By Sandy Jiang
Staff Writer
The movie “Barbie” gained worldwide attention and love, earning roughly $1 billion since its release in July, becoming the highest-grossing movie of 2023. As a loyal Barbie fan, this movie exceeded every expectation and blew my mind into an explosion of pink confetti.
Personally, I felt that the movie did an incredible job highlighting the troubles that women face in today’s society such as being catcalled and belittled. In the film, Barbie strolls through Venice Beach in a colorful leotard while getting catcalled and suggestive stares. This scene reminded me of walking down hallways in middle school and having obscenities thrown at me by a group of boys. Validation swept through me during this scene— I felt so seen. This made me feel safer around women because I know that we have experienced similar things.
Many viewers think that “Barbie” was an attack on and mockery of men, but it was really demonstrating how gender norms and sexist stereotypes hurt men and lead them to try to fit within the male stereotype—aggressive, dominant and emotionally distant. This became clear to me when Ken told Barbie that his existence meant nothing without her presence, which explained his rash decision to bring patriarchy into Barbieland. After Barbie encourages him to find his self-worth, he lets go of his aggressive disguise and Barbieland goes back to normal. This made me think of our own society and how guys act tougher to meet this stereotype, but are actually unfamiliar with their own identity.
On a lighter note, the dazzling cinematography and soundtrack brought the film together. All the decorated dollhouses and costumes made me feel like a kid again with Weird Barbies and pooping dogs of my own. As soon as I saw the hot pink Barbie convertible, I lit up with joy. The ocean waves being 2D cardboard was also a really nice touch.
The soundtrack included pop bangers I jammed out to and depressive songs that formed tears. I started bawling when Ruth said “mothers stand still to see how far their daughters have come” behind Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For.”
If you’re looking to wheeze or be shocked by the up-to-date humor, this movie is definitely a worthwhile experience. The cinematography is decent to regular audiences and flawless to loyal Barbie fans. The movie is full of great stories that can be understood by any audience.