Haris Haris

Brandon Smith 2 months ago “Either you’re brainwashed, or you’re weird and ugly, there is no in between” - Barbie That one line perfectly sums up the Barbie movie, there is no in between, just black and white, men and women, strong and weak, smart and stupid. While this is not even remotely the truth and Barbie is a satirical take on such views, there are moments where this does not appear to be the case. It should be obvious that not every stupid person is a hillbilly who hates progressive thinking or liberal tendencies and not every intellectual is a know-it-all with dyed hair who is afraid to get dirt on their hands, but there are scenes in Barbie that tread dangerously close to the same opinions that it parodies, opinions that would otherwise be viewed as extreme if not for the over saturation of pink. Director Greta Gerwig was born and raised in a Sacramento neighborhood where the average annual salary is 6 figures. For anyone who has actually visited Sacramento, San Fransisco or San Jose, I’m sure you instantly understand how their struggle is not even close to your own. Gerwig probably doesn’t even know the true meaning of the word, so for her as a world renown director and actor to dish out any sort of criticism whatsoever is ridiculously hypocritical. Perhaps the Patriarchy (a term used insanely often) is a real thing in Getwig’s little slice of Californian paradise or within the movie industry, but it hardly is for the rest of us who are actually living in the real world. When was the last time YOU struggled with feelings of acceptance that can be directly tied to male ideals? Do you even believe that men are the ones responsible for the unattainable image women constantly strive towards? How about your boss or upper management, I know that you can name multiple women in such positions. How many men are responsible for those female college athletes who pose half naked on tik tok or instagram? Maybe a man imposed NIL and the seemingly endless benefits that college student/athletes are taking advantage of, but they aren’t to blame for endless amount of females exposing themselves online. The point is that Gerwig’s views are so antiquated that it’s sad to see anyone acting as if Barbie is a revelation. Gerwig is a guilty accomplice to internet idiocy and the continued spread of misinformation and Barbie is the strangest (although I’m sure she views it as an extremely clever) choice of a vehicle to convey her message of displeasure with the Patriarchy. Ruth Handler created Barbie and then served as the president for Mattel for over 30 years, something Gerwig chose to leave out of the film and even tried to make it appear as though women have served a secondhand role in the evolution of Barbie, meanwhile the actual creator was a major part of the company for 3 decades. Swing and a miss Gerwig. Barbie is what happens when one of those pretend intellectuals (Gerwig) make the assumption that people aren’t intelligent enough to see through her smoke and mirror circus which further illustrates how disconnected she is from the views of actual people. If a movie can’t just simply be enjoyable without using the stereotypes of a race or gender, then the director should be ready to get destroyed onl