With the creative direction of Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie’s nuanced portrayal of Stereotypical Barbie, “The Barbie Movie” easily became the film of the summer. The film has accumulated over 575.4 million dollars, beating previous box office records and becoming America’s highest-grossing movie in 2023. “Barbie” also broke records in production, making the movie the largest opening for a woman producer. Greta was able to break records and become one of the world’s most-known female directors. Although the result of “The Barbie Movie” was such a success, the process was quite problematic.
Mattel’s first-ever Barbie Doll was released in March of 1959, a stick-thin, bright blonde doll: the epitome of societal beauty standards. Barbie for decades has been accused of promoting sexism, misogyny, unrealistic beauty standards, and eating disorders. Because of Barbie’s controversial background, writing “The Barbie Movie” quickly became a daunting task. People like Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway were given opportunities to write and star in the film during early development. However, sources say neither portrayed Barbie as “perfect enough”. In addition, Greta Gerwig did not attain film rights for “The Barbie Movie” until July 2019.
Inclusivity was a key element that the original Barbie doll painfully lacked. To introduce diversity while still maintaining the classic brand, Gerwig had everyone share the same title, either Barbie or Ken. Every female in the movie is portrayed as different types of Barbies including Lawyer Barbie, Mermaid Barbie, President Barbie, etc. Every male is a different type of Ken, Beach Ken, Tourist Ken, Artist Ken, and more. Although the same two names are used repeatedly, each individual is unique. The actors that portray Barbie and Ken are of different races, body types, and backgrounds to avoid uniformity.
(Carrie Dorean)
Huntington Beach High School (HBHS) freshman, Colette Dauterive, said “‘The Barbie Movie’ was impactful for women, girls, and men alike. [It] told the message that women have tried to put into words for years: there is no way to meet society’s standards as a woman.”
The Barbie Movie uncovered personal insecurities both men and women have struggled with to help individuals feel more secure about themselves. Not only was Greta Gerwig the only producer who was able to portray Barbie correctly in the eyes of Mattel, but she also was able to change Barbie’s perception.
Archetiecual design also played a major part in the success of “The Barbie Movie.” Gerwig brought Barbie Land to life, a world consisting of dreamhouses, perfect landscaping, and lots of pinks. She wanted to emphasize the creativity of a child’s imagination, that way younger kids would enjoy the film as well. According to sources, Gerwig used so much paint on the set of “The Barbie Movie” that there was a worldwide shortage of a specific pink.
Gerwig was able to reach multiple audiences and age ranges through just one film. HBHS junior Staysha Parker said, “This movie is very impactful to young ladies and teen girls, and their dreams of Barbie and wanting to relate to her because she is inspirational.”
Greta Gerwig rebranded Barbie with “The Barbie Movie.” She added uniqueness and originality to the doll, while also making a record-breaking film everyone can enjoy and relate to. She allowed viewers to understand the struggles of womanhood while encouraging others to embrace their individuality.
