The Irony Behind Barbie
- Deema Jony
- Sep 24, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 20, 2023
Many of the individuals who watched Barbie would agree that it’s not a movie for the light-hearted. Although some parts of the film were amusing, many tears were shed during the emotional scenes, such as Gloria’s speech on how impossible it is to be a woman due to the impractical standards that females face every single day. In the movie, Gloria explodes into a beautiful monologue about how contradicting being a woman is: "You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin... You're supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you're supposed to be a part of the sisterhood..."
Gloria's speech is one prominent part of the overall message of the film: that women are perfect just the way they are, and shouldn’t have to bend and twist themselves around just to be liked and respected by society. Instead of absorbing this beautiful message about womanhood, some women are doing quite the opposite of what the movie intended, completely ignoring the overarching idea of the film. In fact, these women had one idea running through their head while walking out of the movie theater: "I'm gonna go get botox to look just like Barbie, a doll that was severely criticized for looking too unrealistic, and forget the whole point of the movie I just watched."
After watching the charming actress on screen, many young women are rushing to mimic Barbie's appearance. Although there’s no harm in wearing pink blouses or throwing on a blonde wig just to look like Margot Robbie (trust me I don't blame you), many cosmetic procedures have gone viral on multiple forms of social media, such as Tiktok and Instagram. On Tiktok, the hashtags #BarbieShoulders, #BarbieArms, and #BarbieBotox are trending with over 11.2 million views. One viral procedure in particular named “Trap Tox” slims the neck down by injecting botox in the trapezius muscles, creating a look similar to Barbie’s long and slender neck. The botox functions as a neuromodulator, meaning it stops the contraction in the muscle by breaking up communication between the muscles and nerves. Although the neurotoxins were deemed safe, many doctors claim that if not injected properly, the botox can weaken the surrounding muscles in the back, paralyzing the area for months. While some claim that licensed doctors can ensure the safety of patients, many inexperienced workers are injecting and distributing the Trap Tox. Since unsupervised medi-spas are legally allowed to offer Botox, nurse practitioners and even hairdressers working at the spa may be the ones injecting treatment. Doctors are also cautioning younger patients about the treatments, since taking Botox at such a young age with a strong immune system will eventually weaken the effect of other products. So, is the film Barbie doing more harm than good, despite its positive intention? Other than physical damage, there's a lot more being done by this movie.
In my eyes, the revival of Barbie as a trend is also reviving many body image issues in women. One US survey which was conducted after the release of Barbie discovered that 82% of 1,000 women believe that Barbie portrays “unrealistic body expectations” for both little girls and women. One in two women also admitted to comparing their own bodies to the idealistic bodies of the dolls. Many medical professionals also share the same outlook, such as Samantha Decaro, the director of education at an eating disorder treatment center located in Philadelphia. When asked about the impact of the film Barbie, she stated: Eating disorder therapist Jess Sprengle from Texas also claimed that “some of the movie’s messaging may have gone over folks’ heads…”. It's clear that while the purpose of Barbie was to empower and inspire women, it unintentionally maintains harmful beauty standards that impact the confidence and body image of young women. Although it's pretty ironic, it's also sad that Barbie inspired many women to change themselves to look like a silly plastic doll.
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Something to think about is that the movie has a very attractive cast. Therefore, the message about body/general lie positivity can feel inauthentic. Is it fair, though, to blame the movie specifically, or is this an industry-wide problem?