Life in plastic, it’s fantastic
I didn’t want to write about the Barbie movie.
It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it. I did – more than I expected! But there’s enough literature online about Greta Gerwig’s witty script, the stellar performances by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, or even the uproar over the inclusion of trans actress Hari Nef in the movie.
What I also didn’t expect was to get into a lengthy discussion with an old university friend about the merits (or lack thereof ) of Barbie over Instagram.
Her take: She left the theatre annoyed and disappointed. There were too many issues being crammed into the 114-minute comedy/drama that were dealt with in a touch-and-go manner. And the use of humour to tackle serious issues didn’t encourage people to think deeper beyond the fact that it was funny for that moment.
Everyone’s a critic – even me. Cue my impassioned defence of Barbie.
It’s clever, subversive and hilarious, I said! It doesn’t linger on topics like patriarchy or feminism because it’s written with a familyfriendly PG13 audience in mind. It’s not a kids movie by any stretch, but tweens would definitely grasp certain concepts and ask questions, which gives parents a great opportunity to turn it into a teaching moment.
It turns the idea of a maledominated society on its head (in more ways than one) and asks an important question: What does it mean to be a man, woman or even human today? Does it give a solution on how to solve the world’s problems? No, but I’m not looking at Mattel or Hollywood for these answers either.
Where you can actually find some answers, is in this issue of Her World.
From experiencing the rise of therapy speak at work, to parasocial relationships (are you in one?), and the very touchy topic of women out-earning their partners, our stories dive deep into very real issues faced by ambitious, go-getting women. We’re also inspired by women of all ages who have done the unconventional and achieved success on their own terms.
Farizan d’Avezac de Moran, founder and senior partner of GreenA Consultants, was one of the first Singaporeans to make headway as a green building entrepreneur in Africa; Dawa Yangzum Sherpa shares her story on becoming Nepal’s first woman international mountain guide; and Gym Tan details her journey as a style influencer in her 60s.
Just like Stereotypical Barbie, these inspirational individuals dared to step out of their comfort zone – are you willing to do the same?