Barbie is a beginning, the rest is up to us
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Last week, I outlined “Slumber Party Feminism”: Gen Z and Millennial women’s recent return to girlhood after years of fourth-wave feminism ideals. A movement characterized by enjoying life being “just girls,” Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie played a large role in catalyzing this wave.
In just a few days, we’ll be seeing Barbie and Ken costumes everywhere. Our halloweekends will be filled with sightings of weird Barbie, patriarchal Ken and the other tropes from our screens. Barbie costumes are the most popular prediction for Halloween 2023.
While the “Barbie” movie has brought comfort to women, it’s also led to Mattel’s successful rebranding, and thus, a revival in love for its Barbie dolls and other merchandise. The “Barbie” movie and its effects are an indication of consumerism and the fundamental inability from branded content to be altruistic in today’s world. The movie may be empowering, but the lack of structural changes that have followed from Mattel may have tricked us into a false sense of progress. This isn’t the culmination of our feminist efforts by any means.
Mattel had a rough few years during the pandemic. Mattel’s CEO, Ynon Kreiz, attributed this to consumer demand falling outside of where the company is in the toy industry. In the Forbes article, he reassured that he had a plan to repair their shortcomings despite the pandemic’s responsibility.
Whether Mattel’s “Barbie” movie was part of Kreiz’s plan at the time or not, it worked decently. There’s been a 25 percent increase in Barbie toy sales since the film’s release, and Mattel stock prices increased since the first teaser trailers in late 2022.
Despite such positivity, a general criticism of the “Barbie” movie has been that it is a “2-hour long Mattel commercial” and the “marketing campaign of the year.” The most daring criticisms of Mattel have been surrounding its “femvertising” as a means of making enormous economic gains for their company.
The point then, if not a massive marketing effort, seems nonexistent. Could it be true that Mattel, a brand with historic controversial representation, or lack thereof, regarding race, body-shape and size and hypocrisies in their “feminist agenda” is bettering the world for women through a movie directed by a powerful female director and starring an onslaught of other powerful women? Seems like it.
But the point with Mattel’s involvement with this movie was never just to market, or sell products right away and see drastic gains off the bat: it was an act of preemptive public relations work, something that Mattel sees paying off long-term.
Arlo Stone | Digital Design Director
According to PR specialists’ analyses of trends in 2023, the concepts of authenticity and social responsibility seem to be nearing the top of almost every list. Cristina Hatem, a professor in the Newhouse School of Public Communications Relations, says this is due to pressure from consumers.
“Now more than ever, companies are called on to be authentic. Authenticity means they accept the choices they have made, and don’t try to hide those choices. Information is available, anyone can search their board, their profits, and so on. So companies realized it is better to be honest and upfront, even if what they’re doing is not the most socially acceptable or popular.”
As women, we feel comforted by a movie made about our struggles, with a female director and actual diverse representation. We may feel validated by the fact that the movie criticizes and pokes fun of Mattel and similar companies, who have a boardroom of idiotic men (cue Will Ferrell as CEO) and whose main objective is to sell products and make themselves more money. We might appreciate the recognition that we as women so often get pushed to the side, or even the basement, when we come up with the idea in the first place.
Just like Slumber Party Feminism, “Barbie” is comforting; it’s a reclamation of the girlhood we might have lost too early. But the movie’s lasting power in American society won’t stem from Gerwig’s beautifully executed feminist statements, but rather its genius public relations tactics, which help us forget that Mattel’s executive officers are majority male.
And that is exactly what Mattel did. The Barbie movie’s self-awareness was risky, refreshing and authentic — a message that basically screams “Yes we have issues! But! At least we are honest about them!”— and it has proven to be a success.
So now we love Barbie again — you’ll indubitably see more Barbie costumes than you can count this Halloween, and the movie will surely place Barbie dolls in our brains as we venture into motherhood in decades to come. Overall, good for women, and great for Mattel.
While I disagree with a common argument against the “Barbie” movie — that a toy brand should not be making any political statements or striving for social change — I do think that a commitment to a feminist message by Mattel without active change calls into question just how “authentic” their message was. And simultaneously, I am stunned at their public relations genius.
So as we take on our Barbie alter egos this Halloween, let’s enjoy ourselves and when we wake up on Nov. 1, let’s be aware. Allowing ourselves to escape to “Barbieland,” or Slumber Party girl-world for the night is well deserved. But it’s easy to get caught in a false sense of progress if we stay too long; and therefore crucial for us to continue the fight for real, active change by being wary and critical of brands like Mattel in the real world. After all, even our beloved Barbie chooses the real world over “Barbieland” by the end.
Maya Aguirre is a sophomore Magazine, News and Digital Journalism major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at msaguirr@syr.edu.
