SHE'S EVERYTHING, HE'S JUST KEN

Written By: Oliwia Koczorowska (@l0litak)

She’s everything, he’s just Ken.

A review of 2023 Greta Gerwig's "Barbie".

Margot Robbie stole the audience’s hearts as “Barbie”. Perfect figure, bleached blonde hair, exaggerated pink outfits and brain made out of plastic - is this what you think of whenever you hear the word “Barbie”?

Sorry to spoil it for you, but the new hit movie by Greta Gerwig is so much more than that. We are in 2023, and it is finally time to change your perspective and the way you picture “Barbie”. All thanks to the super-talented Greta Gerwig behind the camera, we have just entered a new era of feminism. I think it’s safe to say that after spending the day at the cinema, you will enter a new universe, where the word “Barbie” will not insult you, but as a compliment worth a thousand words.

As aesthetically pleasing as you might find the pink-saturated Barbie, it is safe to say that Gerwig didn’t hold back when it comes to touching upon a lot of social and political concepts related to feminism, sociology and female empowerment.

In a majority of the scenes throughout the movie, we can see a reappearing concept - is the cult Barbie Doll an icon of womanhood and feminism or an unhealthy representation of the female form, destroying the mental health of millions of young girls? The popular Mattel dolls show that girls can do anything and be whoever they want to be - president, astronauts or Noble Prize winners - but at the same time, they are promoting unrealistic beauty standards. The new Barbie movie exposes the sad reality of the modern world and what it’s like to be a girl today. It not only goes hardcore on feminism but also questions topics such as toxic masculinity, patriarchy, mansplaining and inequality of the sexes.

THE REAL WORLD SUCKS, I WOULD RATHER LIVE IN BARBIE LAND.

Barbieland is dominated by Barbie (OBVI!). It reminds us that women can do anything and be whomever they want to be - there’s a Barbie president, Barbie Noble Prize winner and Barbie Scientist. Each Barbie has her own Barbie Dreamhouse. Each Barbie is independent and each Barbie believes that this is exactly what the real world looks like, but could they be more wrong?

The film itself starts with another perfect day in Barbie Land - a beautiful, pastel wonderland which is the home for many Barbies, Ken, and one Allan (played by Michael Cera). Each morning, Barbie (Margot Robbie) wakes up well-rested and fresh to Lizzo’s “Pink”. She then takes a water-free shower at the Barbie’s Dream House, eats a well-rounded waffle, and then brushes her teeth without even touching them with the toothbrush. She’s then off to greet her neighbours at the Barbie Land, chill out at the beach, and is off to a sleepover rave with her best friends.

EVERYTHING IS PERFECT IN THE BARBIELAND UNTIL IT’S NOT.

We are the witnesses of Barbie’s perfect life until she begins to question the meaning of her existence and is haunted by the thought of death. (I mean, do we blame her? This is exactly what it’s like to be a girl.) In response to this, each day becomes a little less perfect, and Barbie discovers that she is starting to break apart. To figure out what could be the problem, she takes a trip to see the “Weird Barbie” who is considered to be a joke within the Barbieland due to her imperfections.

Can you guess what the solution to this problem was?

Barbie needs to take a trip out to the real world, to find the girl who is playing with her. At first, it seems like such an easy task, but you wait and see. Oh, to be a girl is to struggle. SO SHE SETS OFF TO THE REAL WORLD Due to her surprise, Ken joins Barbie on her journey to the real world - where she realises that everything is the other way around - Females are over-sexualised and objectified.

A MAN runs America, and there are fewer women in politics!

All of this leads our regularly happy main character to develop strong feelings of anxiety, depression, and an overall existential crisis. Barbie struggles to understand how real people manage to cope with all these emotions. (No, but fr, I ask myself the same question EVERY. FUCKING. DAY.) I think it’s time to convert the REAL WORLD into BARBIELAND.

The moral of the new Barbie movie is to teach girls that no matter what they do and who they are, they are enough. You can be whatever you want to be.

After all, YOU ARE EVERYTHING AND HE’S JUST KEN <3