Barbie movie

 

My father bought me a Barbie in 1988, for the princely sum of ₹250.

It was all over Doordarshan & I did what I  promised - to get one of the first 3 ranks for 3 monthly exams. 

She was stunning. Pink gown, pink shoes…

The problem was I could not /did not get any more clothes or accessories for her after this initial purchase. I did try to be imaginative… but how could I dress Barbie with no proper accessory?

Anyway, she was with me for 3-4 years fully dressed, until my cousin took away her shoes. He cried and my parents were good hosts. They let him take away one of her high heeled pink shoes.

I watched Barbie movie today. 

I was expecting something and the movie went another way.

I was expecting the usual -  the movement of the protagonists from their world to ours or vice versa due to some problem. Finding solutions by creating and/or falling into more trouble. Learning lessons, teaching lessons. And in the end all going back to their respective worlds. The typical storyline.

But this movie was weird.

It started off well. Beautiful pink Barbie land. Stereotypical Barbie. And Ken.

After the initial minutes…The story unravelled differently. 

Yes, Barbie & Ken come to the real world. But as mentioned it was not a normal story. It deals strongly on feminism, existential crisis, patriarchy…

Therefore, it is not a ‘light’ movie.

It shows how both patriarchy & matriarchy is bad.

Matriarchy is practised in Barbie land. And when both Barbie & Ken come to the real world they are shocked. Ken returns to Barbie land and makes it Kenland & institutes patriarchy. 

The story shows Barbie fighting depression & restoring status quo with help from Weird Barbie & Allan & two humans.

In the end, I really did not understand if Ken ‘found’ himself without ‘getting’ Barbie. His “moment” looked like a spoof.

And Barbie choosing to become human and live in the real world.

The movie did not entertain me. But it did get me thinking & writing. 

 

The message of the movie seems to be both genders are supposed to realise the need to be appreciated and given positions of importance in society to feel happy. 

Don’t we know this?