So Close, Barbie.

The smell of movie theater popcorn lingered in the air as I snapped a picture of my girls and their friends dressed in pink. They posed inside the life size cardboard Barbie box adorned with balloons. The theater lobby was dotted with pink patrons in eager anticipation of the new Barbie movie. I was anxious to see if Greta Gerwig could portray a new Barbie that would encourage all women to break out of their plastic mold. 

Let’s see…. (very small spoilers ahead) 

Great cast with some diversity. Check. 

Awareness of patriarchy and the unequal and unfair treatment of women. Check. 

Acknowledgement that women are held to impossible standards. Check  

Ryan Gosling with some LOL moments. Check. 

You singing along with the cast to The Indigo Girls. Check.

Margot Robbie rejects Ken and the happily ever after. Check. 

You laughing and crying. Check. 

You wondering if you still have roller blades in your basement. Check. 

The premise of the movie is about Barbie having to decide if she should go to the “real world”, to fix her malfunctioning self. She hesitates to go, but quickly relents in order to avoid the ghastly horror of a life with cellulite. Shrieking in fear of an imperfect body, she’s off to “fix” herself. 

Despite this anti-fat sentiment, a guy would probably walk away from the movie thinking it was all about female empowerment. And he wouldn’t be wrong. It was an empowering storyline. BUT, the guys aren’t bombarded after the movie with the Barbie merch that targets fuller lips, blonder hair, cellulite free skin, a smaller body and an ageless face. You and I can be aware of the impossible standards, but damn if we shouldn’t throw some cash at looking like Barbie in some shape or form.

Towards the end of the movie, Barbie is  distraught about her situation and says, “I’m not good enough for anything”.  A “real world” mom eloquently points out that, “It’s impossible to be a woman. You have to be thin but not say you want to be thin but say you want to be healthy instead. You have to have kids but not talk about them too much. The system is rigged and you have to deal with it. Never get old, be rude or selfish. And everything is your fault.” I think the entire audience was nodding along with the sentiment that women have to tie themselves into knots in order for people to like us. 

Just because Gerwig writes a script recognizing typical beauty standards are bad, that didn’t stop Mattel from partnering with the beauty industry and capitalizing on an opportunity to get women to be thinner, smoother, flawless and more plastic with an array of Barbie endorsed products.

At the end of the movie, Barbie encourages Ken to find out who he really is. She tells him, “Maybe all the things you thought made you you aren’t really you.”

Maybe the effort and energy you put into trying to maintain an impossible beauty/Barbie standard aren’t really the things that define you either. You are “Kenough”, too, without the extra products and your cellulite. 

My Book is so close! Check out my website blog for a cover sneak peak!