WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the movie “Barbie”
Those who watched the movie Barbie (2023) might have been surprised by the direction it takes. That’s because, at a certain point, the millennium’s evil takes over the pink little world of dreams and turns our favorite doll’s reality upside down.
The patriarchy gallops into Barbieland and, surprisingly, it’s quite easy for the Kens to convince journalists, activists, doctors, astronauts, and even the president that it makes complete sense to subordinate yourself to male desires simply because. Easy, almost too easy – which leaves the viewer with a nagging feeling.
First, a glimpse into the story
Those who were outraged by an excessively blond and tanned Ken simply stealing all the power from hundreds of women might not have stopped to think that the world has been designed this way since day one. With the “discovery” of nations that didn’t need discovering and highly deadly wars for the conquest of geographic spaces, from the Ku Klux Klan to the evangelical church. Colonization, imperialism, prejudices, and phobias; there’s always a dominant people and a dominated one.
“This is a historical and contextual construction present in society, and the main relationships that mark this social structure is the emergence of oppression between the male and female sexes”, explains Luana Passos, political scientist and professor. Historicaly, “much of this oppression between the male and female sexes comes precisely from the question of the struggle for private property.”
And this oppression is not caused solely by the dominator: sometimes, the dominated ends up buying into the idea, even unconsciously. Hence, the structural prejudices that are so often in topic. Every individual is born with some ingrained prejudice. “You’re born into a society that imposes these things on you, and you normalize them. Everything collaborates to maintain that. The laws created by men, the patriarchal religion. And patriarchy isn’t exclusive to men; we favor it. If you have a daughter and a son, you treat them differently”, says the political scientist.
Sexism in Barbieland
Understanding that the dominator-dominated relationship exists and has been imposed on society since the beginning of time, we arrive at question number 2: how is it possible that the Barbies convince themselves so quickly that sexism is really cool and should be put into practice in Barbieland?
“We have to remember that it’s very metaphorical, right? So, it has a lot of sarcasm, a lot of exaggeration, a lot of mockery, for example. But I suppose there were no antidotes against the patriarchal discourse”, explains Passos. In other words, the Barbies only knew one reality in which they are dominant. So, they didn’t have a reference for what the extreme opposite would be like.
“It arrives with a very charming discourse, and the barbies weren’t aware of how much they had constructed. It’s like this: ‘oh, I’m in power, but I’m not conscious of it”, the specialist says. The dolls only snap out of the patriarchal trance when they realize how difficult it is to be a woman. “Becoming aware of how to deal with this requires a level of reflection that wasn’t demanded back in Barbieland. They had power, but they weren’t conscious of how much of that is constructed”, the professor affirms.
Receiving the privilege of respite is delightful, with the kens dominating, the barbies didn’t have to think about anything, the men would just tell them what to do and that would be it. But without a contrasting reference, it’s hard to understand that losing power also means losing rights. “It’s a huge responsibility to dominate, right? To be the one dictating the rules. And then suddenly someone says, ‘you don’t need to do that anymore. You can just chill here.’ And then you’re not conscious of how important your work and your actions are. You’re not conscious of how the structure is built”, she concludes.
Bad for everyone?
Thinking that patriarchy is beneficial for all men is a grave misconception. No, Mojo-Dojo-House-Houses won’t be handed out left and right to all men just because they’re men. Sexism even affects the degree of masculinity a man must exhibit to be considered worthy of respect and power.
Black and gay men, for example, aren’t as respected as cis-hetero-white men. And taking actions considered feminine represents a weakness in masculinity, leading to those men being ridiculed just as a woman would be.
Moreover, it’s not because sexism benefits a group that all members of the party enjoy being sexist. “Men, as a group, have privileges and benefit more from the patriarchy based on the assumption that they are superior to women and should rule over us. But these benefits came at a cost. In exchange for all the perks men receive from the patriarchy, they are compelled to dominate women, exploit, and oppress us violently. Most men struggle to be patriarchal, but they are afraid to let go of the benefits”, reflects Passos.
It’s not good, but it’s… less worse
Putting men and women on an equal footing automatically means taking away someone’s privileges. It’s not exactly great to have Barbies ruling the world while Kens are somewhere off trying their hardest to get the dolls’ attention.
“I think the movie wanted to bring about a complete reversal, precisely to show how absurd this is. If patriarchy changes, they think there will be female domination over them. Finding that balance isn’t easy, someone has to give in”, comments the professor.
In conclusion, it’s evident that patriarchy only benefits a loudly small group of people. That’s why it’s so important to bring the pink little world into our real-world experience. Understanding our role in the world and having solidarity with each other is essential to fighting for a more equal society.
Luana Passos concludes: “for me, the film’s highest point of reflection is the act of recognizing oneself as a woman. Simone de Beauvoir says: ‘you’re not born a woman, you become one.’ And this awareness of ‘being a woman’ is heavily influenced by the relationship between mother and daughter”, just like in the movie – when Ruth Handler (portrayed by Rhea Pearlman) shows Barbie (Margot Robbie), the symbol of her daughter, what it’s like to human.