I used to know, but I'm not sure now
What I was made for
What was I made for?"
I want to write a review on the Barbie film because I think it is worth the conversation. I know everyone is being inundated with Barbie reels, interview snapshots from the cast, and Instagram pictures of friends and family dressed in their bright pink outfits. There is a lot out there about Barbie. But, I guess as a 23-year-old Christian woman in the 21st century, I have some thoughts that I really want to share.
Barbie exceeded my expectations. I walked into the theater thinking I would likely watch it once, laugh a little, make a memory with friends, and then wrestle with my mind when I got home about why I wasted two hours of my life and sixteen dollars. I did laugh, and I did make a sweet memory with friends (as well as wear my only pink shirt). But, I ended up thinking a lot about the various messages in the film as well as paying to see it again a few days later.
Barbie wasn't just pink. It wasn't all about feminism. It made some powerful points about life, men, women, and the meaning that all humans want to find.
In the beginning of the film, women are the "Adams" of Barbie world and the men are the "Eves." The Barbies treat the Kens like accessories. The Barbies have the houses and the comforts. The Kens just seem to exist to try to look cool on the beach for the Barbies. But, as the movie progresses, stereotypical Barbie visits the real world and discovers that women are not appreciated as they should be. Moms raise the kids with absent dads, corporations are led by more men than women, and women can have cellulite and still be beautiful.
Ken visits the the real world with stereotypical Barbie and discovers that men mean something. They are not just accessories. He matters enough that a woman comes up to him and asks for the time. Men can wear cool clothes, drive hummers, and hold places of influence. Ultimately, Ken realizes, as does stereotypical Barbie, that they matter individually and do not have to fit a gender stereotype to be happy.
There are so many details and ideas I could talk about. There were definitely some aspects of the film that I did not agree with when it was over. The biggest one was that men and women have to find their identity in themselves. They have to find meaning in themselves because in the end, as Barbie's creator states in the film, humans die and then it's over. The beautiful truth for men and women in the 21st century is that Christ is our identity, and we can find meaning in living for Him.
But, at the same time, this film wrestled with men and women's innate desire for meaning and recognition. Women do struggle with all the societal expectations of beauty, success, and even what it means to be a woman. Men need respect. Men need to know they matter in women's eyes beyond being fun to smile at now and then. Neither men or women should be defined by the other to know who they are.
Men and women who believe in Christ by no means have an easy life or bypass experiencing mental wrestling over meaning, gender roles, and just life in general. But, the truth is that our struggles do not have to lead us to ourselves and to our feelings. They can lead us to Christ. They can lead us to His Word where we will meet a God that loves men and women, praises their differences, and yet sees them both as beautifully made and equal.
Barbie's creator is right in the sense that death does come for us all at some point. But, where the Barbies and Kens of this film get it wrong is that life just ends with Barbie and Ken. It ends with Christ.
I highly recommend watching this film. It wrestles with some really poignant life questions. It might make you cry. It will definitely make you laugh. You'll be surprised how much you might end up relating to Barbie or Ken.
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