When I was younger, maybe five or six years old, Barbie was one of my favourite things in the entire world. Typical, right? What five-year-old girl wasn’t obsessed with Barbie? My mom and I owned every Barbie DVD and watched them religiously because I would refuse to watch anything else. Of course, at 19 years old, my interest in movies has changed, right? Wrong. I am still obsessed with them and, much to my boyfriend’s dismay, I watch them as often as I can. They are so good once you get past the really creepy animals! Now that the school year is almost over and spring is upon us, it’s time to start embracing your inner Barbie girl. Here are five movies to help with that!
1. Barbie and the Diamond Castle
This is one of Barbie’s most iconic movies and I’ll be honest, it’s my favourite. It’s first on the list mainly because of personal bias but it also just makes me feel very feminine and Barbie-like. It follows two best friends as they navigate the struggles of friendship and loyalty. The opening scene where they get their matching pink heart necklaces, live in a little cottage and sell fresh-cut flowers gets me every time. Everything about the characters is just so pretty and makes me feel like I too can live with my best friend in a little cottage and wear pretty dresses all day. If that wasn’t enough, the music and songs are so fun and catchy!
2. Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper
This one is another very feminine movie (I’ll stop saying that because honestly, all these movies radiate femininity) and one of Barbie’s earliest movies. It follows two identical-looking girls, one a princess and one a pauper (which you come to learn means someone who is incredibly poor). They each have their own personal struggles and again, learn about friendship and love in the end! The movie is probably the inspiration for any pink-themed aesthetic and that is absolutely acceptable. Whenever I watch it, it just makes me feel like I can be anything!
3. Barbie as the Island Princess
There are pros and cons to this movie. Or rather, there are many pros and one con, but I’ll get to that in a minute. The movie is centred around a girl who was lost at sea when she was a child and grows up on an island surrounded by animals. Eventually, she’s found and comes to the mainland, bringing along her animal friends. This brings us to the one con of this movie (but I promise, as soon as you get past it, the movie’s really great). Her name is Tika and she’s an elephant. She’s incredibly obnoxious and a horrible friend, but once you learn to ignore her, the movie is vibrant, colourful and filled with some of the best music you’ll ever hear. The movie is a big reminder that it’s better to be yourself than anyone else!
4. Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia
Mermaidia is the sequel to the first Barbie Fairytopia movie but it’s probably the best in the series. It follows two girls as they try to rescue their friend from the hands of an evil enchantress. I understand how predictable this sounds, but for me, the best movies are predictable and comforting (that may just be my thing though!). It’s very colourful and the characters are fun and loveable, especially my guy Bible!
5. Barbie as Rapunzel
Tangled will forever be the greatest “Rapunzel” adaptation but Barbie as Rapunzel comes in a close second. The story is similar to other “Rapunzel” films and follows a young girl who was kidnapped by her birth parents. The greatest difference is this version is much more fairytale-like; it has dragons (super fun, I know!). Like all the others on this list, it’s very colourful and feminine and makes me want to embrace the “girly” part of being a girl.
I think, as kids, “girly” was always a bad thing. It was silly and wrong to be a girly girl and the term was often thrown around as an insult. It absolutely isn’t an insult. These movies, as silly and childish as they may seem, are not only nostalgic but they show that it’s ok to be a “girly Barbie girl”. If you’re having fun with it, what’s the harm? Embrace your inner Barbie-girl life because at the end of the day, if you’re happy with yourself, then that’s all that matters!