Is it a Barbie World?

WARNER BROS. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a44617536/barbie-ending-explained/`

How The Barbie movie shifted and impacted society. 

In the ever-changing world of popular culture, the Barbie movie emerges as a change agent, challenging cultural standards and transforming views of femininity. This research study examines the transforming impact of the Barbie movie, based on interviews with the cast, director, producers, and other artists and women involved, as well as analysis of intense monologues and behind-the-scenes revelations from producers Margot Robbie and David Heyman. The study investigates how the Barbie movie breaks the historical objectification of women in media, using a theoretical understanding of the “male gaze” given by Laura Mulvey’s research. It also looks at the emotional impact of Billie Eilish’s profound song “What Was I Made For?” from the Barbie soundtrack. By combining these viewpoints, the study hopes to reveal the significant social impact and cinematic details that make the Barbie movie a cultural force challenging standard narratives. Upon completing this course, I aspire for readers to gain a more profound comprehension of the societal effects of the Barbie movie. 

Course Goals: 

  • This course will create a deeper understanding of the Barbie movie.
  • This course will discuss the unique details of the film which are significant to the research.
  • It will also discuss and look into the “male gaze” in cinema, its impact on society, and how Barbie challenges that narrative. 
  • It will look into the powerful, unique, and inspirational approach of Director Greta Greta Gerwig. 
  • Lastly, this course will talk about the actual theme and moral of the story and compare it to what the world actually perceived or took away from this film. 

Module 1: The Theme and Plot of Barbie

WARNER BROS https://www.brit.co/barbie-ending/

Barbie, a global cultural icon, appears in her debut live-action film, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie. In the film, Barbie and Ken travel to the real world, where Barbie experiences existential dread, and Ken embraces misogynistic views. With the support of human characters, Barbie organizes a revolution in Barbieland to recapture equality. Barbie eventually recognizes she no longer matches the stereotyped ideal and accepts humanity’s complexities. Inspired by her creator, Ruth Handler, Barbie embraces the diversity of womanhood and decides to live a fully human life, as seen by her decision to attend a gynecologist. The film concludes with Barbie accepting her new identity, assuring that she will never be able to return to her former perfect image.

Sources

Full Plot: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a44617536/barbie-ending-explained/

Themes: https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a44475609/barbie-movie-plot-themes-explained/

Module 2: The Inspiration 

WARNER BROS https://www.themarysue.com/barbie-movie-ending-explained/

Director Greta Gerwig pulled inspiration from 29 films to create the “perfect” world of Barbie, along with the incredibly complex and heartwarming script. She pulled ideas and concepts of self-discovery and the beauty of the human experience from movies like The Wizard of Oz and The Truman Show and even iconic scenes like 2001: A Space Odyssey’s opening scene. The movie The Wizard of Oz can even be seen in Barbieland “showing in theatres.” She was also inspired by the movie’s “incredible sound stages and painted skies” and its “authentically artificial” essence (Gerwig). This inspired elements in Barbieland, such as a “pink brick road” and beautifully painted backdrops, ultimately portraying Barbielands perfect pink world. Another great inspiration was Singing in the Rain – “the dream ballet inside of the dream ballet.” Gerwig describes that dance number as a “beautiful and completely unhinged” scene diving into a dream and then a deeper dream, which includes whimsical and beautiful backdrops that inspired what essentially is now an iconic “Dream Ken Ballet” in “Im Just Ken.” Lastly, in this short module is The Truman Show. Like Barbie’s, the iconic Jim Carrey’s journey is that of self-discovery from fake to real. The set-like shots from Director Peter Weir inspired Greta, and she even took direct notes from Weir before shooting began. Like these films and many others, Greta Gerwig took inspiration for the sets, cinematography, production, dance numbers, wardrobe, and script and mastered a cinematic cult classic that will not only become an inspiration to women and men but the film industry. 

Interview:

https://www.thewrap.com/greta-gerwig-barbie-movie-inspiration-letterboxd

Inspiration: https://collider.com/greta-gerwig-barbie-influences/#:~:text=The%20story%20and%20plot%20of,discovery%20and%20the%20human%20experience.

Module 3: Feminism 

https://aframe.oscars.org/news/post/america-ferrera-barbie-interview

Greta Gerwig’s film “Barbie” has viewers all around the world, going beyond its superficial representation of the iconic doll to explore significant themes of feminism, female empowerment, and self-discovery. The film reinforces Barbie’s long-standing theme of women’s capabilities and representation in varied roles through relevant narratives, such as Kristen Francis’ reflection on personal identity. Despite criticism for its portrayal of global issues and Barbie’s objectification upon entering reality, the film sparks important discussions regarding patriarchy’s widespread influence on both genders. By confronting toxic masculinity and highlighting common challenges, “Barbie” promotes empathy and understanding, as seen by improved knowledge among male viewers of workplace dynamics and gender inequality. The film acts as a catalyst for reflection and cultural change by reversing established gender norms and encouraging individuals to resist preconceptions, asking them to embrace honesty and equality.

Following its debut, “Barbie” attracted extensive social media discussion, with one scene particularly connecting with female viewers. A speech delivered by America Ferrera’s character, Gloria, about the cultural pressures placed on women under patriarchy has gone viral and received high praise. Ferrera’s representation of the difficulties women experience in reaching inconsistent norms struck a chord, particularly among Latina women who praised her delivery of the powerful message. The sequence in which Gloria consoles Barbie about her feelings of insufficiency points out the challenges of gender, touching on subjects like as body image, financial independence, and leadership expectations. Director Greta Gerwig praised Ferrera’s honesty in expressing the message, highlighting the rarity of such parts for Latinas in the film business. Despite some criticism that the statement was simplistic feminism, many viewers praised it as a moving picture of women’s daily hardships, confirming its importance beyond the film’s timeframe. The scene’s emotional impact, as well as Ferrera’s representation of diversity in a cultural icon like Barbie, spoke to viewers’ personal experiences and desires for positive change in social notions of beauty and identity.

Sources:

Module 4: The Female Gaze 

A Few Stray Thoughts on the Barbie Movie

In contrast to Laura Mulvey’s analysis of the male gaze, The Barbie movie captures both the female gaze whilst depicting the reality of living in a male gaze world. The Barbie movie begins with female attention and a beautiful pink world. The movie follows Barbie on her daily activities and shows what all of the Barbie’s do in Barbieland. The Kens (men) are side characters at the beginning of the film, in a scene Barbie even rejects Ken when asking if they could spend the night together. The Barbie movie starts off depicting the female gaze. This is also a very different take on Barbie’s initial stereotypical unachievable body standards, but since then, she has transcended her role as just a toy to now becoming a powerful cultural icon in efforts to represent feminism. The film does such a good job at transitioning through the themes of empowerment, gender equality, and self-discovery. The film challenges gender stereotypes by showing a matriarchal society in which the Barbie dolls hold high standard positions and Ken dolls play supporting parts. The film’s portrayal of Ken’s enlightenment to patriarchal privileges reflects real-world efforts against repressive regimes.The film even goes as far as to show a montage of the “male gaze” and shows how the attention and power in our society is on Men, which is a foreign yet exciting concept to Ken. Barbie’s existential struggle reflects cultural demands for women to meet unattainable beauty standards. Furthermore, the Barbies’ journey from submission to empowerment depicts global movements for gender equality. “Barbie” deeply reflects women’s experiences, boosting their voices and goals while confronting the new patriarchal norms brought to Barbieland by Ken. In doing so, the film mirrors the continuous journey for gender equality. 

Sources: 

Leave a comment