I’m a Barbie Girl

The Background

Although I hide it well but I have been a Barbie fan since I was a little girl. (If you did not know from my website – I love the colour pink) I have always loved variations of pinks because not only does it look GREAT on me but its a colour that is so feminine and beautiful. So I am sure you can start to gage my excitement about the Barbie Movie coming out this year.

Growing up in the 90s, Barbie represented being able to be whatever you wanted to be when you grew up. The world was limitless and free for your imagination. Whether it was an astronaut, a reporter, a doctor, a businesswoman – you could be ANYTHING. You just had to imagine it and you were it. Barbie represented freedom and Independence; not codependence like what I seeing in real life. As a Pisces, my imagination runs extremely wild and I tend to look at the world with rose-coloured glasses. I am extremely delusional with the life I want to live and tend to act accordingly. If you ask my close friends; they will tell you I am not normal.

The Tillyah Take

Probably should not admit this but I played with different variations of Barbie dolls well into my early teens (as in 14/15). Mainly because I do not have many family members my age but also I was the weirdo and I could always be myself with my Barbie. That one solidified my bond with her and all her variations.

To give you context – I am the youngest of 8 and my sister before me is 12 years older than me. Everyone is older than me and so by default I was uninteresting to my teenage/early twenties siblings. I have quite strict parents and they did not allow me to go to sleepovers, so automatically, my dollies were my sleepover companions. Whenever I was with cousins my age – they were always boys; so ash from pokemon and Barbie regularly had wrestling matches. Thinking back, my formative years set me up to be a solo traveler and be able to wonder the earth delusionally (I know that’s not a word) and I love that for me!

As I got older, the warped perception of Barbie made me not want to openly speak about loving the doll. Barbie rapidly became a symbol of oppression for many women (shout out to toxic feminism). Barbie now represented the standard of beauty, the unattainable perfect woman contrary to what I grew up believing about the doll. I love how the film debunked that!! Barbie coming to the real world and experiencing what its like to be a woman in LA was a really good idea.

In the movie, Barbie goes from supporting all different types of women in Barbieland then turning around to punching a man for acting inappropriately in the real world. Literally embodying the doll I grew up loving – violence is always the answer and you will be arrested for it. She is more than the ideal shape of a woman and she is not for the male gaze – very clear message.

The Movie

Like any typical day in the life of a Pisces; the Barbie movie starts with the world and everything in it being perfect but quickly descends to chaos when a morbid thought pops into Barbie’s head. (Sorry, but this is every single Pisces’ experience DAILY) You could be going about your rose-coloured delusional day and BOOM a morbid thought pops up. Then it rapidly switches the trajectory of your month. Just like that.

Yes, I am speaking from experience.

In addition to the very obvious ‘Piscesness’ of Barbie, the narrator breaking the fourth wall when Barbie was having her existential crisis was HILARIOUS. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil too much for those of you who are waiting to watch it. I just want to quickly comment on the fact that Barbie, throughout the movie did not wear any rings. When I watched the movie the second time on Monday 24th July. Barbie don’t need no man and if she wanted one, it is her choice.

I mention this because many times in reality, women are the accessories – an addition in men’s lives. The movie flips this on the head and Ken is an accessory to Barbie. Ken waits for Barbie to just look at him and that makes his day. See how ridiculous that is? Going to leave that there…those who get it, get it.

All in all, I loved the movie, so much so I had to write about it. I sincerely hope you go watch it. Although Barbie as a doll seems like its for little girls, this movie is equally for everyone. The nostaglia and the innocence of the movie is beautiful. I genuinely think it’s on the same level as a legally blonde and a Princess Diaries.

Have a Barbietastic day!

Love and Hugs,

Tillyah