Barbie was released on July 21, 2023, and ever since I watched it, I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. This movie perfectly combines what it feels like to grow up in a loving home and the importance of womanhood. It also shows that societal expectations force men to follow certain constraints.
According to NPR, Barbie made almost $1.3 billion USD in ticket sales and is among the 20 highest-grossing movies ever. Barbie is also Warner Brother’s highest-grossing release, surpassing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
According to CBS News, Greta Gerwig’s production of Barbie was the first woman-directed film to reach $1 billion USD at the box office. The movie touches on many themes, including femininity and aging. Personally, this movie had a huge impact on me.
I grew up in a loving household with parents who wanted everything and more for me. On top of that, I grew up with my sister, who is my best friend. We were two girls with parents who loved us more than anything. My house was full of Barbie dolls. My bed frame had a row of all my favourite dolls, and there was nothing better than being able to purchase new ones.
When I heard about the release of Barbie, I was beyond excited. However, I expected it to be different from what it was. The day I was going to watch the movie, I saw a TikTok about how people were crying at the movie theatre. I was confused because I thought it would be a childish movie about Barbie and Ken. After watching it, I understood why they were crying.
The most impactful part of the movie was the representation of mother-daughter relationships and growing up. Being an international student living away from home, this immediately brought me to tears. This scene, in particular, broke my heart: Barbie is shown what it means to be a human with real emotions.
Furthermore, the scene also shows a montage of mothers with their children, portraying the beauty of family. Sobbing was an understatement. This movie does such a good job of showing the joy of parenting and the sacrifices parents make for their children’s happiness. The scene also shows the importance of allowing yourself to feel emotions, no matter how positive or negative they may be.
Barbie also perfectly represents the society we are living in today — no matter how hard women try, it’s never enough. Although many people thought the movie’s monologue about being a woman was overused, I thought it was perfect. Women are always considered to be doing something wrong, which the film portrays perfectly.
Another inspiring scene occurs when Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie, cries about not feeling pretty. It made the film feel even more real because everyone sees Robbie as a beautiful, perfect actress with no flaws. But this scene shows that everyone feels insecure, even those you wouldn’t expect to. Your definition of beautiful differs from everyone else’s.
The movie also shows how men have constraints in society as well. Barbie illustrates the common misconceptions about how men should act, including that they can’t show emotions, they can’t cry, and they have to be manly.
None of the worlds were perfect, neither Barbie’s nor the real world. In Barbie’s world, women had all the power, and the Kens were purposeless. In the real world, all the men had the power and women were discarded. That was the beauty of the movie, trying to convey how a perfect world is one where both men and women are equal.
Many of my friends commented that the movie was just another shot at how women have no power, but I disagree. It’s a movie that shows how the world we all want to live in should be one where men and women are equal. Multiple scenes depict the common misconceptions of men and women in society, such as Ken’s attitude when he realized men had power in the real world.
Barbie was a wonderful movie and deserves all the hype it got. It exceeded my expectations and really showed me the beauty of womanhood.