This is the view from the porch as I drink a cup of coffee and reflect. Banana bread is baking. The Barbie Movie comes at an interesting time for me. I am finding myself content with cooking/baking for someone – gender stereotypical after decades of living the opposite. I cooked for my family growing up but it was never something I enjoyed. I needed to get the meal on the table at the right time; it was quickly consumed and I was left with the cleanup. While I didn’t find joy in the meal preparation, I didn’t necessarily resent it either. My mom was teaching full-time and going to school in the evenings. Someone needed to do it.
Now I don’t have competing priorities for my time as I did while I was employed and I have an appreciative consumer of my labors who also does the clean up. These add up to a joyful experience.
I have done a bit of reading about the Barbie Movie and I am not sure that provided any more clarity in thoughts on the movie. It was a fun enjoyable movie packed with lots of equity and patriarchy messages. Perhaps this movie will allow a few people to better understand the reality of white male privilege. For women, I think the movie may have different significance based on age.
Barbie was first marketed in March 1959 when I was 3 1/2. I didn’t get my first Barbie until I was 7 or 8. I had 2 or 3 dolls and lots of clothes. I was never very good a pretending so I don’t recall “playing Barbie” as much more than changing their clothes a lot. To me, Barbie was a doll with funny feet that was fun to dress – nothing else. I never considered her shape relevant. I missed entirely the positioning of Barbie as a tool of empowerment of girls.
For me, Twiggy’s arrival on the scene when I was in junior high had far more impact my negative body image.
Perhaps a key message of the movie is: there is no easy way to obtain gender equality, or even define what it means in the context of the unique reproductive functions and the ingrained entitlement that men have had over the ages.
The reason for the movie might have simply been to pose important questions in a highly entertaining way and let the self-reflection and dialogues (hopefully meaningful) begin.
Tamara Unleashed 