Barbie

You can go back to your regular life or you can know the truth about the Universe. The choice is yours.

Weird Barbie to Stereotypical Barbie

This summer the Barbie movie is sliding into movie theatres throughout the world.  Unlike the usual blockbuster movie, this coming of age story features a girl’s fantasy world as Barbie grows from a girl to a woman, from plastic to real, in a classic hero’s journey.  In the midst of her blissful ignorance the thought arises, “Do you ever think about death?” This disturbing thought forces her to leave the known confines of her play world to visit the real world. When her entry into the real world is discovered by the CEO of Mattel, played by Will Farrell, he cautions an all male board of directors, “No one rests until this doll is back in the box.” In a world where the patriarchy is trying desperately to put women back in the boxes we have worked so hard to break out of through measures such as denying access to abortion and birth control, Barbie comes cheerfully riding to the rescue in her pink sports car. Was there ever a more brilliant Trojan Horse?  Girly, innocent, unassuming, funny-who would ever call Barbie a feminist when even second wave feminists hate her? She brings an awareness of patriarchy into places intelligent thesis or hard- nosed facting could never reach.

The Barbie movie simplifies a major, maybe the major, problem we are up against in a world where in many countries the birth of a daughter is still cause for grief and the birth of a son is cause for celebration, where women have been considered men’s property and used as cheap labor.  The climate crisis, wars, income inequality, sexual abuse, homelessness and more can be traced back to this patriarchal system that puts everything out of balance for all of us, not just women. Many men respect women and want to see them thrive and some women, Phyllis Schlafly, Margorie Taylor Greene and Margaret Thatcher come to mind, go all in for the patriarchal system. The fates of men and women are entwined and all of us are adversely affected by this unfair system. Being for women is not the same as being against men just as believing that black lives matter does not mean that white lives don’t matter. That’s just sloppy thinking at best and a smoke screen at worst.

Right wing pundits are freaking out about Barbie ruling her play world while second wave feminists express anger at her unattainable proportions and ultra- sexuality, seeing her as setting women up to fail at being taken seriously. Being angry is a natural reaction to centuries of abuse, but it is not always the most strategic tactic when wanting to make changes. Some women have found effective ways to change the system from within. Dolly Parton is an excellent example of a woman who penetrated a male dominated industry with grace and humor while fully inhabiting her feminine nature with good humor with an open heart, making millions to boot! Like Barbie, she enjoyed her inner trollup. There is no need to give up make up, high heels or pink dresses, if that is how a woman is drawn to express herself, in order to be an effective voice for women’s rights. Tom boys, girly girls, ascetics and all shades of self- presentation are authentic expressions of femininity. There are as many ways to be a woman as there are women. We don’t need to put anyone in a box.

When I began my journey into Buddhism 50+ years ago I went through what my mother called my “Vipassana drab” period. I thought I had to dress plainly in order to be a sincere spiritual practitioner. But that wasn’t my true nature. I am a girly girl. I loved playing with Barbie dolls. Barbie gave permission to little girls like me to be a girly girl with big dreams. I remember one particular Barbie outfit I adored. It was a black fitted evening gown with a mermaid hem and long black gloves. I gazed at that outfit and dreamed of wearing it myself someday. When I became a singer with a big band I wore a rendition of that Barbie outfit. It was a dream come true, a liberation of spirit. Then, as I discovered Buddhism, Barbie chic was abandoned for vipassana drab. As I got deeper into the bones of Buddhism I realized that how I adorn myself has nothing to do with awakening. It is attachment to self that is the problem, not self expression. Repression of sexual self- expression through dress is one way most major religions keep women in their box.  I wanted Buddhism to be different, more evolved, but while travelling to Buddhist countries I discovered that the upper echelons of Buddhism are run by men and women are not granted full rights. When I realized that I abandoned vipassana drab and returned to expressing joy in my attire.

While leaving the movie theatre a girl was reported asking her mother, what is patriarchy? Seeds are being planted in far off towns and countries as the Barbie movie makes its way through corn fields, across oceans and all around the planet.  How great is it that this movie, full of bright color and humor, is introducing the concept of patriarchy to people who may have never thought about it, never questioned that this might be a problem. Within the folds of this delicious candy colored confection and laugh out loud dialogue lies a powerful message for us all. Thank you Barbie, Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig , Ryan Gosling and all the others who played Barbies with us. Ride on!