“Barbie”: The Politics of a Plastic World

The task of bringing Barbie to the big screen was hardly a simple one. The film went through various iterations and spent over a decade in development before it could make its way to cinemas. And while it isn't a film I was particularly looking forward to seeing myself, it's one I'm still glad that I got to see all the same.

One of my favorite movies of the year so far is the Super Mario Bros. Movie, and it's not because the film is a thoughtfully written masterpiece that I loved it so much. I loved it because it brought to life the video game characters of my childhood that had spent decades almost completely voiceless - sparing the occasional grunt or "It's-a-me, Mario!" For those who didn't grow up on Nintendo, though, the movie still does an excellent job at providing an entertaining and digestible storyline that almost anyone can enjoy.

What The Super Mario Bros. Movie was for the video game-playing child within me, Barbie is for nearly any child who grew up playing with Barbie and Ken dolls. And while that was never me, Barbie has been a staple part of the culture for so many years that there's an element of intrigue in seeing her depicted on the big screen.

Equipped with an equally all-star cast as the Mario movie from a few months prior, the film creates an air of relatability from the very start. With Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, to Will Ferrel as the bumbling CEO at Mattell, it's hard not to crack a smile at the humor on display. It doesn't matter that there are inside jokes that occasionally fly over the heads of more casual viewers.

The set designs are among the most unique that I've ever seen and they're definitely a stand out feature of the film. It tows an interesting balance between live action and the plasticky world that Barbies inhabit. The transitions between the real world and the Barbie world, too, are hilariously constructed - featuring real waves of plastic and comical little vehicles to carry the protagonists from place to place.

While the score of the film isn't anything particularly groundbreaking, its inclusion of original songs, including one by Tame Impala and another by Billie Eilish, will undoubtedly come as a welcome surprise for many. Other notable artists included in the soundtrack are Khalid, Charli XCX, Dominic Fike, Lizzo and Sam Smith.

One of the points on which Barbie has gotten some flack, though, is the political agenda that sometimes pokes its head through the cracks. While politics isn't an inseparable part of the film, there are a couple of moments in which the moralizing can feel a little gratuitous. At one point in the film, actress America Ferrera delivers a monologue about womanhood that's been received by many as one of its more controversial moments. It reads:

"You have to be thin, but not too 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 a monologue that delves into a lot of important cultural issues, and it's certainly one that's rooted in a lot of truth. But on the other hand, it's difficult to imagine a Hollywood film today exploring the reverse. The scene was the only point during the movie in which I found myself faintly wondering, "Really?"

For men listening, the notion that women go through their entire lives so completely boxed in at every turn might seem a little exaggerated. It's no majority of men who want their girlfriends and wives jumping through such a mutually exclusive array of hoops in everything that they do. There's no denying that misogyny exists in our culture, but the implied notion that it's all men forcing women into corners and encouraging these stereotypes isn't accurate either.

And in today's social climate, for a new release to go to such lengths to espouse the challenges that men face in society would be an almost laughable idea.

At Barbie's moral center seems to be this fairly simplistic notion that "in the real world, men have it better in all aspects." It's not wholly untrue, but it's explored with the sort of nuance you might expect of a Barbie film - which is very little. It makes no mention of the struggles that men face and offers hardly the faintest suggestion that these issues have nuance. It addresses the issue of gender inequality exclusively in hyperbole.

It's no crime that this film can't muster the political depth of its box office counterpart, Oppenheimer, but it does beg the question, "Why bring politics into a Barbie film at all?"

In many regards, Barbie is inherently political. The marketing of these dolls has had political implications from the very start. But whatever political reckoning that Barbie and Mattel deserve isn't one that needs to be dealt by this movie marketing itself as a fun time for the whole family.

Fortunately, Barbie doesn't spend the entire movie hitting you over the head with its political agenda. It humorously explores the idea of patriarchy, as Ken discovers everything from sporting goods, to finance, and horses. It's not too overbearing with the points that it tries to make, but to say that this film doesn't cater to certain audiences wouldn't be accurate either.

"Woke" is a blanket term that's been applied more frequently in recent years as conservatives have found more and more areas of life that they disagree with. According to many, The Barbie movie is on earth strictly as a means to distribute the "woke" political agenda. And while that's hardly an accurate takeaway from the film, Barbie certainly takes its share of unsolicited political stances in its nearly two hour runtime.

I can see the challenge that it might be to try to bring Barbie to the big screen without so much as an acknowledgement of the body dysmorphia that these plastic dolls have wrought on society. But on the other hand, I don't think that it's many viewers who go into this film wanting it to take responsibility for the culture of insecurity that Barbie dolls have engendered.

I think a lighter and less political approach would work equally well in a Barbie movie. In one of the film's funniest, most fourth wall-breaking moments, though, it acknowledges the way that casting the famously beautiful Margot Robbie as Barbie undersells the entire point that it's trying to make in Ferrera's monologue.

To have both Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie arrive to theaters within a single year is a welcome reward for many. For those who spent their childhood leaping over Koopas, or playing with Barbie dolls, the two films are long overdue.

From the tone, to the writing, to the interplay between the riotous cast of characters, the two clearly have a lot in common. But where Mario made the concerted choice not to offer any real moral to the story it told, Barbie chose a more pointed approach. With a conclusion almost poignant enough to draw tears from more sensitive viewers, it's a decidedly different ending than befell the plumber in red. But Mario and Barbie are two completely different characters, after all. Maybe I'll never understand the need to politicize a Barbie film anymore than Barbie enthusiasts understand why Bowsers must be defeated.