Dear Men, The Barbie Movie Was NOT About You
The Barbie movie is one of the hottest movies in theaters right now and if you’ve been on the fence of seeing it, you should know that some men are taking it personal…
Yes, there are men who are taking the Barbie movie’s message a bit personal saying they think the movie was about them and was “anti-men” and was “men hating”.
Well, I am here to say this… Dear Men, The Barbie Movie Was NOT About You!
I know, I know. We live in a time where someone, somewhere will get upset about something. Someone always seems to think that a movie, song or book is out to get them.
In this case, there are men that are taking the women empowerment message behind the Barbie movie and spinning it to be anti-men, which in my opinion, is so far from the truth.
Also, if you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want any spoilers, click away NOW.
Okay, so the Barbie movie is filled with nostalgia, whitt, humor and stereotypical roles.
It has moments where you laugh and has moments where you cry (I literally cried twice in the movie) and overall, it is done well.
It did acknowledge the patriarchy in society but does that mean it was anti-men? I don’t think so.
Just because you acknowledge something, it doesn’t mean it’s anti-anything.
The movie also touched on stereotypical roles and how those roles have evolved over the years so that women can do all the same jobs men do.
It even mentions how Barbie was created to help show exactly that for little girls…
Again, I don’t believe any of that was meant to be “anti-men”. I saw it more as women being empowered and showing our daughters that they can do and be anything they want and being a woman should never prevent that from happening.
There were also parts that hit really close to home for women like when America Ferrera (Gloria) gives her speech about what it is like to be a woman. She couldn’t have nailed that anymore than she did.
Because let’s face it, being a woman is HARD.
Reading America Ferrera’s monologue in #Barbie before I go to bed every night like it’s my Bible pic.twitter.com/EHeiTUq7ib
— Zoë Rose Bryant (@ZoeRoseBryant) July 24, 2023
Again, NOT anti-men, but more of recognizing how women are often made to feel like we are not good enough.
And sure, can men feel that way too? Absolutely.
In fact, towards the end of the movie when Barbie is trying to figure out what SHE wants while also defying the typical ending of “she falls in love with Ken”, she tells Ken that he should figure out who he is without Barbie.
Ken has some pushback saying “It’s Barbie and Ken” but Barbie then replies saying, it needs it to be “It’s Barbie and It’s Ken,”.
After all, Ken’s role in the show is just “Beach” and his ending is that he is supposed to fall in love with Barbie.
But again, it’s about him needing to decide his own future and what really makes him happy.
That then brings in this scene (which I totally love) where Ken is wearing a hoodie that says, “I am Kenough”. Um, LOVE.
So, you see, this movie is about a lot of things – – women empowerment, defying typical stereotypes and gender roles but most importantly, I think this movie is about being YOU.
It’s about choosing what makes YOU happy despite what others think you should be or do in life.
It’s about finding your individual identity.
And let me be clear – you are entitled to your own opinion, even the men that feel this was anti-men, I am simply offering a different perspective.
I truly think you can see this movie and see my perspective without needing to be “anti-men” or be considering a feminist.
I’m curious to hear what you think though – did you like the movie? What did you think the overall message of the movie was?
