by Hiruni Manawadu
Barbie, the movie that rocked the world. It had been a long time since the world had this sort of excitement about a single movie, let alone one that’s not a male led superhero movie. Maybe this is because of its intriguing cast, its viral marketing, or its simple uniqueness. Though many people greatly enjoyed the refreshing whimsicality, others had complaints, claiming the movie to be too sad or serious. While I personally agree that too much of the movie was filled with philosophical ideas, the message of the movie seems to be lost among these criticisms.
To me, Barbie was a movie about the individual. And everyone will interpret the movie differently. I felt that it was about identity, and the way that the female identity is shaped by others’ perceptions of you. However, that’s just my interpretation, but I wanted to see what other people thought. Here is what some Pace students had to say about the Barbie movie:
I think that the message was how the patriarchy has control over women and how women have to be one thing or how if they weren’t pretty, they weren’t good enough.
- Lily 8th
I think the message was about independence and independence with women.
- Emmy 6th
I thought the message of the movie was that in the real world it’s a patriarchal system and that’s it.
- Oliver 8th
I thought it was do what you wanna be, and be anything.
- Ansley, Isabella, Gabby 8th