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When Barbie came out in 2023, we all had incredibly high expectations. And why wouldn’t we, with the marketing campaigns, the premieres, the outfits, the movie stills, the songs, the catchiest one-liners, and with an Oscar-nominated cast? We all knew Barbie was going to be a ‘coming-of-age, profound, feminist film’ like all of Gerwig’s films, but what we didn’t know and could never even fathom was how much it would impact us. By us, I mean all the girls and women sitting beside me at the cinema, crying out loud because America Ferrera’s monologue was everything none of us could ever put into words. Barbie was everything we hoped for and so much more.
Today marks two years since the release of Barbie in theaters. Still, Barbie stays with me throughout the day. I think about the iconic “I’m Just Ken” music video, the existential crisis of Margot Robbie, and the all-pink film set. It’s no secret that Barbie was a box-office hit, but more than that, it was a social commentary on patriarchy. How patriarchy hurts not only women but men, likewise. Gerwig manufactured a 2-hour-long toy advertisement into a marvelous film, delivering a powerful message. Dare I say, she created yet another classic along with Little Women and Ladybird.
But most of all, Barbie was about embracing the imperfections of being human. Barbie saw the cellulite, the flat feet, and the wrinkles on the old woman at the bus stop, but she still decided to be human. Even so, she believed that she was beautiful. Because that’s what being human really is. Embracing all your imperfections and realizing that’s what makes a human life so perfect, so much more livable. Human life is so wonderful yet fleeting, and despite its chaos, it cannot be replaced. And, I believe it’s time we, actual humans, start embracing it too.
What I really want to come across here is that Barbie, even though marketed as a “fun, beachy movie of the summer,” was nothing short of a masterpiece, healing all of our hearts with its incredibly self-aware jokes, once-in-a-lifetime monologues, and the unsurprising fantastic delivery. Barbie isn’t just a film; it’s the epitome of girlhood.
This was written by our contributing writer, Harshal Verma.
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