Greta Gerwig's newest feature has the best side effect: acknowledging cognitive dissonance by seeing the Real World on the screen
So I finally got to see the "Barbie" movie... and what a nice surprise it was!
From a couple of reviews I'd checked beforehand, I knew I should expect a lot of ironic dialogues and acid, thought-provoking humor that stripped some of the stereotypic and misogynistic behavior that we have to deal with in the "Real World."
But this movie has also unlocked in me different emotions and epiphanies that I haven't experienced watching a long feature in quite a while.
As Barbie sobbed about not being good enough, I saw her. I saw me.
As Barbie discovered what it felt like to cry, my suddenly-watering eyes reflected my own aching parts, which the movie was very precise in touching.
Throughout the film, I went from laughing to crying to remembering, questioning, and understanding (in all possible orders).
As Barbie sobbed about not being good enough, I saw her. I saw me. I reminisced on moments I felt the same — and still feel. When judgmental eyes remain skeptically looking down on us no matter how hard we work, how smart we are, and how much we mean it when we tell it.
(This also reminds me of a piece I designed in 2021, inspired by a personal reflection on sexism I'd written a few years before — see below.)
And when a more self-aware Barbie spoke with a sobbing Ken who was in the middle of an existential crisis on the upper floor of his now-destroyed "Mojo Dojo Casa House," (😂) I saw him too.
I was reminded of the reasons why many guys out there feel intimidated and try so hard to show their false superiority instead of just admitting their mistakes and vulnerabilities.
"How can she do that if I can't?" may be one of the unanswered questions haunting them as they desperately try to rationalize our power and abilities.
Well, that's what they were raised for... and Barbie reminds us that Ken is a product of that.
"How can she do that if I can't?" may be one of the unanswered questions haunting them as they desperately try to rationalize our power and abilities.
The main (and best) side effect of seeing "Barbie" is facing cognitive dissonance due to the discomfort of being confronted with reality through the movie screen. But that's the only way out of "Barbieland" toward self-awareness and actualization. We all need to step on these stones — flat feet on the ground — right now.
Brilliantly done, Greta Gerwig! May discussions arising from this film lead to transformative psychological reflections and cultural epistemologies!
Love,
Ana Clara.
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