Barbie - An Opportunity Taken or Missed?

As a 21st century type of feminist - i.e. one that believes a society of equality is one based on inclusion, allyship, accountability, responsibility and role modelling, I should be thrilled that such a mainstream movie is putting the feminist agenda front and centre. And I am - mostly.

Societal Shift

Mostly, I am pleased that society has shifted enough in its intolerance of gender inequality that such a film has been devoured by girls and women across the globe. That alone is reassuring and inspires me to continue the work we are doing to create a #DorsetWomensCharter, and the work I am doing with individual women to become the fullest, freest possible versions of themselves.  It seems the time is NOW and that is nothing short of awesome.

I applaud the narrative from the 'real world' characters in the movie who describe how women and girls are 'done' with the unhelpful 'norms' the original Barbie purported. And who long for a society where 'norms' are ACTUALLY 'norms' - where bodies, mental health, abilities, aspirations, voices, responsibilities, faces, identities and roles are not defined by outdated views of 'femininity'.

Funny Not Funny

I also applaud the lighthearted way in which frustrations about women's inequality are expressed in the movie. That's not to say that women's inequality is a laughing matter, far from it. But, sometimes it's the only way to survive it, and the movie handles it well. Frankly, most women have such 'inequality fatigue' that they can barely be bothered to laugh about it anymore. So I’m grateful to Greta Gerwig for giving us a reason to do so.

Who is the movie for anyway?

On the other hand, I can't help thinking the marketing of this movie is pointing to the wrong audience. Women, girls and all people who experience gender discrimination, already KNOW the messages portrayed in this movie. Surely the people who need to actually hear these messages are people who don't understand gender discrimination? Is a suffocating barrage of pinkness going to attract the people who really need to hear these messages? I wonder?

The ending - spoiler alert!

I also have a problem with the so-called feminist ending to the movie and the message this is giving to girls. I don't think the mockery of the 'patriarchy' or 'men' is helpful, since that is absolutely NOT what modern feminism is about, particularly when the world is experiencing a crisis in men's mental health.

The film suggests that women 'win' the battle 'against' men and that, to me, is not the desire of most women, especially the enlightened, authentic, emotionally intelligent, resourceful and determined ones with whom I surround myself. So I say this to the portrayal of women 'winning' over men - “Not in my name” as goes the saying these days.

An alternative ending - an opportunity missed?

The alternative, for me, is a 'win' where the women work WITH not AGAINST anyone who exerts an imbalance or abuse of influence or power. To educate them, with data, evidence and case studies, about the impact on EVERYONE when people experience repression, bias or inequality.

A 'win', for me, would look like a co-designed solution that embraces sex and gender difference, plays to everyone's strengths and represents the views of all the people it has an impact upon.

Women are capable of better than this.

Women are more than capable of providing compassionate, solution-orientated, focussed, emotionally intelligent leadership to finding a collaborative solution and most of the men I know would be willing allies and collaborators.  

So why is this movie portraying the concept of winning and losing? Perhaps, because we have experienced a gendered imbalance of power for so long, we don’t actually know what a balance of power would look like? Stereotypes, complacency, complicity, enabling and entrenchment are all at play and require time, energy, responsibility and determination to break down. It’s my view that this movie missed an opportunity here, and its lack of a better ending - one that we ALL deserve, is evidence that THAT ending would not be so successful in making money.

Inspirational or Unhelpful?

So, while this movie is fantastic in sparking these conversations in homes far and wide, I wish that it had been an opportunity to inspire women and girls to lead a NEW kind of solution rather than reinforcing the belief that gender equality is a fight that has to be won by one side or the other.  

It is not.

A Different Solution for Dorset

The Dorset Women’s Charter sets out 10 evidence-informed Standards across the full spectrum of life that women (and non-binary and gender fluid people) should be able to expect from life. From inclusion, health, safety and politics to education, economics, sport and the arts. It has inclusion and collaboration as core values and offers solutions to system-wide challenges.

Read more here and, if you like what we’re doing, say “I’m In!” here.

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