Last Night I saw one of the new most talked about movies…. Barbie. I remember when they announced that there was going to be a Barbie movie and all I could think about was “What could this possibly be about?”
Barbie released on July 21st, which reached recorded ticket sales. It generated $214 million dollars during its first five days at the domestic box office and also topped $470 million globally according to a recent CNBC article. With all the recent hype and marketing around this movie, I was intrigued to see it.
As an Eating Disorder therapist, I was especially interested in seeing Barbie due to the impact this ICONIC doll has had on women. In eating disorder treatment, Barbie has been utilize to describe the negative messages women have received about their appearance. Studies have shown that the beauty ideals conveyed by Barbie dolls have actually influenced disordered eating and/or eating disorders in young children. In 2019, Mattel, the company that created Barbie, developed new Barbies that were diverse in body types, skin tones, and even hairstyles. This was in an attempt to help change the negative impact that Barbie had on young girls.
When watching the movie, I learned that the original intent for Barbie was not to shame women. Ruth Handler, the inventor of Mattel’s most famous doll, expressed that she created Barbie to empower little girls. She stated in her book Dream Doll, “My Philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be.” She wanted Barbie to represent that women had choices. During the movie, they depicted this philosophy of the creator through many scenes. In the opening scenes they described how Barbie could be anything or anyone. She was the president, a doctor, teacher, and even a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Once Barbie went into the real world, she noticed that reality was a little different than things were in Barbie-Land. Which sadly, is a common reaction for most women as they grow up. We can’t be perfect all the time and sometimes there are barriers that block us from being whatever we want to me. We sometimes are made to feel like an object or uncomfortable for our appearance. We may feel inferior to men and constantly self-conscious. All these things were depicted throughout the movie.
During the movie, Margot Robbie, who plays the lead role as “Original Barbie,” depicts Barbie developing a world-wind of emotions that she struggles to manage. Barbie goes through the reality of what it is like to be a women in today’s world.
Eventually, Barbie reaches to her breaking point and feels…NOT GOOD ENOUGH. How many of us have felt this way? I know I have. One of the characters in the movie expresses towards Barbie the reality of being a women. She talks about the immense pressure women endure everyday due to the unrealistic standards and stereotypes being forced on them.
As a therapist I appreciate the honesty and truth being depicted in this particular scene. Many women feel these pressures. The first line the character states is “You are told that you need to be thin but can’t say thin. So you have to say you want to be healthy.” Which is the truth for women. We are told our bodies aren’t good enough and thin bodies are ideal. But wait.. saying thin is bad. You get shamed for being in a larger body. Then shamed if you are too thin and don't having enough curves. “You’re supposed to stay pretty for men but not so pretty where you temp them to much or that you threaten other women because you are supposed to be part of the sisterhood. But always standout." We are told that we need to have a career but, shamed if we don’t have a family. Or… we are told that we are missing out on life, if we get married too young and have a family. You need to be a boss but can’t a mean boss. Stand up for yourself but don’t be aggressive. Communicate your feelings but don’t be overly emotional. Be selfish sometimes and practice self-care but… you better be there for everyone when they need you. Don’t show-off. Don’t be rude, but don’t let others walk all over you. Crying is good for you but don’t let them see you weak.
Nothing makes sense. Everything contradicts itself!
The message in this scene was exactly what women need to hear. It validates the reality of being a women. There were so many hidden messages throughout this movie. From a therapist perspective, the message that stood out the most to me was the impact of the contradicting messages women have to navigate on a daily basis.
If you haven’t already seen Barbie, I would go check it out for yourself and see what messages you learn from this movie.
Resources:
3. Barbie- by Greta Gerwig
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