Can Barbie Be a Feminist Icon?
Barbie has become popular. Perhaps you have noticed that the frequency of seeing pink has increased on various social media platforms recently. There is no doubt that this is a visual representation of the "Barbie" storm.
On July 21st, "Barbie" was released in North America and debuted as the box office champion of the day with a score of 70.8 million US dollars. It also boosted the North American weekend box office to exceed 300 million US dollars for the first time this year.
It is worth noting that "Barbie" is not a generally straightforward commercial film, but is either actively or passively linked to "feminism", which makes the topics that can be discussed around "Barbie" very rich. So, what can we discuss about "Barbie"?
1. The live-action version of "Barbie" is indeed very realistic
It is undeniable that Barbie was originally a toy, but in order to make this live-action adaptation more deeply ingrained in people's hearts, the filmmakers made a lot of efforts.
Firstly, there is a strong emphasis on the use of color elements. Pink is the classic representation of Barbie, and in promotion, the filmmakers naturally adopted a pink marketing strategy. For example, the poster is a unique all-pink design without any indication of the movie or character names, which catches the eye with its consistent use of pink.
At the same time, this "pink power" has continued to expand outward, manifested in various collaborative products: a collaboration with Zara to launch a variety of Barbie-style fashion items, such as necklaces, dresses, and even a men's collection, with many items already sold out; a collaboration with Crocs to launch a variety of pink footwear. In addition, brands that have joined this collaboration trend include Fossil, Gap, CASETiFY, and more, with the continued penetration of the influence, making Barbie pink more present this summer.
Secondly, the film pays great attention to the character's appearance and costumes. The excellent physique of the main actors, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, makes the live-action version of Barbie's appearance seamless. On this basis, the filmmakers spared no expense in costume design, striving to achieve the effect of bringing Barbie's wonderland to life.
Mattel, the toy company behind the Barbie franchise, established the character as a role-playing and dress-up game, and players interact with Barbie through these two ways. The character that Barbie portrays is directly determined by her clothing, making her external attire and accessories the essence of her identity, anchoring the corresponding market and customer base.
Similarly, in the movie, the filmmakers had to be extremely demanding with the costumes and makeup, with each look and character corresponding to the real products released by Mattel. For example, in the film, when Robbie's portrayal of the classic Barbie appears, she wears a black and white striped swimsuit and has a beachy ponytail, which is the same look as the original Barbie doll that was first unveiled at the 1959 International Toy Fair in the United States.
Prior to this, leaked photos from the set of "Barbie" showed Barbie and Ken in brightly colored fluorescent suits, which were also a reproduction of the Hot Skatin' Barbie series from 1994.
In short, replication is at the core of the costume design in "Barbie," not only reflecting the looks of the main characters, but also every supporting character and every set.
2. The Mirror World in "Barbie"
In the film, the world is divided into two parts: the Barbie world where Barbie and her friends live, and the human society in reality. These two worlds are mirrored and divided by gender.
In the Barbie world, there is no doubt that Barbies are in charge. They dance passionately and work hard. Presidents, doctors, physicists, Nobel Prize winners, gardeners, and construction workers are all Barbies. As for Ken, his only purpose is to catch Barbie's attention and please her. He is like a vase standing on the beach, a hanger-on excluded from the sister party.
As the perspective shifts to the real world, the situation changes dramatically. To borrow a quote from Charlie Chaplin, "The world is a big circus that excites Ken but terrifies Barbie."
The men that are everywhere in the streets and alleys make Barbie very uncomfortable. She takes Ken to a construction site to experience a concentrated "feminine atmosphere," but is disappointed to find that it is still a man's world. Even the executives at Mattel, the company that produces Barbie, are all male. The enormous cultural shock almost breaks Barbie.
In contrast, when Ken first arrived, he was just a hanger-on to Barbie, known as "and Ken." However, it didn't take long for him to discover the patriarchal logic of this world. If it weren't for his technical shortcomings, he could be an executive, a doctor, and everything else, just like the Barbies in their wonderland.
