blended Yours-mine-and-ours.
Back in my day (aging myself here) there was that several hours long gap between Sunday School and Sacrament meeting. In our midwest ward, if you finangled the parents just right, various kids would go home in other families’ station wagons after Sunday School for lunch and quiet sabbath afternoon play before returning for Sacrament Meeting. I remember going many times over to play with the Bishop’s daughters on Sunday afternoons, and as it was a house of no sons, there were quite a few Barbies to play with. I remember one Sunday, we were pretending Ken was passing the Sacrament to the congregation of various dressed up Barbies-and-friends. A very nice thing to pretend, except the Ken part was voiced by one of us girls, who having heard the Sacrament prayers twice a Sunday all our lives, had it pretty much memorized. The Bishop’s wife overheard, and came swooping into the room to put a stop to that sacrilege! That sort of play was very disrespectful, we were with great clarity informed. So we went and played something else.
My Gen Z daughter had several Barbies, and I sewed a few clothes for her. I enjoyed that.. I think we might still have the Barbies around somewhere.
And now I remember and am sure I had a Barbie when I was very little, maybe 3 or 4. Because I remember my not-yet-widowed mom picking through the contents of a vacuum bag to find a tiny plastic high heel shoe the hoover ate, and being admonished to take better care of my toys.
Coffinberry – THANKS for the account of your experience. I think that episode with the Bishop’s wife and the ersatz sacramental prayers would be prime fodder for another W&T post. Any takers:
Di, your response brought a laugh.
I was a pacifist feminist mother even back in the 80s. I was one of those mothers who carefully curated what my children played with and the list definitely excluded Barbies and guns. But I was also a realist. I knew that they played with such things at friends’. Good for them! I knew they understood why I felt that way about those things. Good for me! And I knew I didn’t want to create any obsessions or sense of deprivation. So I told them to tell their friends that what they especially wanted for their birthdays was Barbies and I found them squirt guns shaped like goldfish.
I hope that was a win/win… Anyway they grew up to be fine people.
Another interesting Venn diagram would be (1) fans of Barbie movie (2) fans of Sound of Freedom movie (3) fans of Tom Cruise.
I heard there are some references to Proust in the Barbie movie – definitely planning to see it !!
Today’s Mormon Land Podcast Episode #296 has a segment about Ryan Gosling’s fervent Mormon upbringing in Canada.
The Salt Lake Tribune produces the podcast.
I’m old enough to have had an earlier version of Barbie. My sisters and I each got one (Barbie or Midge)for Christmas in the mid 60s, and our mom sewed extra wardrobe items we shared. We had the plastic doll/clothing cases, and they eventually went the way of all our toys— thrashed, passed down, then ultimately trashed by our mom in a purge. Those dolls in good shape are now prized by collectors. I didn’t care enough then or now to tease out the layers of Barbie-related value, nostalgia, and materialism, but I respect that she evokes quite a variety of strong feelings in different people.
My daughters also had a few Barbies, but not a lot of accessories. I remember searching for a Peaches & Cream Barbie after she was discontinued but still on the market. I saw her outfit in a scene from the movie— a full, pale orange ruffled gown. She was a princess in the eyes of little girls, and bigger ones too. Then my millennial daughter grew older and chopped their hair and wore their markered-up heads on a chain for a necklace, a rather common practice it seems.
I’ve been observing the pre-premiere hype and the first weekend splash with my usual take on all things Barbie— detached amusement. But by Monday I’d had enough of the spoilers from the reviews, commentary, and social medias. On a whim I drove to a late evening showing and waited in a longer than normal line, behind neighborhood folks all wearing pink. I landed in my seat with no popcorn and a minute to spare before the initial set-up of the first scene, which I knew too much about. And I thoroughly enjoyed that, and the rest of it that followed.
It’s a merry frolic so fully loaded with funny bits that it reminds me of ‘Ghostbusters’ for quotable lines. Greta Gerwig and her crew have created it with intentional, cartoonish lampooning of quite a variety of foolishness, and not all of they is patriarchy. There’s some quietly feminine tenderness. Some unspoken stuff. Lightweight gravitas. I gotta go see it again.
