Reclaim You- Reading Between the Lines: Barbie Movie Themes
Season 1: Episode 16- Reading Between the Lines: Barbie Movie Themes with Emily
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The Barbie movie has been all the buzz lately, and definitely packs a powerful punch!
This week Sarah and Emily dissect the messaging rippling through this surprisingly resonant film.
We peel back the layers of the movie and share our personal reactions to the film. We hope you join us as we dig into this unexpected gem of a movie. You don't want to miss this one!
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[00:01] Sarah: Hi there. Welcome to Reclaim You, a podcast published by the Reclaim Therapy team. Join us as we share stories, tools, and insights on how to reclaim you in the wake of trauma, disordered eating and body shame. Grab your coffee, tea or your favorite snack and get cozy because we're about to dive in.
[00:19] Sarah: Hey, everybody. Welcome back to reclaim you Today, Emily and I are talking about the Barbie movie. Emily saw it a little while ago, right? When did you see it? When it first came out, like the.
[00:32] Emily: Second weekend it came out. I want to say two weeks ago.
[00:38] Sarah: Two weeks ago. Okay. And I saw it just last week, so yeah, it'll be interesting to hear kind of emily's had some time for it to, I don't know, percolate a little bit and settle into her know, honestly, I was just telling Emily I had to leave early, so I didn't even see the ending of the movie. I had to run and get my kids, so I missed the end. But I read about it, and Emily confirmed what I read was true. So just be interested to hear your thoughts.
[01:08] Emily: Loved it. That was a great movie. It was very emotional for I. I had all the feels while I was watching. I noticed I did kind of feel like a kid the whole time. I feel like I was just kind of, like smiling and laughing and just so engrossed. But it definitely brought up a lot as well. Like, just a lot of tears, but not bad tears. Like good tears.
[01:39] Sarah: Like resonant tears. Kind of.
[01:45] Emily: Felt very seen in that movie.
[01:48] Sarah: Yeah. What kind of stands out?
[01:51] Emily: I feel like it was just very validating, like, just the way that they talked about how hard it is to just exist in the world, I feel like yeah, like that monologue that I think it was america.
[02:06] Sarah: America Ferreira.
[02:07] Emily: Yeah. That her character had. I thought it was really powerful and it was really spot on. So that really got me. And I loved the end as well. And I know that you didn't see.
[02:21] Sarah: The end, but didn't see the end.
[02:24] Emily: There's a scene where she's kind of like, confronted know, do you want to stay here? Do you want to be a human? And what is her purpose? And things like that. And there's a scene where it's supposed to be like the creator of Barbie comes and talks with her, and I think that she brings up some interesting things about the mother daughter relationship. But the thing that really stood out to me is kind of how their interaction represented choosing imperfection and feeling what we feel and being our authentic self over being, like, this picture perfect person. And I just thought that they did that in a way that was really powerful and very real, and it wasn't what I expected. You hear the Barbie movie and you're like, oh, it's going to be so fun because that's what it represented to me. And then I went I was like, wow, there's so much more here. And kind of going along with our topic of reclaiming. I felt like they really reclaimed a lot in that movie and the narrative.
[03:40] Sarah: Yeah. On lots of fronts with, of course, Ken and Barbie and I think even Alan, right? Like Alan being constantly just being his authentic self.
[03:51] Emily: I also loved the scene at the beginning when she's, like, in the real world at the bus stop and she sees the older woman and she just makes a comment of, like, you're so beautiful. I feel like that almost kind of represented a lot of this is so learned for us. It's not something that we're born with. It's something that's kind of put on us by the world we live in and diet culture. And I just thought that that was, like, a really beautiful representation of that.
[04:23] Sarah: Yeah. And I love the woman's response of like, yeah, I know. I think that's what she at least you're like yeah, I know. Yeah. Such a such a wonderful thing when you can just stop really giving a **** about societal norms and expectations and embrace aging and all that comes with it.
[04:40] Emily: I like how that showcase. It's almost like Barbie was representing more of the child innocent way of looking at the world. But then it kind of swung the other way of it is possible to get to a point where you're like, you know, don't. I don't like I love who I am, and I love the way that I am. And I'm enough. Absolutely enough.
[05:06] Sarah: As Ken would say. Or the you know, of course on the Internet has caused a lot of conversation and controversy and things like, you know, interestingly. I went to see it and I was like, I'm just going to be here. And I was telling Emily before we started recording, my lens of viewing the movie was through having personal space and not being spoken to for a couple hours. So I was happily eating my Sour Patch Kids and popcorn and drinking my Pepsi. And I think at points I was paying more attention to the popcorn and the Sour Patch Kids than I was the actual movie. But, yeah, I think it was really entertaining. It was entertaining and it was kind of funny and light hearted and so many there's just, like so much packed into it, I think. And I could also see some misses as well, but think generally, they did the job communicating who they wanted to communicate to the message of really looking at these different systems that are in place that have kept us stuck for a long time.
[06:18] Emily: Yeah, I agree. I think overall, they did a really good job with the messaging, obviously. Yes, there were some misses. I did appreciate the one scene where they kind of called out Margot. Robbie was crying, talking about how hard it is. And I appreciated how they called out. Like, totally. This is kind of contradictory in and of itself.
