Pink plastic barbies in a pink plastic world they said it was great it was garbage insulting every feminist I know – as for ecofeminism – well it must be dead am i dead too? – how could an earth lover survive in a plastic world with plastic pink barbies I barely made two hours? -oh yes a few colors they had to didn’t they? And the hourglass figures dominated the dolls that tip over because they are so tall even without high heels – an insane movie full of patriarchal lies and this is our culture – constructed out of lies – i left in confusion – people i trusted said a “must see” – turns out one, a professor that recommended it hadn’t seen it – had been seduced by reviews – who doesn’t believe the new york times besides me ?– thick humidity greeted me at the door after the pink charade – oh something alive captures me from a ten inch tree – two rosy apples ignite a soul dead corpse – yet another torrential downpour blurred my
car windows no doubt flooding my basement again rotting trembling timbers i have always loved rain but the archetypal flood scares me -humidity has soaked all my clothing bedding rugs the house is saturated my log cabin becomes a liability, on the way home numb until I meet the geese the gander greets me and then once again my soul slips into my sealskin for good – the two apples weren’t enough – as i get out to talk to my friends who gather round as if to say we’re still here and we love you or maybe it was my imagination but the anguish eased even as more thunderheads rolled overhead a threatening sky accompanies me to the driveway when i drag the humidifier – the second one into the house – 400 dollars in all – this one too big for me to move safely but maybe a second one will help dry my clothes the moisture won’t go below 75 – 80 – 90 two months straight – of course I can’t figure out how to make another damn machine work and my heart pounds with hideous accuracy – I MUST lower the humidity or i’ll go crazy – PTSD strikes with a vengeance – shaking I plug in the humidifier and it runs – can’t focus on the directions and miss removing piece -at three AM awaken with a sharp image – i am dumping all the ashes and the thing doesn’t work and I’m struggling with a flashlight to see what’s wrong as if i would know -its full – they say run for twenty four hours but its on red alert so i pull out the draw and spill more water on the floor -flood after flood i spill coffee water day after day i mop up watery messes inside as well as outside – wet shoes that never dry -of course i know i’m flooded too – Lucy in heart failure – air quality forces us to stay indoors and I am claustrophobic – trapped in my own house – winter has become summer in reverse- opening a window too dangerous -dead air at the door – if I didn’t walk before dawn I would never breathe clean EARTH air and Lucy must go then my vet says walk her a little -so afterwards I drag them both out the door… at dawn the air is barely sweet – sometimes. And today the dark goddess turns the wheel and i will scatter the ashes of trees on the ground – yesterday i scattered seeds, i will feel my body’s FURY – how much i hate barbie – and the plastic cartoon world that assaults me at every turn, pray for flexibility and resilience, acceptance too – is acceptance of the unthinkable even possible? – say prayers for the earth and us what else can i do? –
WHAT’S GONE IS GONE.
So much for this Turning of the Wheel… this time not towards abundance.
What follows is a review by a woman who sees through the mirage, women like Karen Malpede, who wrote the following:
I saw “Barbie”. Perhaps so-called A-I could do a more in-depth, sharper analysis of patriarchy. Despite checking all the boxes for diverse casting (one large woman, one disabled woman, none of the men, many varied skin colors) it seemed depressingly white-middle-class-capitalist-idiotic, i.e. a hollywood hit-job (or blow-job), proving women can be just as mediocre as men and be celebrated for their ability to rake in the dough. (The whole joke is that Barbie lacks a c-nt…and the final line of the film is, Barbie in an office, beaming: “I am here to see my new gynecologist.” coming on the heals of the overthrow of RvW, the sexual offender gynecologist just getting a 20 year sentence, I would have preferred “to see my female gynecologist”–as so many women, me too, have suffered invasive attacks by male docs)
Amen.\
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I haven’t seen Barbie, but, like you, I’ve had many people tell me I HAVE to see it. I hadn’t thought about the plastic aspect, but you are right. Feminism is absolutely related to ecology on so many levels and the last thing our planet needs is a resurgence of plastic toys like Barbie. I remember when the movie first came out there were articles about how many little girls have always had a conflicted relationship with Barbie — these dolls taught us that clothes were the most important thing and that we should all have these impossible bodies — and I remember not really liking to play with mine even when I was little.
