“Barbie” was a raging success in theaters this past summer, where seas of pink rolled into the cinema powered by idyllic feminism and the stereotypical Barbie fashion that most of Gen Z grew up seeing. Greta Gerwig‘s latest movie was both nostalgic and modern, bringing the old and seemingly perfect imagery of Barbie into a context that women face everyday: sexism. Not only was this movie comical and tugged upon the audience’s heartstrings, but it dealt with some of the most difficult topics of our current society:patriarchy, sexism, and women’s struggle for power were themes laced throughout the movie between the advertising for Mattel, comedic relief, and Margot Robbie flashing her smile to the camera. 

I, along with many others, fell into the clever capitalist scheme of the “Barbie” movie, yet I enjoyed every moment of it. This movie clearly and cleverly delivers intentional messages about the hardships that women face and uses comedic relief to make the film feel less depressing, but at times, softens the meaning beyond recognition. I am a firm believer that the movie delivered a clear message that left women feeling empowered. Even with this message, I began to have doubts about the sincerity of the film’s message due to the fact that the entire movie felt like a two-hour advertisement for Mattel.

The movie displays the “stereotypical” Barbie land where everything is perfect. The levels of bubblegum pink and 1950’s aesthetic, referencing what older generations call the “glory days,” give this film a false and shallow appearance in the beginning. This film talks about what it is like to grow up and feel the suffering of what women go through on a daily basis regarding sexism; it is social commentary on how the world views women attempting to reach seemingly unattainable goals within the workplace and at home, stretching women thin between their homely duties and life in the workplace –an idiotic and dated viewpoint that has been held by the majority of the world for centuries. 

After watching this film, I sobbed. I was struggling to accept that even with the amount of progress the world has made over the past decade, it still is not enough. Women still have to attempt to fit the mold of dated standards, forced under the suffocating nature of the patriarchy that was first established when the world was still without written records, and yet we still accept it. In part, this film is a call to action that is often overlooked: women need to fight back, and it most certainly encouraged me to do so (and possibly buy myself a Barbie).