[06:48] Sarah: Editor's note.
[06:49] Emily: Like, she's like the most gorgeous, thin, white woman. Totally about this. Probably not the voice. I was kind of thinking that at one point. Is she, like, the one to be saying this? And then when they called it out, I was like, yes, thank you. I think overall, I did the representation that they had and that they were able to kind of call themselves out where they needed to.
[07:15] Sarah: Yeah, I wish that they had. And I think I played with Barbies as a kid. I don't necessarily explicitly remember it. I remember having a lot of Barbies. Did we play with them? I'll have to ask my sister. So I don't know about all the different Barbies and their names and all of that stuff, but I do wish that, yes, they included the one plus size woman as a Barbie in there. And everyone is still conventionally beautiful, of course, because it's Barbie land. Right. But everyone's still conventionally beautiful and with perfect hair and beautifully styled and things like that. So I think there could have been more representation on that front. Okay, you're starting the conversation and there's room for more.
[07:59] Emily: And I wish that could have gotten into that a little bit more. But again, I also recognize it's a movie and they can only do so much with an hour and a half of totally.
[08:13] Sarah: Absolutely. And I think it's interesting, some of the backlash of man hating and men hating and all of those things. What do you make of it?
[08:23] Emily: I thought that was interesting as well. And I was wondering initial reactions as I was walking out of the theater, I wonder what men on the Internet are going to say about this movie. And I think it was interesting to see the divide because I feel like I saw reactions of men who got it and were like, I totally know what they're trying to say, and I'm totally in support of what they're trying to say. And then just like, the people who did not get it and I know that I was saying to you right before we hopped on my take on that was I don't think that they were out there trying to bash men in any way. I think that they were just trying to highlight what women and people who identify as women deal with on a daily basis. I think that they were just trying to make that as dramatic as possible to highlight. This is the stuff that we deal with every day, and it's really hard and it's really dumb.
[09:25] Sarah: Yeah, absolutely. And the amount of anger that's there for a lot of people who identify as women because rights being taken away and being afraid to walk down the street and send our kids to school and all of the things there's lots of anger there because of the systems that have been put in place. Right. The patriarchy exists, and so it feels similar to diet culture, right. Like, where there's one extreme, there's going to be anger, there's going to be a swing to the other side of things. And really, the settling in the middle is what we need. We need, right? Not the patriarchy, not the matriarchy.
[10:03] Emily: Right.
[10:04] Sarah: Like, looking at those systems and how do we kind of come together and settle the score? But all that to say, of course there's a lot of anger and there's a lot of people who are like, yes, down with the man. Right. And the men are like, what? We didn't do anything. And it's like, well, actually, yeah. You still are a part of the system. And so are we in some ways.
[10:23] Emily: And I like how they tried to bring that together at the like, the only way that we're going to move forward is by coming together.
[10:33] Sarah: Yeah, totally. I wish they had given Ken some sort of higher seat than the lower know, only because it would have been a bit more of like, yes, you're welcome. But below us, I understand why they did it. To mirror women and our lives. Right. I understand it 100%. And in this ideal land of leveling.
[10:58] Emily: The scores a little bit yes.
[10:59] Sarah: Invitation to be included and have a voice. So it's not all just one voice.
[11:05] Emily: I would agree with that. Yeah.
[11:07] Sarah: What about Alan? So I didn't know who Alan was. I had to google it.
[11:11] Emily: Yeah.
[11:11] Sarah: Did you know who Alan was?
[11:13] Emily: I only knew who Alan was because I saw, like, a spoiler before I went, so did not know until I went to see the movie. What did you think of Alan?
[11:26] Sarah: Well, I didn't know who he was. I was what? What is this? I'm not quite sure. I was, like, just a random person who's normal in Barbie land. What is going on? So I Googled him and he was a discontinued doll, right? Like Ken's sidekick or something? Like yeah. Yeah. I had no idea that Ken even had a buddy. And also, wasn't he supposed to be, like, the father of the discontinued pregnant Barbie, too?
[11:50] Emily: Yes.
[11:51] Sarah: Midge. Yes.
[11:53] Emily: Yes, I did see that.
[11:55] Sarah: I saw I was like, what? What did you feel like? I don't know. And this is getting maybe, like, meta about it, but what was his representation for you in the whole scheme of things?
[12:09] Emily: I think it was kind of.
[12:12] Sarah: One.
[12:12] Emily: Of two things for me initially. I think that he was kind of put there to at least to me, like, I read it as he was there to show that and represent the men that do kind of stand with women and kind of support a lot of these issues that are very important to women and people who identify as women. But it was interesting. I fell down a TikTok rabbit hole when I got I actually saw a lot of TikTok that gay men were putting out there, saying that they felt very seen in the representation of Alan. Just being know, I was like like, I felt more comfortable with women and girls growing up, and that was always something that I was told was wrong, and it was nice to kind of see the representation of someone who that was okay.
[13:17] Sarah: So, like an.
[13:21] Emily: Yeah.
