When America Ferrera’s character Gloria in the “Barbie” movie talked about being a woman, she said, “It’s literally impossible to be a woman.”
“Barbie” brought new light to female characters being written by women. In “Barbie,” we saw how Margot Robbie’s character “Barbie” wrestled with the fact that she wasn’t perfect. That’s when we heard the one minute and 31 second speech on being a woman and the struggles that women face.
This movie was directed by Greta Gerwig and written by Noah Baumbach.
“I wanted it to almost invert that formula and find a way that it gave you permission to just be yourself and know that that’s enough,” Gerwig said in an interview with James Perkins Mastromarino for WUSF.
I personally loved this movie and the way it showed the struggles women face in the world. “Barbie” showcased how no one is perfect, and there is nothing wrong with that. You don’t have to act or look a certain way for people to be successful.
I loved the way Greta Gerwig showed that women could be successful and have a family. I feel like in movies, the woman can either get married and have kids or have a career and be successful. In “Barbie,” women can have both.
The movie also showcased the patriarchy with the other main character “Ken,” played by Ryan Gosling, discovering the patriarchy in the “real world.”
When he and Barbie go to the “real world,” he saw how it was male dominated. He thought about his life in Barbie Land and how it was mostly female dominated. Ken then took over Barbie’s house and told her that he was in charge because he was a man. At the end of the movie, however, he discovered that everyone was equal and gender does not make a person superior.
One of my favorite characters in the movie was “Allan.” Allan was one of Ken’s friends who was the only man on Barbie Land that disagreed with Ken. He then helped the Barbies take back the Barbie capitol. I loved Allan because he was not afraid of disagreeing with the other Kens. And even though it might have hurt his relationship with the Kens, he still did it.
The movie as a whole had a great message about being a woman, and although it might be difficult, it is worth it.
