Have you seen Barbie yet?

Barbie is shaping up to be the most iconic movie to premiere in 2023. After gaining $1 billion at the global box office on its release, it is on track to become the biggest movie of the year. Fans from around the globe dressed up in all pink to show their anticipation for this movie. The director of Barbie, Greta Gerwig, is the first female solo director to direct a film that went on to gross $1 billion. The movie itself, somewhat unexpectedly, is deep and complex. The marketing surrounding this movie was incredibly nuanced; behind every pink poster promoting a seemingly fun movie, fans were surprised to encounter the deeper message and underlying themes of feminism.

Behind every pink poster promoting a seemingly fun movie, fans were surprised to encounter the deeper message and underlying themes of feminism.

Barbie displays the growth of a girl to a woman. ‘Barbie Land’ is an exploration of being young and naïve, protected from the realities of the world. Barbie’s “real world” seems to be completely opposite to the world we envisioned. As young girls, we were empowered by Barbie’s range of occupations, taking on workplaces women wouldn’t and couldn’t have dreamt of 70 years ago in our make-believe worlds we created for our Barbie dolls, just like Barbie Land. I think Barbie is an important movie for everyone to watch, not just for the comedy of Ryan Gosling’s Ken and Michael Cera’s Alan. I hope everyone has the chance to see this movie – definitely one to watch.

Juliette Johnson, Year 10