When Ruth Marianna Handler first brought Barbie to the world’s stage, a market researcher advised her to emphasize the potential for Barbie dolls to nurture self-esteem in young girls, guiding them toward becoming refined ladies who would eventually find their ideal husbands. Fast forward to today, and statistics from Fortune magazine reveal that American households with daughters possess between two to eight Barbie dolls, showcasing the doll’s lasting influence.
However, the strategy for Barbie’s inception, which once seemed relevant, now appears at odds with contemporary ideals. The narrative of fostering “self-esteem” subtly promotes a sense of independence in young girls. Conversely, promoting the idea of turning into a “lady” can be viewed as preparation for a male-centric society, where the end goal of securing an ideal husband becomes the pinnacle of achievement, inadvertently relegating women to secondary roles.
These conflicting messages come to the forefront in the movie Barbie. When the titular character finds herself in the real world, she’s confronted by a young girl who accuses the Barbie legacy of setting back the women’s rights movement by half a century. A retrospective glance takes us back to the second wave of feminism in the 1970s, an era where the spotlight was on eradicating gender discrimination. Intriguingly, this period coincides with Barbie’s rise to stardom. Another step back in history brings us to the pivotal juncture where American women fought for basic rights.
It’s essential to underscore that the aforementioned phases weren’t tied to specific historical dates. Case in point: American women won the right to vote in 1920, while their counterparts in France and Portugal achieved this milestone in 1944 and 1976, respectively. The global landscape of feminism is a tapestry of overlapping movements, with different regions witnessing varied struggles at different points in time.
Contemporary Hollywood, with movies like Bumblebee, Captain Marvel, and Alita: Battle Angel, paints a vivid picture of evolving feminist waves. These cinematic works shift from themes of self-salvation to portraying women as saviors of men, the world, and even the future.
Barbie’s portrayal across various mediums underscores these shifts. While some argue that Barbie perpetuates a stereotype of women as mere objects of allure, others point to the diversification of Barbie roles, from astronauts to rockstars, showcasing a broad spectrum of aspirations. These varying perceptions reflect the multiple facets of feminism and the sociocultural constructs of gender.
The crux of the matter, as exemplified in the Barbie movie, is the societal construction of gender. Whether it’s Ken’s attempt to reinforce traditional male roles or Barbies trying to assert their influence, it all boils down to validating their existence, transcending biological determinants.
Barbie and Ken, in their world, echo societal norms, underlining Judith Butler’s theory of gender performance. Gender, as Butler posits, is not intrinsic but rather crafted through external manifestations. It’s about “doing” rather than “being.”
This shift in gender dynamics, portrayed inversely in Barbie’s cinematic tale, mirrors not just the challenges faced by women in the US but also highlights the undercurrents of power steering gender performances.
The narrative has been provided by a seasoned film critic and educator affiliated with the Beijing Film Academy.
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