[13:21] Sarah: Yeah. And also wanted out. Right. Alan wanted out of the culture, the land, the setup, whether it felt like whether Barbies were in charge or Ken's were in charge, alan was like, I'm like, existing in all of this, and I want out.
[13:38] Emily: Right. Like, I don't want to be with the kids, go along with like, that's not what feels right for me.
[13:45] Sarah: Well, at the same time, embracing who he was throughout the entire kind of process.
[13:50] Emily: So I think not only did know a lot of people who are in the LGBTQ plus community felt seen by how they represented Alan, but I also think that in general not only did it going back to the idea like Alan represented someone who kind of stands and supports women. I think that Alan also represents that there's more than one way to be a man, which I also think is a really important narrative and something that people don't talk about enough.
[14:24] Sarah: Yeah. I think the whole movie itself represents the binary in lots of ways, which can also be problematic. But the binary of the patriarchy versus the matriarchy, the binary between men and women accepting yourself and not accepting yourself, and there's so much nuance in between.
[14:39] Emily: I think that people talk about that with women and people who identify as women a lot. Like, there's not one way to be a woman. It's the same thing with men and people who identify as men. There's also more than one way to exist as a man, but I don't think that that's talked about as often, and I think that that leads to a lot of shame there as well.
[15:04] Sarah: Yeah. That permission for men to express their manhood, like being a man in lots of different ways. Yeah. Flipping the idea of masculinity on its head and seeing what it really is.
[15:18] Emily: Yeah. You can be a man or identify as a man and still have feelings and express your feelings and cry, and that's okay. And that doesn't make you any less of a man.
[15:30] Sarah: Absolutely. And have feminine energy. And women, people who identify as a man, having masculine energy because it's all energy and it all exists in all of us. But again, the binary takes us out of that. The patriarchy reinforces that. So, again, more reason for lots of angst and anger to be expressed in.
[15:51] Emily: A movie like this. Yeah. And I think that some of the backlash that we were talking about, I think people felt threatened by that totally when in reality you're right, it's not black and white, it's not so binary.
[16:06] Sarah: I've seen a lot of folks bringing their kids to see the movie. And for me, I mean, not that it's bad to bring your kids to see the movie. I think that it's for us who have experienced so much change in the landscape of the world throughout our lifetimes, and who can really resonate with a lot of the pain behind the experiences that they're talking about. Really important to just have it out there as like ingest. I think like they meant the movie to be an extreme of things to show this is what is actually true in the world that we experience day to day.
[16:40] Emily: I also saw in the same TikTok rabbit hole, there's a lot of older women, particularly that are going to see the movie. Sixty s. Seventy s. Eighty s. There are all these videos of these women either going alone or going with their friends. And I thought that that was really special, too. It's kind of appealing to all ages, to all genders, just as a way to kind of take the power back.
[17:08] Sarah: Like a little way to reclaim some of that.
[17:11] Emily: Yeah.
[17:11] Sarah: Feel seen, at least in trying to reclaim it. Because I think we all know, of course we know that the Barbie doll is problematic in lots of ways. There's so much bound up in that we don't even have to talk about it. Everyone knows, I'm sure that women who are older, maybe around when Barbie first came out, it's like this reckoning for them, too.
[17:31] Emily: Yeah, absolutely. I think that it's kind of giving words to, I'm sure what they felt, but it was never talked about.
[17:40] Sarah: Yeah. Because especially then, it couldn't be there. Maybe just like a knowing that it wasn't right.
[17:45] Emily: I love too, it felt like a way to kind of take back some childhood a little bit like something that was sticking out to me. Again with the TikTok. But I kept seeing people saying, it feels like this summer between people dressing up to go see the Barbie movie and trading friendship bracelets at the Taylor Swift concert, it's just kind of reclaiming of childhood and doing some of these more frivolous things that people kind of look down on, and we're just kind of like, no, this is fun, and I'm going to do it, and I don't care.
[18:23] Sarah: Right. Like it's okay to play, it's okay to not take yourself so seriously and have some community in the process and build community in the process.
[18:31] Emily: That got me too. I love the way that that was framed and then being able to see people do that, I think that's so special.
[18:41] Sarah: I know that on Instagram, when I had asked who saw it, what did you think? Everyone that messaged loved it, loved watching it. So that's a really cool thing. So lots of support for the Barbie movie. So any final thoughts about the movie?
[18:57] Emily: I think everyone should see the movie. I really did. I think it obviously brings up, I think, some important social issues and kind of cultural issues that we talked about. But also, it's just fun, and I think it's just a way to kind of have fun to play. It shows how important that so I think everyone should see it.
[19:22] Sarah: Okay, everybody, we will be back next week for another episode. I think Casey's coming back on next week to talk more about toxic workplaces, so that should be fun. Okay, until then, take good care.
[19:35] Sarah: Thank you so much for joining us on this episode of Reclaim You. Be sure to, like, comment and subscribe and check us out on YouTube at Reclaim You. If you're looking to start therapy for trauma disordered eating, or body image concerns, head over to our website at www.reclaimtherapy.org to learn more about us and our work. We'll be back next week with another episode. Until then, take good care of.
[19:59] Sarah: Bye. Our.
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