The Real Meaning of Barbie (And That Surprise Ending) | Feminism Series

If Greta Gerwig’s mega-blockbuster Barbie made one thing clear, it’s that being a woman, as joyous and incredibly nuanced an experience as it can be, is no easy feat. Barbie has struck the hearts of movie goers, and women in particular, worldwide. But why? What do the film’s themes say about being a real, "ordinary" woman? Here’s our take on what Barbie’s final transformation says about women’s larger struggle to have society acknowledge their humanity, the ways the film is in conversation with modern feminism, and the real conclusion Mattel needs to take from this movie’s major success.
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CHAPTERS
00:00 - Barbie's portrayal of womanhood
01:39 - The Weight of the Female Experience
03:09 - Embracing Womanhood Fully
04:54 - Navigating Barbie's Controversial History with Feminism
06:25 - Gerwig's Barbie Land and Feminist Filmmaking
08:00 - Overcoming the Patriarchy in Barbie Land
09:34 - The Success of Barbie: A Movie About Women
11:16 - The Importance of Well-Written Female Protagonists
12:46 - The Fight for Barbie's Image
14:18 - Check out our recommended video and playlist

CREDITS
Executive Producers: Debra Minoff & Susannah McCullough
Chief Creative Director: Susannah McCullough
Associate Producer: Tyler Allen
Writer: Faith Terrill
Narrator: Jessica Babineaux
Video Editor: Tyler Allen

#barbie #endingexplained #margotrobbie #explained #feminism #videoessay #socialcommentary

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The Real Meaning of Barbie (And That Surprise Ending) | Feminism Series

[GoMulanGo]

I don’t think the film is saying “oh well nothing we can do” about real world patriarchy. I think they’re saying that Barbieland mirrors our world. So at the end when they ask Issa Rae’s Barbie if they can be on the Supreme Court and she says no but you can start smaller, it hurts a bit on purpose. The audience could think “cmon girl they just wanna be included!” but you can also say that for women in the real world. I think their overall point is that if people and especially men watching this film can empathize with the Kens in Barbieland, they shouldn’t have a hard time empathizing with women in the real world, and that change and equality in Barbieland is always going to mirror our world, so the longer it takes here the longer it’ll take there.

[kenster]

A friend of mine recently pointed out that Barbie's desire to become a real human is a sub-plot the movie shares with both Pinocchio, the Jungle Book, the Little Mermaid, and Luca alike. Which could be seen as a metaphore for the bitter-sweet but inevitable transition from child to adult.

[taylorgayhart]

One of my favorite details is the fact that Barbie doesn’t have a mirror in her vanity. There aren’t actually any mirrors or mirror finishes and Barbie land, so that means that none of the Barbies actually know what they look like. The Barbies don’t care that they’re beautiful, they just want to have a good day every day, it’s the people in the real world so focused on their looks. I think that’s just another nod to the theme of the societal pressures on women to be perfect and how they come from external sources. It reminds me of how my sister in law told me the other day that everyone telling her she will “bounce back” after giving birth has made her very self conscious about the weight she didn’t even realize she was gaining, but she also now feels this huge pressure to “bounce back” (aka heal from labor and suddenly lose a bunch of weight overnight while also being too tired to work out). That feeling of “this body that is birthing a human is only worthy if it gets skinny again” didn’t come naturally or from within, but was caused by fucked up ideals in our society!!!

[taylorgayhart]

It’s really sad to me how many people are missing be overall theme of “you are Kenough”. So much about being a woman is feeling like you have to be perfect, and nowadays not just *look* perfect but *be* perfect, the perfect spouse, mom employee, even perfect victim. And people criticizing the movie saying “well Barbie is just the epitome of the patriarchal view of women” are again criticizing Barbie for not being a good enough political activist. The point is, if even BARBIE isn’t perfect, if even she can’t live up to these ideals of womanhood, maybe the ideals are the problem, and not the women, and not Barbie.

[trinaq]

I find it neat that Barbie and Sasha swap roles as the film progresses. Sasha starts off with straight hair and dark clothing, but gradually wears more glitzy colours, with her hair being more done up. Meanwhile, Barbie wears earthier, grounded colours the longer she stays in the real world, but dons a pair of pink Birkenstocks, to show that she hasn't forgotten her roots.

[liabe]

Also the point of the "Oh that sounds dumb, but if it makes money" response from Martell is a meta reflection on how they dealt with gerwig throughout the process of making the movie.

