Entertainment Article By: Amalie Gutierrez Echoes Writer Sept. 2, 2023
As Margot Robbie would say, “Hi, Barbie!” It is no surprise that Director Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie has taken the world by storm. The Barbie movie was released on July 21, 2023 by Warner Bros. Pictures, starring Margot Robbie as Barbie herself, and Ryan Gosling, as Ken. As of August 24th, Variety Magazine states, “Barbie” started its record-breaking theatrical run in July with the best debut of the year ($162 million) and remained the Number one movie for four consecutive weekends. Barbie was the face of every theater’s billboard across America with sold out premiers. out. Many fans rented out a theater for private screenings with family and friends for the ultimate Barbie watch party. It became popular to dress up when going to watch the movie. Girls all around the world were decked out in pink with their best Barbie approved outfit. The Barbie premier, which took place in LA, was all over social media. Celebrities and influencers were styled for their interviews and shots on the pink carpet. Many TikTok content creators rated the outfits of the attendees of the premiere. While it was expected that everyone would be wearing pink, many guests went out of the box and added their own flare to their outfits. Big brands collaberated with Barbie and launched Barbie lines. A couple of these brands include Beis Travel, by Shay Mitchell, and NYX makeup. TikTok was quickly taken over by all things Barbie. Whether it was sharing your outfit, a get ready with me Barbie addition, or doing the dance to “Barbie World” by Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, and Aqua…it was all going viral. Even Barbie themed Airbnb's popped up. “Barbie World'' was just one of the songs from the soundtrack that earned a lot of hype; others include, “Pink” by Lizzo, “Dance The Night” by Dua Lipa, “I’m just Ken” by Ryan Gosling, and “What was I made for” by Billie Eilish. “What was I made for '' delivered a strong message with the ending scene of the movie. The song started a trend on TikTok where girls post clips of videos from throughout their life and label it as “girlhood.” This goes along with the main takeaway from the movie, which is woman empowerment. In the movie, Barbie and Ken leave Barbie Land and go to the real world. The movie begins to address real life scenarios such as cellulite appearances, women's struggles in the workforce, expectations held against women, and more.
THINK PINK. Seniors Katrina Richards, Grace Baker, and Junior Laetner Malm, go see the Barbie movie at Cinema 6. "Dressing up in pink was the best part!" said Richards. Courtesy Photo
Although Margot Robbie plays stereotypical Barbie, the movie does not stick to stereotypes. Barbies exist in all different sizes and cultures. They even included “Weird Barbie,” which is played by Kate McKinnon. Weird Barbie is portrayed as the Barbie that a child has destroyed. She has stretched out limbs, chopped up hair, marks on her face from colors and random clothes. The movie also creates diverse Kens, not just the typical Ken. The variety of men/Kens portrayed created a lot of controversial reviews. Many people see the movie as being “Anti-Men,” because of the strong feminist views. According to Upworthy, Gerwig describes her goal as, “that ability for a woman to look at another woman and say ‘You’re good enough.’” According to Variety magazine, “It landed the biggest opening weekend for a film directed by a woman and became the highest-grossing movie directed solely by a woman.” The intentions behind Gerwig's directing helped bring this movie to light. Although everyone'severyones takeaway and opinion may differ, this movie took a childhood toy that has been around for ages and turned it into something truly special and different from anything you have seen before. It brought many of the issues we see in our society today to light with a modern approach. This has brought together viewers of all different ages from all across the globe, which has created the Barbiemania that has and always will exist. Will you think the same way next time you see that bright pink reflection down the toy aisle?