In fact, a closer look reveals that even Barbieland, where Barbie is in charge, is just as much a passive utopia, a prop for Mattel executives to talk about how they're working for the good of women, because it's more fake than real: no water will actually fall from the shower, and the sequined quilts won't be comfortable to wear. Barbies of all colors and sizes are united in their horror at cellulite and heels on the ground because they are not "beautiful".
And when Ken returns from his studies in a male-dominated society and turns Barbieland into Kendom, the Barbies gladly accept the discipline, and presidents and physicists alike grab trays of beer and hustle around the Kendoms.
3.What does "Barbie" want to tell？
Greta Gerwig, who directed "Little Women" and "Lady Bird," added many satirical elements on patriarchy in "Barbie," but the relationship between Barbie and feminism is not that simple, there is much room for reflection.
Is Barbie a flag or a shackle for women? This has been a long-standing debate, and Greta Gerwig touches upon this issue in the movie.
On the one hand, as a fashion doll, Barbie breaks the monopoly of baby dolls and allows young girls to realize that there are social roles they can play beyond just being a mother.
On the other hand, Barbie's perfect appearance and exquisite clothing are also unrealistic and objectified products. If Barbie were scaled up to 168cm in height, her waist would be 50.8cm, her bust would be 68.5cm, and her hips would be 73.6cm. Her waist would be 48.26cm smaller than the average waist size of American women, and her hips would be 27.9cm smaller.
At the same time, because her waist is 10cm smaller than her head, her body would not have enough space to accommodate all the important organs. Of course, Ken's body is also far from the average, but he is more realistic than Barbie: the probability of a woman achieving Barbie's body standards is one in a hundred thousand, while the probability of a man having Ken's body is one in fifty.
In the movie, Barbie comes to the real world but is coldly treated by the girls, even being accused of "setting the women's rights movement back fifty years" and "fascist," which shows her awkward situation.
Going back to the previous question, perhaps Barbie is both a flag and a shackle. However, it is not Barbie herself who becomes the flag or shackle, but rather the convoluted changes in women's consciousness. If Barbie can make girls aware of their situation, reflect on it, and try to strive for better possibilities, then Barbie can be a good cultural idol.
It is worth noting that "Barbie" has also caused a stir among some male audiences, with a small group feeling offended, becoming a mirror image of the female response.
However, in fact, "Barbie" does not exclude male viewers' intentions. On the contrary, "Barbie" gently touches on male self-identity: often, men do not want to be the duck being caught up in vested interests. Therefore, perhaps, like Ken at the end of the movie, they can happily give up the pursuit of patriarchy and heteronormativity, and find their place either outside or inside the home, in front of or behind women.
This point is actually reflected in the movie. In addition to the various Kens, there is also an Allan among the male dolls in the movie. Mattel introduced the first generation of Allan back in 1964, but its sales have always been dismal and it was eventually discontinued.
Allan's marginalized fate is also presented in the movie. While Barbie and Ken travel in groups, Allan is the only male doll throughout the movie and has a poor presence. However, surprisingly, as a male, Allan did not join the Kens in their attempt to take over Barbieland, and even helped Barbies take back their home.
Regarding Allan's character setting, some people think he represents the LGBTQ community, while others think he represents marginalized men who have not benefited from patriarchy. These views actually all interpret Allan's choices as a form of resistance after being put in a passive position - because he is a minority, he is suppressed by patriarchy and the majority, so he rebels against them.
This understanding is certainly reasonable, but we can also try to look at it from a different perspective: Allan is a man who actively rejects traditional male rules, and his dress and stance do not come from social conventions, but from his true inner self.
At the end of the movie, there is a voiceover that says, "One day, Ken's job at Barbieland will be just as many as women get in the real world." If this sentence makes women applaud and makes men uncomfortable, then both comforted women and offended men should reconsider today's society and find better possibilities together.
"Barbie is Barbie,Ken is Ken."
"Barbie" may just happen to coincide with the following passage:
"Every entity, whether animate or inanimate, is a distinct and unparalleled existence in this world, impervious to the constraints of age, gender, or race. Only we, the individuals who comprise it, possess the power to define our own identity and determine our place in the world."
--Issanyi Team
This is Issanyi's vision. Although the road ahead is long and arduous, starting one day earlier will lead to arriving one day earlier.
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