Life in plastic, is its message too drastic?

Barbie; a plastic, blonde-haired doll. Who would’ve thought a movie about a toy could spark such outrage? The film follows Barbie on a journey of self-discovery, bringing with it themes of girlhood, identity, female friendship, encouragement and more. It celebrates femininity and what it means to be a woman, arguably something we are not used to seeing in cinema. But does this seemingly pro-female stance automatically make Barbie anti-men?

Well, some men believe so. Warning against the ‘alienating, dangerous and perverse film’, men like Ben Shapiro went as far as lighting Barbie dolls on fire in reaction against the film. But I find this reaction to be quite ironic as it encapsulates another major theme of the film, which isn’t anti-men – it’s anti-patriarchy.

As Ken is corrupted by the patriarchy in the real world, he becomes increasingly power-hungry, turning against Barbie. But, as Barbie starts to suffer in the ‘Kendom’, so does Ken, suggesting that really, what the film is trying to show us, is how harmful the patriarchy is to everyone.

What makes men like Shapiro’s reaction so ironic is that it is a result of the patriarchy. They are everything Ken becomes when he is tainted by the system in the real world. But these men, unlike Ken, don’t yet understand what it’s like to live on the periphery, so leave the film without understanding its main message.

Barbie isn’t anti-men, but it isn’t just pro-female. If anything, the film is pro-female and pro-men because one of its main messages is the anti-patriarchal idea of the need for equality.  In the end, Barbie realises that Ken should be more involved in Barbieland, and they need to live equally together, something we could all benefit from.