Shakira attacks Barbie film for ‘emasculating’ young men
SHAKIRA has said the Barbie movie could be seen as “emasculating” to young boys and she believes women should be empowered “without robbing men of their possibility to be men”.
The Colombian pop superstar was asked about watching the film, which sees Barbieland controlled by women until the Mattel dolls experience patriarchy by entering the real world in the comedy film.
The 47-year-old told Allure magazine: “My sons absolutely hated it. They felt that it was emasculating and I agree, to a certain extent. I’m raising two boys. I want [them] to feel powerful too [while] respecting women.
“I like pop culture when it attempts to empower women without robbing men of their possibility to be men, to also protect and provide.
“I believe in giving women all the tools and the trust that we can do it all without losing our essence, without losing our femininity. I think that men have a purpose in society and women have another purpose as well.
“We complement each other, and that complement should not be lost. Why not share the load with people who deserve to carry it, who have a duty to carry it as well?”
Barbie, which stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, also features a powerful monologue delivered by actress America Ferrera about the hypocritical expectations placed on women by society and has been seen as a tongue-incheek feminist tale.
Shakira shares sons Sasha, nine, and Milan, 11, with Gerard Pique, a former professional Spanish footballer. Elsewhere in the article, she reflected on separating from Pique in June 2022 after 11 years together and releasing her first album in seven years.
She said following the break-up she was “in the mud” and she “had to reconstruct myself, to reunite all the pieces that had fallen apart”, which is explored in the new record Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, or Women No Longer Cry.
The singer, known for hits including Hips Don’t Lie and Whenever, Wherever, has spent the last few years fighting a tax dispute case with Spanish authorities, which she resolved in November by accepting charges and a fine of more than £6 million.