Barbie World is a place everyone can imagine— a place where everything you can achieve is all within your grasp. Women are supporting each other, feel confident in their own skin and know that what they have worked for, they truly deserve. The Barbie movie has, at times, been misunderstood as a critique of the world we live in, but it was actually made, rather, for teenage girls to understand that their Barbie World is out there somewhere for all of them.
Many reviews, either filled with praise for the film or a shortsighted critique, missed exactly who this movie was made for.
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is full of pink and beach fights and the plot is simple enough. Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, is absolutely in control of her life in Barbie World, but after an emotional crisis she needs to go to Los Angeles to rescue a struggling mom, Gloria, played by America Ferrera. Here, along with her sidekick Ken, portrayed by Ryan Gosling, Barbie discovers that in our world women are, in fact, not treated with the same respect that they are in her world.
In Barbie World, where all Barbies work and live out their harmonious lives, having female leaders and feeling empowered requires no thought. This is the norm and Barbie cannot understand how women struggle in our world.
When Barbie returns to her world, she discovers she has failed the real world; she has not inspired women in the way she first thought. Gloria, who has come back with her to Barbie World, explains what it feels like to constantly bear this weight in our society. “It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough.”
Having to balance societal expectations for beauty while dodging the world of patriarchy and catcalling is a struggle that does not go unnoticed throughout the movie.
The juxtaposition of this message shows just how hard it is to be in high school or just growing up as a girl. It constantly feels impossible to deal with the changes of our world when you are a teenager.
Looking to the next phase of your life, finding a circle to fit in with and figuring out who you want to become seem to fall within the teenage years. As teenagers are constantly changing, their dreams and plans for the future also shift, too. This is not only true for teens, but for Barbie herself.
Enveloped throughout the film, you can see Barbie’s dream change. She does not just want to go through her day ignoring the problems of our world. She feels unsure where she is supposed to turn next. Teens do not have everything figured out just like Barbie. She is an example of who we all strive to be, someone who chooses to include others and face their problems even when they are hard.
Being like Barbie means being confused by the world you are in and not accepting societal norms. Barbie shapes her world so people who are outcasts are included. A female Barbie is president and there are nine female justices on Barbie World’s court. Seeing these examples reiterates what Barbie has taught young girls all along — you truly can aspire to be anything you want.
Barbie and Barbie World are hope for all of the teenagers who are feeling insecure or feel that they do not have a place. Barbie World changes in the end to ensure everyone has a place, and a chance to discover who they are, not what stereotypes force them to be.
Barbie World looks different for everyone. It may be a New York apartment or a house in Malibu but, because of the Barbie movie, this world, a world where true change and acceptance is possible, feels a lot closer than it ever had before for all of us.