During the movie, often something happens that’s embedded in women’s experiences —something that triggers coded memories for girls and women of all ages. Men who knew those girls and women back then (and now) may get the references if they’ve paid any attention, but men are not centered. Like, hardly ever, except for the Ken stuff, and much of that is through a female-coded lens. So of course the snowflakes are pissed, and of course tantrums will ensue. But there’s a subplot of the movie that’s specifically male, if a viewer is open and thoughtful enough.
I’ve tried to comment without spoilers, but if you have any interest in seeing it, do it sooner rather than later. There’s going to be commentary about the moving parts of this movie for a while yet. They’ve barely scratched the surface. There are definitely some award winning contributions within it. And despite the cartoon lightweight approach, plenty to discuss.
That’s an excellent review, MDearest. You could have a your own column in a well known paper if you wanted to–your writing is that good, IMO.
I’m confused about the “spoilers” associated with the Barbie movie. How can there be spoilers, it is a move about a doll! If I find out it’s really not a doll, will that spoil it for me???
I’ll second Jack’s recommendation that MDearest seriously consider a columnist vocation.
MDearest: guest post submissions are always welcome! You’ve already got a following.
I had one of the early Midge dolls (Barbie’s best friend), in less than mint condition, but the 1980s Midge was skewered in the movie as the “pregnant” Barbie, which I agree was a fairly weird concept. The early Midge was not pregnant, and she was less glamorous than Barbie. I imagine that might have caused some sisterly rivalry.
Thanks guys. You’re kind. I mostly just get a kick out of soapboxing, and I don’t write all that well on deadline. Hawkgrrrl has coherence flowing freely from her fingers, but I must painstakingly edit as I go, and then do a few more read-throughs before it’s fine-tuned enough to hit send. It takes me forEVER, and I have other stuff needing attention. Which also takes me forever.
But first, spoilers. Maybe the comment was rhetorical but spoilers really bug for some moviegoers. The Barbie spoiler that annoyed me first was in the Main Trailer, where she says “Do you guys ever think about dying?” It’s an important early development and Warner Bros (The Studio!) sacrificed it, and the flat feet gag (it was done so well too!), and a whole lot more, to sell theater seats. The hype for this movie was absurd. I also read a review that gave details of the opening scene, the little girls playing with baby dolls when Giant Barbie in her iconic black & white chevron swimsuit appears, bathed in golden hour light. And removes her perfect sunglasses… and winks. Narrated by Helen Mirren over the theme music from ‘2001’ fer cryin outloud. I’m willing to bet that a lot of you who haven’t seen the movie have seen that image. Imagine seeing that whole sequence cold— It would be so much more satisfying as the beginning of the movie that’s unspooling onscreen.
But my tipping point was seeing a bunch of references to the film’s final line, apparently the most killer line of all endings. I didn’t want that ruined for me, it was just a matter of time, and I already knew too much for my taste. So I hopped in my car and fixed my problem, saw as much of the film cold as was still intact after the deluge of publicity, and now I can partake the punditry and visuals no longer as spoilers.
I remember seeing “Raiders of the Lost Ark” stone cold— I went with a group who just said “let’s go see this new movie” when I hadn’t seen a single peep of hype, and it was as magic as a movie can get, that grabs you by the senses and takes you to an alternate universe. I like when that happens. I usually avoid trailers for that reason, because they’re the worst at spilling a movie’s best stuff, and lots of times there’s not a whole lot of other best stuff to compensate for having seen it the first time already, as publicity bits.
That’s not the case for the Barbie movie. There’s a ton of Other Stuff that’s way more than just about a doll. It’s about a bunch of dolls! Most of whom have (almost) identical names! It’s a fantasy with magic, played, it seems, for lightweight amusement. But it depicts some dark and weighty themes that morph as the action proceeds, like self-discovery, capitalism and corporate greed, and there are elements of patriarchy deconstructed for your viewing pleasure— but it’s not a shrill feminist manifesto, it just has a female POV. There’s a difference.