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Carolyn when I was told the same thing by two women I deeply respect I felt obligated to see this movie – and wish I hadn’t – but maybe as a naturalist ecologist ethologist I am seeing destructive subliminal messages that are occurring under all that pink. Weirdly – I never thought to mention it, but the movie theatre was packed with young people and no one laughed at all….I saw it on the first day that it showed in our area – maybe people didn’t;t know yet that it was funny?
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I respectfully disagree. I saw Barbie twice, and I will see it again and again.
The pink plastic world in the opening scene doesn’t exist, but the patriarchal world Barbie travels into does. For me, the movie’s negative portrayal of the patriarchal world is a vehicle for discussion of the impact that world has on all of us, and it isn’t good. I couldn’t suppress my laughter when the Barbies took back their world from the Kens. Unfortunately, this world where the President is a Barbie and all the Supreme Court justices are Barbies also does not exist. But it is the world I’ve been working for all my life.
I look more like Ruth than Barbie. Yes, there have been times when I would have liked longer legs, but the long or short length is not determinative of who I am. And I know that.
I, too, am distressed by the weather. I want more time in my garden but don’t see the connection with Barbie.
Bottom line: This feminist was not insulted.
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again, appreciate the commentary – I am glad that others got something out of this movie – and our opinions are just that opinions – no more no less including my own!
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I have to respectfully disagree Sara. I hate comedies usually, but loved this. I went with some feminist friends and we all loved it. Laughed. Clapped. Howled at parts. And I didn’t have a Barbie when I was a kid. I didn’t even play with other plastic dolls. I played with plastic horses. I think all our toys were and are plastic, for good or bad.
I guess I was thrilled to have humor and a mainstream movie tackle the subject of feminism and patriarchy. Such a rare event. Usually the “P” word is a non-starter. So many are talking now that would not otherwise have been talking. I take it as a win. And I’ll take wins where I can get them.
The Kens were hysterically funny I thought.
So many really smart ideas played out.
I’ll watch it again when it comes to TV to hear all the lines I missed because of the laughter.
I might even go out and get something pink. Barbie is my new Shero! Now she gives little girls – and women – the message they need to hear.
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hmm Barbie and Shero have a lot in common – thanks for comment – l have heard the same kind of response from a few others – that people found it funny – my sense of humor got lost on this one…. as for discussing core issues of feminism – wow it missed the big one SEXUAL ABUSE completely….
But then I taught women’s studies for many years and also worked at the Abused women’s advocacy project for a long time –
The muscle bound Ken well… – I’m too image based maybe – and all that fucking plastic – there’s a message there that no one could escape.
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I loved the movie, Barbie! There are so many layers to it. Makes me wish I was still teaching–I’d figure out some way to integrate so many of the themes into Religious Studies.
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The Wild Hunt is calling Barbie the new Inanna!
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This scares the hell out of me
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Me too
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I wanted to share these about Barbie by Thomm Hartman….Did Barbie Speed Up the Collapse of Trump’s Haters and the Wild Hunt re Barbie being the new Inanna. Interesting perspectives both.
https://hartmannreport.com/p/did-barbie-speed-up-the-collapse-a66
https://wildhunt.org/2023/07/barbie-is-the-new-inanna.html
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a bit too much reading into a pink plastic cartoon – the power of image works beneath awareness and barbies are queens of the image – just what else I am not sure…
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Thank you Sara for this. I was hoping someone would write about Barbie. I am traveling and will write more next week.
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Judith let’s plan a watch party at my place once the movie is available to stream.
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