How Greta Gerwig’s Barbie Movie is Revolutionizing Girlhood

Everyone’s favourite fashion doll is finally on the big screens with her own movie - and it’s making waves in more ways than one. From the iconic outfits to the star-studded ensemble cast, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is the talk of the year - but it’s not just about what’s being shown on the surface level. In fact, the movie goes much deeper than that.

Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

Centered around the doll living in Barbieland, the film is directed by Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women) and produced by the Barbie star herself, Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, Suicide Squad). Many familiar faces also join the supporting cast as the iconic dolls you loved playing with, including Ryan Gosling as Ken, Dua Lipa as Mermaid Barbie, Issa Rae as President Barbie, Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie, Emma Mackey as Physicist Barbie, Michael Cera as Allan, and the list goes on.

The film’s plot follows Barbie (Margot Robbie) who finds herself leaving Barbieland to fix her imperfections (did somebody say flat feet and cellulite?). With her counterpart Ken (Ryan Gosling) tagging along, Barbie finds herself setting off on an adventure which leads her to discover that perfection isn’t about what’s on the surface and can only truly be found within.

Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

From all the different shades of pink to the bright-coloured outfits, this film features stunning visuals as a summer splash. The little details added to emphasize life as a living doll were also a nice touch, such as how there’s no actual water or elements in Barbieland and of course, the iconic arched feet.

Combining style, bright pastels and pop culture, Gerwig did a phenomenal job at setting the tone with a bubbly vibe. A lot of work went into bringing Barbieland to life (did you know production for this film caused a global shortage due to the amount of pink paint that had to be used for the set?!). This didn’t go to waste though, as the Barbie Dreamhouse featured stunning architecture that channeled the pastel-coloured aesthetic of a bright summer in Palm Springs.

The stunning visual aesthetic of the fashion and setting is captivating, but there’s definitely more to the film than just the dance parties and girls’ nights. When Barbie starts to have intrusive thoughts of death and wakes up with flat feet and cellulite, she begins to spiral as her “imperfections” start to form. She then seeks help from Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), who then advises her to venture out to the real world to find out “the truth about the universe.” With Ken hitching a ride along the way, him and Barbie then make their way to the real world - where they soon find that things are very different from home at Barbieland. In the real world, Barbie realizes that women don’t really have it all that great, whereas Ken discovers patriarchy (or so he thinks).

Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

Aside from the tangled web of patriarchy and feminism, Barbie’s journey to fix her imperfections actually leads her to re-discover herself and question her purpose in life. As she goes through her existential crisis, Barbie learns several lessons - one of the biggest being that while life isn’t perfect, that doesn’t mean you can’t change your mindset. The concept of being perfect is a construct in our minds, which was captured perfectly in Gloria’s (America Ferrera) monologue.

“It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.

You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman, but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining.

You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.

I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.”

Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

Another pivotal lesson Barbie learns is that life is all about change - she returns to Barbieland, only to find it has been taken over by Ken as part of his mission to enforce patriarchy. While the girls band together and successfully turn Barbieland back to what it was, Barbie still finds herself questioning her purpose and identity. Upon meeting with the spirit of Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler, she then explains that Barbie's story has no set ending and her ever-evolving history surpasses that of her roots, which is a nod to Handler herself whose legacy continues to this day thanks to her creation of Barbie.

“Humans only have one ending. Ideas live forever.”

- Ruth Handler, Inventor of Barbie and Mattel Co-Founder

This leads Barbie to make a life-changing decision, where she ultimately chooses to leave Barbieland and become a real, living human - going by her new name Barbara Handler (whom Barbie was based on, Ruth Handler’s real-life daughter).

Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

All in all, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is a huge success and deserves every award nomination. While it was cliché and had predictable tropes, it was the perfect combination of captivating visuals, cheeky humour and deep underlying messages. Margot Robbie perfect portrayal of Barbie (bye Amy Schumer) and Greta Gerwig’s use of theological themes has made this film one of the few successful live actions in Hollywood that doesn’t make fans cringe or disappointed. The soundtrack is also a great curation - while Aqua’s infamous ‘Barbie Girl’ isn’t officially in the lineup, a remix version titled “Barbie World” from Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice was made for the album. Other notable tracks include “What Was I Made For” from Billie Eilish, “Dance the Night” from Dua Lipa, “Angel” from PinkPantheress, and more.

Let’s also not forget Ryan Gosling, whose song “I’m Just Ken” is hitting the charts on Billboard Hot 100, where he has also been credited for stealing the show with his portrayal as Ken. Possessing male insecurities and toxic masculinity along with his unrequited feelings for Barbie, Gosling’s character added a lot of comic relief for bringing the himbo “Kenergy” into the spotlight.

Check out the Barbie trailer below and don’t miss it on the big screens!

Have you watched the movie yet? Now playing only in theatres - head over to Barbieland!