And it’s all done with surprising restraint and sensitivity when needed, and ham-fisted excess when that’s called for. Like (mom/Mattel employee) Gloria’s speech. Which is perfect, every word.
And yes, there’s a Proust Barbie reference. She was even cast and filmed, but her scene was cut. Maybe she distracted too much from the strong thread of cheerful optimism that balances the dark stuff. And that comes in mighty handy for the film’s final scenes, where Gerwig’s wise restraint shines. It was beautifully understated, a mystical exploration of themes of mentorship and motherliness (NOT motherhood,) evolving toward an unknown future of possibilities, all portrayed through a female lens. And though the realities of being female are explicitly depicted (again with witty restraint) it’s left to us viewers to resolve.
I think I’ve exhausted all my soapbox fodder. In summary, I think you dudes should go see the damn movie, and be open minded if you’re uncomfortable for a short spell. For most of the runtime, you’ll be royally entertained.
@hawkgrrrl Midge had freckles! Definitely less then, but I don’t recall much sisterly rivalry. Our pecking order was too firmly established for any challenges. And I think you’ve helped me ID a vintage doll I have— she’s probably Francie! Thx…
Is no one going to mention the fact that our favorite musician Dua Lipa is in the film? If that doesn’t motivate everyone to see it I don’t know what will.
My daughter and I saw Barbie on opening weekend Saturday. We dressed in pink. As a 13 year old young woman who’s currently in lesbian rock, my daughter was there to support feminist Barbie; she now plays “Closer to Fine” on repeat. As a gay middle aged man, I went as a feminist ally and TBH to objectify Ryan Gosling (who did a great job; he was clearly having fun).
My overall take on the movie: it was fun, but not as much as I’d hoped. I went in expecting something like The Lego Movie’s self-aware humor with a deeper message. Instead I felt Barbie’s humor (which was there in abundance) was secondary, only there in service of its message.
The almost throwaway scene where Barbie sits next to an older woman and says, “You are beautiful,” really touched me. I think that was the movie’s defining moment.
(Oppenheimer was also great btw, even if or perhaps because he was a troubling figure. I will see Barbie again when it streams; I will see Oppenheimer at least once more on IMAX. Margot Robbie’s sad stiff roll on the ground portrayal of an unbending plastic doll come to life was expert acting. Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer was an award-winning performance.)
When I was a kid my sisters and I received a large bag of Barbies from my aunts who had outgrown them. Some I remember were Malibu Barbie, PJ, lots of clothing, inflatable furniture, and that townhouse with the working elevator. There was even a Donny doll in a purple jumpsuit, sans Marie, however. But, as much as I wanted my own new Barbies, my parents wouldn’t buy them. So when I started babysitting I used my money to buy Barbies. But at this point (early teens) I wasn’t interested in playing with them anymore- I would unbox them and place them on my shelf and not touch them. I had Crystal Barbie, Peaches & Cream Barbie, Barbie and ALL of the Rockers. What a time to be alive, I tell you.
I ordered tickets for the opening weekend of the Barbie movie over a month ago and took my husband and teen aged kids. I would not have been interested if it had not had a great director and good buzz. I was not disappointed.
Like how Galaxy Quest was a love letter to Star Trek, this film was a love letter to Barbie- it made fun of her, but it also shows her kindness and grace and celebrates her place in our lives and/or culture. I loved the moment where Barbie meets the Mattel board and it’s ALL MEN and I hope some church leaders squirmed in their seats.
My four sons loved it, as did I. They understand the difference between patriarchy and men, though, so that helps with the concerns about misandry. It’s right in the plot why Barbie is not on board with her Ken, even after patriarchy holds sway over most of the other Barbies; it has to do with America Ferrera’s character. I don’t want to spoil it.
We can’t wait to see it again.