the madszine

​I would be interested in who first misconstrued the ideal that Barbie represented. Who first began to teach little girls that they needed to look like Barbie and not be like her. We as a society place so much weight and prominence on the importance of appearance. Barbie’s achievements as a doctor, an astronaut, and a politician are pushed to the side in favour of her ‘perfect’ face and ‘perfect’ body. Her biggest accomplishment became her body and her raison d’etre was taken amiss – from empowering young girls to be able to do anything they wish to do, to becoming those same young girls’ competition. Who first told the girlhood of the twentieth century that their achievements were only relevant if they were backed up with the ability to visually appeal to men. As a child I hated Barbie, I never wanted ‘to act like a girl’ and therefore have to withstand the relentless mocking of my male friends. I never played with dolls. I wish I had.

Misandry and misogyny never have been, and never will be, the same. In many literary incompetent one-star reviews Barbie (2023) has been referred to as an act of ‘gender war’ or a film that is ‘anti-man.’ Ken’s job is beach, men’s job should be being butt-hurt. The greatest injustice committed in Barbieland in the beginning was that every night was girl’s night. Girls-only sleepovers excluded men but they did not harm them. Within hours of the forming of Kendom the Barbies were being objectified and sexualised in maid costumes; waiting on the kens hand and foot.

In a patriarchal society, men control the jobs, and in that vain they control the money – that means that they control the lives of women around them. Men pay women they are estranged from to look ‘perfect’, to act like porn stars, servants, a walking construction of their deep fantasies. They do this to coerce the women who love them into looking and acting like that for free. Women mature faster because we are told we have to. We look out to the world that surrounds us and no longer see the limitless opportunities that women like Barbie forged paths to. Instead, we see the brick walls of responsibility for others’ actions crushing in on us. From when we first go to school with a pile of books and ribbons in our hair, ready to learn, we are educated that we are responsible for boy’s behaviour. Our peace is shattered by ‘the problem boy’ being thrust in between us and our friend so we can have a ‘positive influence on them’. If they continue to cause trouble the blame is then cast onto us, at five years old. We become responsible for our male friends ‘hot takes,’ our partners ‘emotional outbursts,’ and our bosses ‘workload pressure,’ we become unpaid therapists of the unseen eye.

Barbie was never our competition she was our friend, our sister, and our playmate. She was the carrier of our dreams and hopes of girlhood. The first doll that taught the world that girls could aspire to be something other than a mother.

Barbie was badass. I owe her an apology. They owe me an apology.