Margot Robbie's Barbie and the Doll's Surprising (Feminist) History

The 2023 live-action Barbie movie directed by feminist indie filmmaker Greta Gerwig and starring modern bombshell Margot Robbie may have been surprising at first, but actually feels like a natural progression. As the Barbie doll has morphed over the years, she’s actually been a powerful mirror for the changing roles of women in the late 20th and 21st centuries. Today she can appear like an easy target for criticism, but in fact Barbie’s legacy is far richer and more complex as a figure who’s worked hard to bring feminist conversations into the mainstream.

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We are The Take (formerly ScreenPrism).

00:00 Who IS Barbie?
01:35 Barbie's changing roles throughout history
06:21 Why Margot will make the perfect Barbie
09:02 Greta's Barbie revolution and new vision
10:16 What's next for Barbie?

[venerandoagustin]

I really hope the live-action movie takes inspiration from "Legally Blonde, " not only tone/aesthetic-wise (campy, pink, and stylish with a blonde protagonist) but also in the message that girls can be both smart and feminine at the same time.

[spectre]

Barbie is canonically a girly girl that loves make-up and fashion but is also an independent woman that has had several careers over the years. She also had a stable relationship and is generally a great friend and older sister. This is who I look up to and who I strive to be 🙏

[poweroffriendship.]

_"Authority should derive from the consent of the governed, not from threat of force!"_

*~ Barbie from Toy Story 3*

[nohemigomez]

I've never cared that Barbie did not looked like me, I just loved her, she owned the dream house, the cars, the careers, she had a loving family and friends and even to her frenemy, she remained kind hearted and optimistic. You need someone like that in your life or you have to be that person for yourself in this darn depressing world. I'm excited for the movie!

[societycrumbles]

I remember my (female) teacher in primary school saying girls should play with baby dolls to prepare for motherhood and not Barbies. It always rubbed me the wrong way, because Barbie is a badass who teaches women that we can achieve whatever we want and be happy working. Some of us don't want to be mothers anyway.

[mariatxxxc]

People need to stop with the beauty standards criticism, I was an overweight child and all the negative feelings about my body came from the people around me, not a doll.

[dollminatrix]

I’ve got to say to me, Barbie is a feminist icon. She’s a glamorous, hard worker, can do any job she sets her mind to, gets glammed up for herself, and is strong and intelligent. It’s Barbie’s dream house. Not kens. She’s independent which is something I deeply admire. And when she wants to, if she wants to, you can give her a boyfriend or girlfriend and she can spend time with them when she wants. To me she’s a woman in control. She works hard, and still takes time for herself. As a girly girl who grew up in the early 2000s, it was so popular to hate in femininity. I received so much negativity for loving pink and being feminine and not like Avril Lavigne. I was more Britney, and Barbie and Britney always reminded me that I am strong, smart and capable. That just cause I’m feminine and like feminine things that doesn’t make me less of a person or stupid and that I’m not shallow. And it’s okay that I’m not the “not like other girls” kind of girl. I’d look at this glamazon and think wow…. She’s badass.

[phoenixfriend]

Barbie has always had more diversity of look than a lot of people realise. While there is a canonical version of Barbie as white, blonde and American, I think the idea behind her has always been that she can be whatever the player wants her to be and they have always tried to accommodate this to varying degrees over time. The original Barbie doll was released in both blonde and brunette versions. Throughout the 60s she had no fixed hair colour, sometimes blonde, brunette or red, and often the same doll would be released in each. Gradually they started doing more blonde versions than others. In 1978 they released the first dark skinned Hawaiian Barbie. In 1979, the first black Barbie. (She's had black friends since the 60s.) Throughout the 80s, while she was still primarily white, blonde and American, they started releasing Barbie in black, hispanic and other ethnicities. Like with the hair colours, some dolls were released in multiple versions, including the Day-to-Night and astronaut dolls in the video. Skipper and Ken came in these variations too. They also did many international Barbie dolls, including East Asian, Indian, Native American etc. So while there was the standard Barbie, girls who wanted her to look different were accommodated too. I'm glad they've now added different body types to the variety. Even the multitude of careers was probably more about her being able to be ANY one of those professions that the player wanted her to be rather than her having done ALL of them. Unfortunately, I think the public perception of Barbie has become one not of "she/you can be anything" but "she/you can be everything", which has created an image of toxic perfectionism around her that permeates everything from her face to her figure to her careers to her obvious wealth.

[morganmeyer]

My favorite memory as a child was recreating my mothers soap operas with my Barbie dolls 😂

[PokhrajRoy.]

As someone who has been OBSESSED with Barbie Dolls, Barbie Movies, The Official Barbie Website (which had the best online games and was a safe space as a child) and everything Barbie, I’m so happy to see this video essay and Greta Gerwig’s interpretation of it. The cast is beyond brilliant!

[briannamick]

I wanted to write a paper on this topic in university. The professor (a man) told me if I did he would fail me because I was wrong. I wrote the paper, researched it well and argued this point, and got 100% because he said "Wow, guess I was wrong. I'm sorry"

[witchplease]

Shoutout to all the Barbie, Bratz, and MyScene girls. All those doll brands (and their movies/websites) brought me joy and pride as a little girl. People used to say they were degrading and set unattainable standards for little girls, but I never wanted or felt like I needed to look like the dolls. I loved them because they were fashionable, fun, confidently feminine and capable of anything, especially with their fellow girl friends by their side. The emphasis on sisterhood was a major part of the appeal to me.

[prettier]

The quote that barbie always stuck to me growing up is "Anything is possible", Barbie is a Feminist icon PERIOD ✨🌸

[alissaj]

I remember my first Black Barbie doll! I got her on Christmas 1993! ❤
I loved her!

[madnessjones]

As a kid I liked that Barbie stood on her toes. Yeah, it’s a practical design to make her shoes fit, but that wasn’t what I noticed when I was little. I have a rare medical condition that causes me to walk on the balls of my feet, which has caused a lot of skeletal and weight problems as I grew up. Barbie’s posture was just one tiny little thing that made me feel a bit more normal. She wasn’t my favorite doll type, but it’s interesting how she can be relatable to so many diverse little girls.

[micow]

The take is at its best when it shines the light on things that are supposedly anti feminism that have actually done more for feminism than current feminists like their take on Cinderella in don't blame the victim that is still my favorite video on this channel

[MinecraftIsLoveMinecraftIsLife]

as a kid i never played with barbies but i really admire barbie's message that girls can be ambitious and work hard for their dream job while also being feminine.

[MariaJoseRangelUwU]

I love Barbie. While society made me feel inadequate as a child, Barbie comforted me. She was there for me when I was sad, telling me I could reach my dreams. I love her a lot, she taught me and inspired me to be myself, to do the right thing, to be kinder… Actually, I think I chose my career because of her.

[bienemaja]

as a German it's funny how Americans say "seitgeist" instead of "zeitgeist"...
I'm excited about the Barbie film, I loved Marot Robbie in everything she was in that I watched, especially "I, Tonya"

[dollminatrix]

All I know is this new movie better not demonize femininity.