What can be said about the that has not already been said? Barbie Movie The film comes to us in a tumultuous time, and journalists have used its expansive release to make a variety of geo-political and socio-economic commentaries. The , as Barbie is being released on the same day as a moodier and more depressing feature ( , AMC says booked double features for the two films). merits of Realism Vs Escapism were discussed Oppenheimer N.B more than 20,000 moviegoers Chinese imperialism was also addressed in the context of the (source of maritime border conflicts), which saw Vietnam block Barbie’s release, and the Philippines request the line to be blurred. 9-dash line controversy Finally, the movie comes out as Hollywood wrestles with and a . Should Barbie have Thoughts on , and ? Probably not, but here we are. declining ticket sales massive labour strike Artificial Intelligence economic equality sex trafficking I have limited opinions on the above, other than the obvious ( ). What I do have qualms about is the movie being framed as anything other than a marketing ploy. In doing so, it tries to shed away the baggage the brand should still be very much atoning for. doing Bad Things is Bad Barbie director was recently . It’s a great read, but the below stands out as a baffling misunderstanding of the forces at play here. Greta Gerwig interviewed by the New York Times If there is a kind of earnestness that once would have precluded a director from “selling out,” it is the same earnestness that now precludes them from thinking about that notion at all. […] The movie is a celebration of Barbie and a subterranean apologia for Barbie. It is a giant corporate undertaking and a strange, funny personal project. It is a jubilant, mercilessly effective polymer-and-pink extravaganza whose guiding star turns out to be Gerwig’s own sincerity. “Things can be both/and,” she said. “I’m doing the thing and subverting the thing.” This paragraph makes no sense. Greta Gerwig selling out. There is nothing wrong with that; she is a successful and thoughtful director, with a solid track record, looking to level up and make a name for herself. is But we cannot pretend that the of a Mattel™ Licensed and Approved Barbie® Movie is to sell more Barbie dolls. When Gerwig says “ ,” the thing she’s doing is , and marketing is more than itself. purpose not I’m doing the thing marketing never “ ”, by definition, would mean making a movie that makes Barbies unappealing to the public, because The Thing is a toy that needs to sell to make Mattel shareholders money. Subverting The Thing Anything else is still “ ” : marketing a product with a new, empowered angle, to make it palatable again to parents who had fallen out of love with the doll. In fact, really Subverting The Thing would be Doing The Thing as it would have been 50 years ago, unappealing sexism and all. No one would want to buy a Barbie, then. Doing The Thing Willa Paskin (who wrote the piece quoted above) writes it best herself, but falls shy of making a direct connection: the film “ ” But why? “ ” speaks directly to women, mothers in particular, about the impossibility of perfection… …so we can feel great about buying perfect Barbies for our babies. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that the Barbie movie is good. It has to be good, or it wouldn’t be successful marketing. And that’s the issue with the discourse around the Barbie Movie: this is still the same company that sold dolls . The same company that made girls’ toys . And that’s without going into the obvious “glammed-up, male-gaze ready, hot-to-trot, blond, thin, high-heeled woman” issues. with a book titled “ ” how to lose weight happily say “ ” math is tough Just like Pride Month became popular for corporations , so is the feminism movement being by corporations. Should it become unprofitable to be empowering, directors like Gerwig will make movies promoting “Family Values” in the bat of an eye. And they will say “ ” the second 51% of the population agreed gay rights were human rights grabbed Things can be both/and. I’m doing the thing and subverting the thing. Barbie is a great movie. It’s fun. Just don’t try to pretend it’s anything other than an advert. Also published here .

This story contains new, firsthand information uncovered by the writer.

The is an opinion piece based on the author’s POV and does not necessarily reflect the views of HackerNoon.

Winner of Noonies 2020 for the award Hacker Noon Contributor of the Year - AUTOMATION.

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