Benefits and Costs: A Feminist Analysis of Barbie
Date: November 9, 2023 // 5:00 PM -6:15 PM
Panel List:
Dr. Elizabeth Nathanson (Media & Communications)
Dr. Elena Fitzpatrick Sifford (Art History)
Dr. Susan Kahlenberg (Media & Communications)
When I went to the cinema this summer to watch Barbie, I was extremely delighted. All my life, I have loved Barbie movies and was excited that a real life Barbie movie was coming out. To me, Barbie wasn’t just an ordinary doll. Barbie has been a big influence on my life as I felt like I could touch a cloud with her presence. In this seminar, the panel focused on imagery and analyzed Barbie with a feminist point of view. In mainstream Hollywood cinema, Barbie’s character portrays a certain complexity and certain variety of questions that have leaned into making feminism a prevalent concept. One of the main questions asked was, “Why was Barbie so popular?” I can proudly say that most women grew up with Barbie and resonated their childhood with her life, leading to popularity. In the movie Barbie, there were many visuals that were eye catching, creating a mystical fantasy world. The industry used very strategic elements and cross-media strategies in order to promote growth. Because many women grew up watching Barbie, filmmakers were able to use it for generational development.
I believe that Barbie was a movie showcasing second wave feminism. The film delineated reproductive desires and critiques patriarchy and male dominance. Barbie’s classical blonde hair and blue eyes aligned with white middle class feminism. With Barbie, women believed that they can do and be anything, which is a great aspect of feminism. Instead of glorifying man-like attributes and characteristics, women were able to expand on their femininity. Barbie was a very open-minded individual which elevated the idea that patriarchy was not only for men. In one of the scenes, Ken made a comment stating that, “You can’t do it all in one day.” However, Barbie and her friends proved that you can do anything if you work together to achieve it; this is the true definition of feminism.
One of the scenes that I resonated with the most was when Barbie was on the bench and she had a memory flashback. This scene made me extremely emotional because as the daughter aged, she slowly began to lose her relationship with her mom. The daughter stopped spending as much time with her and gave her mother relentless attitude. In this scene, Barbie was able to sympathize and was exposed to real feelings, such as shedding a tear. As a teenage girl watching this scene, I definitely was reminded to keep taking care of and checking up on my mother.
Feminism when rendered does not denigrate the past or destroy post-feminism values. When Barbie looks at the woman on the bench and tells her that she is beautiful she is representing an intergenerational bond. This allows us to reconnect and understand that age marginalizes women. In Barbie, the concept of ageism is discussed as beautiful is not something that is supposed to be bad, but rather beautiful. Although I do wish that there was a Middle Eastern Barbie, I am glad I was able to grow up and learn important lessons from Barbie.
