In his series “Music Selection Makes the Movie,” music director/critic Yuji Shibasaki examines the role of pop music in movies.
He closely examines Margot Robbie’s “Barbie” for its fourth installment. Barbie dolls as a motif, this film tackles various social issues such as gender, and there are some similarities to Netflix’s works. On top of that, the soundtrack, produced by Mark Ronson, featured some of the leading pop musicians, is also something to mention.
While Shibasaki acknowledges the film achieved focusing on social issues and its excellent use of music, he also points out that these elements would only show the movie consciously paying attention to them. Shibasaki’s thought is also a reflective critique of today’s pop culture, including the film industry, where meta-metaphors have become the norm seeing that finding meanings in easter eggs in games has accelerated.
This article contains spoilers for the movie.
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A film reflected a strong awareness of modern issues
“Barbie” risked creating a live-action version of the most popular fashion dolls. The film has been a dominant topic throughout the year among recent new movies, with massive promotion even before its release and a huge hit in the US.
Directed and co-written by Greta Gerwig, starring and produced by Margot Robbie (Barbie), with Ryan Gosling (Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken) in a supporting role, the film detached the original Barbie image as a kids’ toy and landed on a bold vision: for adults in many ways.
The history of the Barbie doll dates back to 1959. The first Barbie doll, developed by Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler, was a model of a high-teen female, breaking with the conventional wisdom in the toy industry that toy dolls were supposed to resemble babies. The doll’s tall figure, blonde hair, and other characteristics that made it the “ideal American woman” were highly acclaimed as innovative toys. However, at the same time, they were often criticized as reinforcing outdated gender norms and “femininity.”
The variations of Barbie dolls, which rapidly diversified over time, challenged the old gender perspective, or so-called “domestic ideology,” which sought to bind women primarily to the private sphere (the home). In addition, the “Black Barbie,” “Hispanic Barbie,” and the “Dolls of the World” series, which featured Barbie in the folk costumes of various regions of the world, expanded the diversity of race and ethnicity. Barbie eventually became an icon that embodied the image of an autonomous modern woman in the age of globalization.
Naturally, the film “Barbie” is deeply rooted in the history of Barbie. Still, the film covers a wide range of social issues, including criticism of romantic love ideology, patriarchal structures and toxic masculinity, gender performativity, the existential crisis of modern man, mental health issues, and even bull-shit jobs.
