All shapes and sizes: Girgarre Primary School students Ryan Griffiths, Olivia Williams, Madelyn Taylor, Mayley Patten-Boers and Ruby Marjoribanks have not yet seen Barbie, but are excited about taking in the multitude of messaging that the Hollywood blockbuster starring Australia’s Margot Robbie delivers.
Even those who haven’t yet made the trip to Echuca’s Paramount Theatre — or travelled to Melbourne or Bendigo to sit in the reclining chairs of a Gold Class cinema — to watch Barbie will be aware of the impact the film has had on the world.
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Barbie has been a part of our lives since 1959, when the fashion doll was created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler and manufactured by American toy company Mattel.
The creator and company behind her rise to prominence are key components of the movie, which has a sharp satirical edge mixed with significant messaging on a variety of subjects relevant to modern society.
“Because Barbie can be anything, women can be anything,’’ was an early quote from movie narrator Helen Mirren, signalling the film’s perception of the strong role of females in the modern world.
While the claim Barbie had solved the female problems of the world was significantly tongue-in-cheek, the entertaining story follows the history of the doll while delivering intermittent messages of just where things have gone right and wrong in regard to the interaction between males and females in the past 60-odd years.
From the discontinued pregnant Barbie doll Midge, to a Pink White House complete with a female president, it was hard to take a breath between the constant social commentary that was part of the impressive storyline.
The “I am Kenough” reference later in the movie has attracted significant support and could be responsible for a return to popularity of rainbow-coloured men’s clothing.
While Ken and Barbie’s often dysfunctional relationship is a focus of the movie, there is the awkward presence of Allan (introduced in 1964 as Ken’s best friend) and then Barbies of all shapes and sizes.
“Every night is girls’ night” is an early catch-cry from the stereotypical Barbie played by Margot Robbie, who at times questions her own mortality and adopts the polar opposite of her early appearance footwear in an interesting, to say the least, final scene.
Seeing a female-dominated community become home to Ken’s mojo dojo casa house — probably the quote of the film — is well worth a trip to the movies.
Pink ladies: Vitani Summers and Destinie Clark (back) with Lily Taylor, Evie Patten-Boers and Roxanne Clark — along with, of course, their Barbies.