[chadfungus]

Ken also trying to impress someone who will never love him and found that he needs to find himself and value himself.

[rottensquid]

What struck me most about the film from a personal standpoint is how, though Ken is a satirical mirror of women's roles in men's lives under patriarchy, he also worked as a depiction of how men tie our self-esteem to women's approval, and how we lash out childishly when we don't get enough of it. It was such a compassionate exploration of all that, perhaps more compassionate than the subject deserves. But I suppose that's the point of compassion.

Anyway, the notion that patriarchy is men's reaction to being friendzoned felt so legit, I can't get over it.

[patriciazandilencube]

I don't hear people talk a lot about America Fereira's incredible role, acting and the humanity she portrayed in this film.

[auwanho]

A lot of people overlooked that the most important thing in the film, is that despite all the things wrong about human society and patriarchy in the real world, barbie still desperately wanted to be a human. The film is really honestly telling us, all these pains and tears also comes with joy and love, and they are the best part of the human experience too.

[CPTDoom]

The fact this film takes the Bechdel test and blows it to smithereens is just one of the many ways it's brilliant. I think the very reason so many right wing men had a problem with it was that it was for or about them. In fact, the ultimate Ken in the movie is Gloria's husband (played by America Fererra's real live husband) who doesn't have a name; he's just "El esposo de Gloria" in the credits.

[cutelatina]

I loved the so real message on the movie PATRIARCHY harms both men and women.
Men suffer from it too! Men are not the bad guys, they're the victims on a different way.
As a feminist, i would love for men to be as happy and healthy as they can be and not be limited bt stupid standards.

[clau_sing_]

To me the deeper meaning in Barbie was the portrayal of what it means to be a human being and feel emotions, to look around you and see other people trying to live their life as best they can, to let go of the idea of being perfect and accepting the flawed nature of us as humans

[cutelatina]

Is also inherently misogynistic to think Barbie is a bad role model just because she's beautiful.
Women like Margot Robbie CAN and should be role models. Their beauty is not their worth, is one of the many aspects of their humanity.
I was a Barbie girl. I never saw her as "i wish i was that skinny" i saw it as "i can do anything! A president, a chef, a dancer, a doctor, and yes! A homemaker too" and that's feminism.

[Ms-kn]

I don't understand how people can say this movie is anti-men when it gives us the one and only Allan! Come on people, give my man Allan some respect. I'm a man and no way in hell this movie is anti-men. Even the "I'm Just Ken" musical sequence is literally one of the most positive male representation I've ever seen. I absolutely love this movie, i'm definitely Kenough

[PokhrajRoy.]

8:48 SPOILERS:



Gloria pitching the idea for ‘Ordinary Barbie’ finally getting accepted because it’s profitable was brilliantly executed 😂

[samfilmkid]

I really like the moment near the end where the daughter tells her mother that she loves the dark weird parts of her that she never shows. I think that sums up the movie's real message right there.

[musicamaxima]

What a strange phenomenon. I thought the film was much better than it had a right to be given the subject matter, but folks on every end of the spectrum are reading too much into it. The film’s feminism is pretty anodyne and the relationship with Mattel is exactly what we’ve seen for a long time now with companies “making fun of themselves” in their products in order to absolve themselves of their transgressions in the public eye. It’s classic neoliberal recuperation. Barbie was fun—pretty solid performances throughout—slightly off balance act structure.

What’s amazing is that, in having the manosphere right haemorrhage blood out of disdain for such an, again, anodyne message around feminism, the film has blown up into a cultural touchstone. Extraordinary times.

[chanmochit]

The ending confused me. I do understand Barbie going to the real world as a metaphors of little girls growing up into the real world. However, I don't understand why Barbie would want to become human. She gained human feelings of frustration and death because of Gloria. Gloria was empowered with the experience of empowering the other Barbies and overthrew the Patriarchy. But why did Barbie want to be a depressed human? Her psyche became more human. If this is why she transformed into a human in the end I would understand. But it was framed as her choice to be human, which isn't bad. I just didn't understand how she got to that choice

[winterbutterfly]

The Barbies getting back Barbieland away from the Ken's so easily (mainly because they had the power for so long and it was inherent to them at this point) represents how is so easy for men to take away power from the hands of women in the real world. In a way Ken's are supposed to represent female oppression in our society.