Can a Malaysian feminist relate to the Barbie movie?
, the critically acclaimed film by Greta Gerwig that quickly became one of the year’s most successful movies, grossing aroundThe film’s message, which effectively reflected the problems that modern women have to confront in their day-to-day lives, continues to be discussed by many fans around the world.Despite its success, some have criticised the film for being a “man-hating” movie.
At the beginning of the film, Barbie is portrayed as a hopeful and naive young woman who lives in the perfect world of Barbieland. At the police station, an officer told Barbie that they loved seeing her in her leotard, reducing the woman’s worth to what she wears. Because that feeling is so familiar to female viewers, it is also quite uncomfortable to watch. We’ve all experienced the unnerving feeling of being catcalled or objectified for wearing clothing we like.The next pivotal scene is when Gloria gives Barbie, who is depressed and weeping on the floor, a heartfelt speech about how challenging it is to be a woman.
The mother then goes on to describe more relatable and frustrating aspects of women’s lives to be perceived as good people. We can all relate to what Gloria said because the majority of our issues stem from the same cause — the societal pressure to be perfect and the fear of being disliked. She then expresses her desire to be the person who imagines and creates ideas, rather than being a vision created by someone else, indicating her desire to take charge of her own life.