If you thought Barbie was just about pink outfits and dance numbers, think again. Greta Gerwig’s 2023 film didn’t just bring campy fun—it also took some well-aimed swings at, well, everything. Patriarchy? Check. Gender roles? Check. The unspoken rule that women have to fix everything while men kick back? For sure.
Throughout the movie, Barbie is constantly expected to be the glue holding everything together—whether she’s in Barbieland, the Real World, or grappling with her own identity crisis. Sound familiar? In real life, women are often the ones leading the charge on environmental activism, while industries are busy cranking up the pollution levels.
And yet, when you look at the biggest names in climate advocacy—Greta Thunberg, Jane Fonda, and a slew of brave Indigenous activists—are women. On the flip side, the worst environmental offenders? Let’s just say they’re not exactly the poster children for girl power.
And then there’s Ken and his Mojo Dojo Casa House—a sustainability nightmare in the making. The moment Ken gets a taste of power, Barbieland devolves into a chaotic mess of horses, beer cans, and questionable interior design choices. It’s a classic case of priorities going haywire—kind of like ignoring eco-issues in favor of a leather couch crisis.
Now, let’s talk about the deeper connections. Gloria’s (played by America Ferrera) powerful speech about the impossible standards placed on women really hits home, especially when you consider how we often expect individuals (especially women) to somehow “just go zero waste” while giant corporations keep churning out mountains of plastic.Â
If nothing else, at least we learned that horses and sustainability have nothing in common.