Barbie: Slaying box office records because of the relatable woman’s narrative
By Marivir Montebon
New York - I ticked off the movie Barbie Tuesday as part of my week’s agenda. It was a fine decision, worth my time and money.
Barbie was hilarious, unexpectedly deep and in touch with today’s uneasy social reality - the subliminal power structure of gender that makes women invisible but overwhelmed with expectations to make other people better.
First of all, message is key why the movie reached such colossal Box Office record of $155M on its opening day, July 24. Writer and director Greta Gerwig broke through the glass ceiling here because of Barbie’s message: love yourself, be yourself, be considerate in dealing with existential crises.
Filipino Barbies? This writer and friend Nieva Quezon.
I was screaming inside me - yes, finally a woman filmmaker and writer surpassed all time Box Office records. Of course, this is a natural consequence if the movie’s message is appealing to women and children.
Gerwig and life partner Noam Baumbach’s work have actually bolstered profits for Mattel. In the past, many girls have lost their interest for Barbie who’s stereotyped white and pretty. (Barbie doll, in fact, was not a favorite of my daughter Leani). The company had to widen its narrative of representation: black Barbie, Asian Barbie, doctor Barbie, and so on.
Then there’s the mother-corporate slave Gloria (America Ferrera) in the real world who slayed the message in her monologue, prompting Barbie (Margot Robbie) to love herself. I held my breath while listening to her. “You have to be thin, but not too thin; You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas.
You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman, but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful.
You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory…”
The movie reminded me of an old story, The Best of All Possible Worlds, where everything was perfect and good, that suddenly, everyone was bored. Just like Barbie who was curious about death in her perfect fantastic world. That’s simply how it is, life needs to have meaning and to have the same old values of self-love and respect for one another.
Gerwig did a phenomenal job. It’s interesting that she showed how the world of fantasy and reality can contradict and then come to terms with each other, to make for a happier, more respectful life. # (Photos by Nieva V. Quezon)
