Barbie

Story

In Barbieland, every day is perfect. Barbieland’s strong female role models include President Barbie, Nobel Prize winning Barbies, Doctor Barbies, Astronaut Barbies and a population of highly intelligent, physically ‘perfect’ women who acknowledge the Kens in their lives but don’t need them.

The Barbies believe they’re responsible for the power and opportunities enjoyed by women in the real world. They also think that they’ve fixed all the problems in the real world, allowing women everywhere to lead fulfilling and empowering lives.

When Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) starts having thoughts about death and dying, things begin to change. She wakes up one morning with bad breath, falls off her roof and discovers she has flat feet and cellulite. Horrified by her predicament, she goes to see Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon). Weird Barbie explains that there has been a rip in the divide between Barbieland and the real world. To fix this, Stereotypical Barbie must find her human and help her solve her real world issues.

Barbie sets off for L.A., eventually permitting an enamoured Ken (Ryan Gosling) to join her. Believing her human is a teenage girl named Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt), Barbie eagerly tries to befriend the girl. Barbie is brutally rebuffed and subsequently picked up by Mattel operatives who, literally and figuratively, want to put Barbie back in her box. Meanwhile, Ken has discovered that men in the real world have power, and he heads back to Barbieland to share his newfound knowledge of patriarchal society with the rest of the Kens.

Barbie escapes Mattel headquarters with help from Ruth (Rhea Perlman), the original Barbie creator, and Gloria (America Ferrera), who turns out to be Sasha’s mother and Barbie’s human. Together, Barbie and Gloria travel back to Barbieland to heal the divide.

By the time they arrive, the Kens have taken over Barbieland, reducing intelligent women to brainwashed shells of their former selves. The Barbies are now waiting on men, unwilling to make decisions and unable to remember who they really are.

When all hope seems lost, it’s Gloria who holds the key to helping the Barbies see through the hypocrisy and self-sacrifice. And it’s also Gloria who reminds them of who they truly are.

Themes

Gender inequality; female empowerment; patriarchal society; identity crisis; sexualised capitalism; rampant consumerism; stereotypical assumptions; impossible physical ideals

Violence

Barbie has some violence. For example:

A little girl smashes baby dolls into pieces. She crushes their porcelain heads, throws the dolls and breaks other things in the process.
Barbie falls off her roof.
Barbie accidentally rolls her car when she’s surprised by Ken.
A character from the real world slaps Barbie on the bottom, and she punches him in the face.
Men at Mattel chase and try to restrain Barbie.
Gloria rolls Barbie’s car as she and Sasha try to leave Barbieland.
A character fights some construction workers, hitting them, head-butting them, and strangling one with a shovel.
The Kens turn on each other, hitting, throwing things and twisting each other’s nipples. They fight each other with lacrosse sticks, shoot arrows, slam each other’s bodies and throw balls at each other. One Ken wrestles another into a chokehold.
Ken slaps himself.

Sexual references

Barbie has some sexual references. For example:

Ken asks to stay over at Barbie’s dream house one night. She asks him what they’ll do, but Ken isn’t sure. He only knows that he loves Barbie.
A character comments that she would like to see the ‘nude blob Ken is packing under his jeans’.
A character says, ‘I want some of this hot body’.
Barbie tells some men in the real world that she doesn’t have a vagina and that Ken doesn’t have a penis. Ken indicates to the men that he does have a penis.
Barbie notes there’s a threatening undertone to the sexual way she’s perceived by men in the real world.
A police officer comments that he likes Barbie better with more clothes on as it leaves something to the imagination.
There is a character called ‘Sugar Daddy Ken’, who resembles a pimp.
A character called Growing-up Barbie has breasts that get bigger when you raise her arm.
Barbie makes an appointment to visit a gynaecologist in the real world.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Barbie shows some use of substances. For example, after they’ve been brainwashed into servitude, numerous Barbies bring Beers (or brewskis) to their Kens.

Nudity and sexual activity

Barbie has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:

Stereotypical Barbie shows Weird Barbie her thighs and a section of cellulite.
A character grabs a crotch.
Ken often wears outfits that expose his torso, and he’s occasionally seen with a bare chest.
Many of the Barbies sometimes wear tight and revealing outfits.
Two Kens kiss.
Ken tries to kiss Stereotypical Barbie.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in this movie:

A wide variety of Mattel Barbie products are repeatedly mentioned and either displayed or used.
Instagram is mentioned.
Snippets of The Godfather movie are shown, as is a scene from the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice.
Starburst lollies are shown.

Coarse language

Barbie has some coarse language and insults.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Barbie is a well-cast and funny fantasy adventure, aimed at young girls and tweens, although it also targets the nostalgia of adults who played with Barbies in their youth.

Barbie has some important messages about female empowerment and some accurate observations on the impossible standards to which women are held in the real world. But the implications of these insights are often glossed over. Also, some children might focus on the movie’s dangerous messages about not being pretty or perfect enough and relating your value to someone else’s opinion of you.

These are the main messages from Barbie:

Everyone is unique, and no-one looks like Barbie – except Barbie.
You are much more than your outward appearance.
Your thoughts, ideals and values create the meaning in your life and define who you truly are.

Values in Barbie that you could reinforce with your children include uniqueness, courage, compassion, friendship and teamwork.

Barbie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequences of things like:

trying to look like someone else or holding yourself to impossible standards of ‘beauty’
dumbing yourself down and not allowing your light to shine because someone else might be intimidated or resentful
putting women into boxes and limiting their potential
being influenced by marketing, advertising and consumerism.