On Sunday, January 7, the Golden Globes aired a series of sexist jokes directed towards Greta Gerwig's film "Barbie." The host, Jo Koy, was greeted by the absence of laughter, uncomfortable smiles and blank faces for his distasteful humor, along with lots of backlash from the general public.
When comparing "Barbie" to the film "Oppenheimer," Koy exclaimed how “Barbie is a movie about a plastic doll with big boobies” and later followed up with “The key moment in 'Barbie' is when she goes from perfect beauty to cellulite and flat feet — or what casting directors call ‘character acting.’” This arrogant sense of humor should not be dismissed as yet another male comedian making sexist jokes, for Koy’s commentary directly undermined the main premise of the movie.
"Barbie" is more than a pretty face — she represents that women can be whoever they want to be. In Barbieland, women can be presidents, doctors and even mermaids. With a slightly satirical attitude towards the toy Barbie, the film "Barbie" effectively rebrands the popular children's toy by capturing the woman’s experience as a complicated and beautiful mix of societal expectations and deep desires, and most importantly, by asserting happiness is not dependent on perfection. Essentially, the film shows young girls and women you are good enough just as you are, and you don’t need to conform to societal ideas of what beauty and success look like. As actress America Ferrera, who plays Gloria in "Barbie," says in her captivating monologue: “You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you are good enough.”
As demonstrated by "Barbie" winning the Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, this widely popular film moved people everywhere. It captivated the attention of young girls, women, mothers and grandmothers as the moving film showed each and every woman they are not alone and they are enough. Through creative humor, beautiful cinematography and inspiring monologues, Barbie effectively captured the female experience while tackling systemic issues like patriarchy to educate the audience about the root of impossible expectations, structural barriers and gender inequality at large. This film is truly a feminist masterpiece which opened the minds and hearts of so many people, and yet, even with all this creative genius, the main point of the movie was overlooked by one of its main target audiences: men.
This promising film holds the potential to shift perspectives and change mindsets. Not only is it digestible for people who have never dipped their toes into feminist theory before, but it is approachable for people, specifically men, who have never thought about feminism in this way. Feminists have been and continue to be looked at as a group of angry man-hating women, but this film shows this is not the case. Women want to feel like they are as equally part of this world as men. Women are angry, but they are mad at the system which subordinates women. It is about time we had a film made by women for everyone to better understand what it means to be a woman in modern society.
The film showed even Barbie, a representation of stereotypical beauty which adheres to societal expectations, feels like she is not enough. Our social expectations and unspoken rules were formulated into a structure which subordinates women. "Barbie" effectively demonstrates this idea and broadens the audience’s perspective. To have this powerful, inspiring and motivational film reduced to a shallow comment about Barbie’s appearance by a male comedian at the Golden Globes is disheartening as it awakens the audience to the sad reality its beautiful message can be easily overlooked. It is so important that specifically men see and understand this film because it holds an extraordinary power for them to develop a comprehensive understanding of gender issues and how they impact everybody, not only women.
Having an intersectional understanding of the world can promote a shift in perspective which can influence the way our social institutions operate. Education is the first step towards creating sustainable change which upholds the dignity, equality and worth of all people. Along with education, storytelling is an important and overlooked tool in activism. Sharing our experiences not only allows people to relate to us, but it also creates space for people to share their own experiences to generate conversations about important issues many people face. Additionally, this also creates a community which encourages people to feel like they are not alone while stimulating feelings of hope that change is possible.
While formal education and conversations are so important in creating an impact and adding to important discourses about social issues, I believe art is the most important tool in creating social change. It allows you to reach a wider audience by inviting people to engage with the material. It is an approachable and digestible form of activism which allows people to easily interact with difficult and complex issues. Additionally, each person who views the artwork holds a unique perspective which allows them to connect with the piece on a personal level and therefore establishes a personal connection to the material. This is why I believe Greta Gerwig's film is more important than many people realize. It was able to reach more people than any other nominated film this year and able to deliver its important and impactful message through cinema. Films, art and music allow us to see, feel and hear things we might not have before, and this lasting impact is the first step in creating a community of people who share a passion for social justice.
Grace Sullivan is a sophomore at Notre Dame studying global affairs with minors in gender and peace studies. In her column, I.M.P.A.C.T. (Intersectionality Makes Political Activist Change Transpire), she is passionate about looking at global social justice issues through an intersectional feminist lens. Outside of The Observer, she enjoys hiking, painting and being a plant mom. She can be reached at gsulli22@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
