katIf you felt sad after watching the Barbie movie read this review.
“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. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong”
“You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood.”
“But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.”
“I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know” (People).
Has anything more relatable ever been said in a movie about women?
If I’m honest, I felt sad after the Barbie movie but I think that was the intention and nobody expected that. I felt sad because it’s true that I am a woman and sometimes as a woman I am mistreated. No matter what we do sometimes we feel like we can’t win by men or society’s standards. We have to be everything that America Ferrera’s character mentioned in her speech.
I realized a lot of things from watching this movie, especially about how I interact in society everyday. I was reminded of my behavior in professional settings. As I watched that scene, I realized how much I apologize, how much I have to make myself small or hold my tongue to please higher ups, in any space, who are often male. Because I’m small and young I’m often underestimated. Then I’m told I’m too small, but the minute I become big I’m told I’m too big. I felt tears welling up. This is a double standard men aren’t upheld to. If I acted the same way men do, I would be fired. If I operated in society as men do, I would be an anomaly. It reminded me of Taylor Swift’s song, “The Man,” which so accurately portrays the double standard.
Yet after watching the Barbie movie, I felt hopeful because I believe in Jesus, so I can bring myself and people out of that ken-like trance all the barbies were in during the patriarchal takeover. All the barbies were in a trance and forgot their self worth. They began equating their value to their bodies and only found meaning in vying for a man’s affection. This is like when people in the world listen to Satan. We should only listen to who Jesus says we are.
I also sympathized with Ken. We live in a world of Kens and Barbies. Some men and women find no purpose or meaning in their lives if they can’t find their dream ‘other half’ as if people are incomplete without a partner. Adam feels incomplete without his Eve. The worldly trance we are all which tells us we can only exist if we are a pair is one I hope we can start waking up from. Women weren’t just created to marry men and please them. No, women were made for so much more. As men weren’t solely created to marry women and provide for us either. No, men were made for so much more. We were made first and above all to love God. The rest can fall in line after.
I struggled with the last scene which tackled aging and the ever-present-yet-not-always-acknowledged reality that human beings are mortal. The weight of the fact that we are all gonna die can be so painful and sad. People fear the unknown and they fear being forgotten. For many, life loses some of its meaning when death is so imminent in your mind. Irrepressible thoughts of death Barbie really showed that. She represents how sad it is for those who have no hope in Christ-who don’t know what happens after we die. As human beings, I believe we need to keep working on our perspective of death and deeply realize that for those of us who believe, we should live with that end goal of eternal life in our minds all the time. If we hold on to that deeply rooted faith we will go to Heaven where we will live eternally. You can only know this if you try to believe and if you seek truth until the end.
Heaven will be a happier place than earth and anything we’ve ever known-way better than Barbieland! God created human beings to have to go through the process of death, because this isn’t meant to be our forever home. Perhaps this process was never meant to be so sad or difficult in the first place but simply a challenging, yet blissful transition. Isn’t that what life is anyway? It’s the toil of our life which makes the harvest so joyful.
One of my friends, Rachael, said the other day, “Life is beautiful because it ends.” Yes, read that again. Isn’t that true? All of our life’s toil ends, and at the end we receive our reward. But life is not beautiful if you choose to die internally before you can even start truly living. People can float, walk, and run in this world, but never truly come spiritually alive. How sad is that?
We are so attached to this physical world and physical things, but just as Barbie explains to Ken towards the end, if we realize our true identity is in more than just those ‘things’ or in a romantic relationship, and if we find ourselves first- we will find something unchanging that is worth living for. For us, it is in the Trinity, Jesus, and Heaven. We come from an eternal God, it is only natural to desire eternal things.
Heaven is our true origin and home. Perhaps that is why we must die; to reach our true destination. My pastor taught me the earth is a womb for our spirits. Through our actions we grow and our spirits are made according to the fruit of our deeds, kind of like how a farmer works for many months until the time of harvest arrives.
Barbie’s bravery and willingness to be human was inspiring. Even if she knows she will be mortal she chooses to become a creator not a made being. That is what makes being human so special-our tenacity and determination to continue living in spite of everything that pushes us in the opposite direction. It is so great to live life once you find your purpose because you become God’s beloved one- you feel like the luckiest person in the world even as life brings its fair share of difficulties. When we choose to follow God, we become co-creators with Him, which means we design our lives together with God through discussion and communion.
In the end, a life of creating and having a consciousness, soul, and spirit is worth it, even if it is a difficult life. It’s a difficult life because it’s the right one. Like Barbie being chased down so she could be put back in a box, Satan chases us like that so we will return to a hellish life, our old lifestyle. Ultimately, it’s our choice whether we will get back up or give up.
A difficult life of overcoming trials and tribulations is better than just giving up on yourself and ending as just a body. Remember when Barbie lied on the floor stiff as a doll, incapable of moving in her depressive slump? Are you gonna let that happen to you?
Living just satisfying the body’s needs is an easy, comfortable life but at the end of your life you find it’s not so comfortable and you regret everything. However, if you walk the difficult path of believing in God and seeking Jesus with all your heart, will, and life you’ll find great joy and reward on the other side of the difficulties you face now in your lifetime. In addition, you will be exalted and blessed eternally.
We all leave a legacy behind. However, it’s up to us whether it’s a spiritual one or if we decide to leave behind a footprint that will eventually fade. Will you be a created thing, or will you become a creator? Will you become an eternal, sentient being full of life and love. Or will you follow the dark path and become a meaningless, emotionless play thing, a puppet Satan can just manipulate for his evil purposes. It’s our choice ultimately. I don’t know about you, but like Barbie, I’m choosing to live for something greater.
What will you choose to be made for?
