The Barbie Movie - And Our Ongoing Search For Humanity

I just saw the Barbie movie. The movie is based on a story of how Barbie and Ken (starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling) and their adventure as they travel out of Barbieland and into the Real World in order to save Barbie from a possible life of imperfection. 

(If you haven't seen the movie yet, warning – you may want to stop reading now as I’ll be sharing a few spoilers)  

There was one scene that seemed to have raised some eyebrows and had people wondering about its relevance to the movie. 

At one point in the movie, Barbie sits down on a bench with an older woman in the Real World. As Barbie stares at the woman quite intently, you can’t help but feel Barbie’s curiosity and wonder with who this woman was. Afterall, Barbie is the icon of beauty and perfection for women and neither she or any of her friends have ever aged.  

As Barbie looks into the face of this older woman, Barbie’s emotions fill up as she feels this woman’s wisdom and experience through their stare. Barbie then says to the woman, “You’re so beautiful”. To which the woman responds, “I know it”. They both then share a smile and laugh. 

First, let me share the relevance of who this older woman was and why this scene was important.  

The older woman on the bench was Ann Roth. She is 91 years old and an Academy Award Winner for costume design. She has never acted before however she is a good friend of the Director, Greta Gerwig. It was suggested that this scene be cut however Greta declined to do this. She said,

“Barbie is the emblem of plastic perfection, I was like what better journey to give than one that gives her humanity.”. 

To me, that statement encapsulates exactly what this movie was about.

Our search for humanity. 

When I initially left the theatre, I just thought it was a fun, often sarcastic movie on male dominance and the continued need to focus on female empowerment and equality. It also gave a nod to our overarching fear of death.

But here is rub. I couldn’t stop thinking about the movie.

To me, when a movie leaves me thinking about it after I leave the theatre, there is something more to it. 

When I got home, I started to research and read about the movie and its intent. After I read Greta Gerwig's statement, and thought about it more, I found that so many of the scenes lacked humanity.  

Humanity is defined as; “compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition : the quality or state of being humane”. 

In both the plastic Barbieland as well as in the Real World, humanity seemed to be lacking everywhere. People were concerned with their own lives and their self promoting interests. The only places that humanity really appeared was within the two scenes in the movie with older women. The scene on the bench I mentioned earlier and another scene where Barbie’s creator (also another older woman played by Rhea Perlman) allows her to see and feel what humanity really is and to then allow her to make the choice as to what type of life she wanted to live. 

I think the Barbie movie is much more than a story about trying to live a plastic and an unrealistic life. It’s even more than the challenges that women experience fighting stereotypes and societal expectations. It dives into much deeper waters – one of them exploring our view of humanity and the type of world we would really like to create and live in. 

Hopefully it is a world where we are all relevant, equal, supported and appreciated. 

If you're interested, here is the Barbie Trailer;