Barbie movie 'iconic' monologue is BS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It hits different generationally.

"Modern women" won't find it to be a revelation.

Many older women will find it liberating.

Lots of (more clueless) men will find it thought-provoking.

More traditional or sheltered women of younger generations will find it novel.

There's value in that, even if there isn't value for you and me.

+1

Spot on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not that no woman is happy or that you can't be an imperfect woman. The monologue is mainly just about how the expectations for women are constantly contradictory, and this makes it hard ("impossible") to feel like you are meeting expectations because no matter what you do, it's wrong.

This, above. OP, you're overthinking this monologue, trying to parse every phrase and "find" where those things are actually happening, and when you don't recognize any of it in YOUR life, you're dismissing the whole monologue. PP above has it right. Expectations are constantly contradictory and the result is that some women at some times feel that whatever choice they make, it's going to be the wrong one to someone. If you've never had that experience, never felt the contradictions in expectations for you as a woman, well, you are fortunate indeed.

I'm wondering now how old the women are who are blasting the monologue and saying, almost with a shrug, that they haven't experienced those things and their lives are good. My life is great, but I'm older than most on this board, I think, and in my career especially, I sure as hell encountered those contradictory expectations many times in many ways over the years. Maybe those of you who are younger --30s? 40s? -- haven't had that same experience.

[Anonymous]

I hated the movie. I wish I could get back that time. Even worse I let me DDs watch it.

- female in my mid 50s

[Anonymous]

"Female."

Hmmm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Summary of OP: “I haven’t suffered personally, so nobody else’s suffering can possibly be real, because I am the main character.”

Summary of your post: "I consider myself a victim of the patriarchy and suffer every single day because of it. No one could ever suffer as I have."

Eh, nobody's saying that (and I'm not the PP to whom you're responding). Strange how visceral some of the reactions here are. It's not sobbing that one is "a victim of the patriarchy" to say out loud that many women in the workplace and at home often face contradictory expectations that can make them feel yanked in different directions. But that might be too subtle for those who instantly reject any discussion of such issues as mere "victimhood."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't like the monologue either especially the beginning..."it's literally impossible to be a woman"

It's not impossible. I am one everyday. So much of it was the helpless, victim role, but women never acknowledge how we feed into it especially things like beauty standards, plastic surgery, etc. Women put that pressure on themselves.

Did you never study even a little feminism? I mean, The Beauty Myth has many flaws but it covered this ground 30 years ago -- and was required reading in my high school in the 90s.

I agree with a PP who thought the movie was pretty dark (though fun!) and the monologue is not really the point of the story. I wouldn't be shocked if it was a late addition.

[Anonymous]

Omg. We already have a Barbie thread. JFC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't like the monologue either especially the beginning..."it's literally impossible to be a woman"

It's not impossible. I am one everyday. So much of it was the helpless, victim role, but women never acknowledge how we feed into it especially things like beauty standards, plastic surgery, etc. Women put that pressure on themselves.

Did you never study even a little feminism? I mean, The Beauty Myth has many flaws but it covered this ground 30 years ago -- and was required reading in my high school in the 90s.

I agree with a PP who thought the movie was pretty dark (though fun!) and the monologue is not really the point of the story. I wouldn't be shocked if it was a late addition.

I think it is a generational thing. As a Boomer, I thought the monologue was directed to Gen X women. My Gen X friends found the monologue to be very moving and touching, while my Boomer friends and I thought, basically, "No sh!t, Sherlock", and "Didn't we figure this out 50 years ago?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The move had a potential to be a great summer comedy. Instead, they were preaching about trivial issues for an hour+.

It WAS a great summer comedy, judging by the box office

[Anonymous]

Questions for those who found the monologue accurate:

Who had these expectations of you?
Who is putting this pressure on you in your life?

[Anonymous]

I also did not like or "get" this movie so I assumed I wasn't the target audience.

-- Black woman

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Summary of OP: “I haven’t suffered personally, so nobody else’s suffering can possibly be real, because I am the main character.”

Right.

But isn’t that the path of Barbie, too? She is living her perfect life but then she became self-aware? Once she did she all of a sudden had compassion for the weirdos.

There are clearly women, like OP and others here that are able to continue in their Barbie bubble. I was one until a few years ago. But a series of life changes caused me to basically rethink everything and I began to see the internalised messages that I was working from and how they were wrapped up in patriarchy.

It does so while being a heavily marketed, capitalistic movie based on nostalgic IP. Which is manipulative as hell, but also they way of things.

I liked the movie, even while hating it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Questions for those who found the monologue accurate:

Who had these expectations of you?
Who is putting this pressure on you in your life?

My parents

[Anonymous]

I did not enjoy the movie. I’m a 45 year old working woman. It was pandering and just a litany of reasons the world sucks for women. I hated the message it gave young women in that sense, that in the real world you are seen as trash. I know it was supposed to be thought provoking and show the power of Barbie (who represents women ) to change things but it fell hard in my eyes.

[Anonymous]

The entire barbie movie was a whine fest. So.boring.

It is a really bad movie they forcefeed us and tell us it is good. It's as bad as the first black panther movie which laughably won an academy award even though it is a horrendous movie.

If you preach enough you'll get a higher critic score and they'll tell you that you better like the movie because it is groundbreaking.