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Milestone: Evie’s very first trip to the movie theater. She rated it a perfect 5/5 Z’s by sleeping through the entire thing, while I sat there realizing Greta Gerwig had somehow turned Barbie into a conversation about womanhood that actually mattered.
The vibe
On the surface, it’s all camp and color: dream houses, rollerblades, sequins. But Gerwig uses that artifice to slip in something heavier—the absurdity and exhaustion of being asked to be everything, everywhere, all at once, without complaint. The comedy works because it’s self-aware, but the satire works because it cuts too close to home.
What resonated
- America Ferrera’s monologue. Easily the centerpiece of the film. Hearing the contradictions of womanhood laid bare—be strong but not threatening, ambitious but not selfish, attractive but not vain—felt like someone finally stopped gaslighting us and just said the quiet part out loud. It wasn’t subtle, but it didn’t need to be.
- Margot Robbie. I freakin’ love her. She gave Barbie the kind of fragility and curiosity that makes the character more than plastic. Watching her wrestle with questions of worth and identity mirrored a process most of us never escape.
- The Bratz nod. I grew up a Bratz kid, not a Barbie kid. That little Easter egg felt like an acknowledgment of the kids who never saw themselves in Barbie’s perfection, who wanted something edgier, messier, more real.
What didn’t
Some gags overextended themselves, and a few pacing hiccups showed up in the middle. But those flaws were small compared to the cultural punch the movie delivered.
The bigger takeaway
The genius of Barbie isn’t that it’s pink and funny—it’s that it sneaks emotional truth into a cultural icon designed to sell plastic perfection. It’s a story about learning that identity doesn’t come from who the world wants you to be, but from choosing who you are when no one’s looking.
Final thoughts
Barbie is bright, satirical, and sharper than I ever expected. It’s both a critique and a love letter to the complicated business of being a woman in the world today. 4.5/5.
Evie snoozed, I reflected, and my inner Bratz girl walked out in chunky heels, smirking at Barbie for finally catching up. 👠✨
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