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thoughts on the barbie movie (2023)

So I caught Barbie (2023) on the day of its release in the UK after work.

I thought of dressing up: I put on a blushed red top, black maxi skirt, and a black leather jacket; drew on my eyeliner and slapped on a pinkish-red lip. It gave the impression I was about to do a Barbieheimer marathon.

The movie started with Barbie going about her day and was struck with thoughts of death, a patch of cellulite on one of her upper thighs, and having flat feet. I guess the cellulite part would have caused multiple controversies, so I see why the advertising editors left that out of the trailers.

She eventually went to the real world because Weird Barbie (Kate Mckinnon) told her she could stay in Barbieland (choosing the high heels) but she'll remain flat-feet with cellulite. Ryan Gosling's tight-chested and bronzed Ken followed her because he has such big golden retriever energy and just wants Barbie to see him for him.

While Barbie dismisses Ken to think, Ken realised, in the real world, that patriarchy would make people respect and pay attention to him and the Kens back in Barbieland. So, with several misguided books he checked out from a high school library, he brought the idea back into Barbieland.

I think that was the part that struck me. Yes, the movie was smashing the patriarchy, but in its stead, it is proposing that women should rule men and relegate them to a secondary class—basically it's a matriarchy, so the patriarchy but women instead of men.

It reminds me of two things: one, Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman; and two, women in the "real world" who rise to top ranks but perpetuate patriarchy ideals of capitalism and competition over collaboration and mutual benefits.

While Barbie was more similar to Herland's depiction of what happens when women are in power, there are subtle crossover with the latter. The women, or rather Barbies, are more-or-less on equal standing, although of course Margot Robbie's stereotypical Barbie seems to reign supreme above the rest. This movie is after all about her journey. However, the Kens, Midge, and event Allan, are all secondary to Barbies. So, while at the top all the Barbies are democratic, at the bottom every other character does according to Barbies' bidding. It tracks the ideas several other movies of before where in order for women, beautiful women in particular, to succeed, they have to be the "men" in the situation, and men has to take a backseat with little to no power. (I think the movie manage to get away with casting predominantly attractive people is because Mattel is a commercial company that takes toys that fit an ideal of what consumers are conditioned to recognise as pretty/attractive. Everyone knows that.)

Also, it got me wondering who are the target audience of this movie. Is it millennial and Gen Z girls who grew up playing with Barbie dolls, or the upcoming generation Alpha who will shape the future of power dynamics and capitalism? Because as a millennial woman who has had a Barbie doll whose hair I tried chopping and whose mother has made her doll clothes, I left the movie feeling indifferent. The 'So what?' thought echoed in my head as I walked home at midnight, wishing there was more of a satisfied ending—but what it is, I could not tell.

Maybe I'll need to sleep on it.

#barbie movie #personal

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Keep reading

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sheffield 2k18

#My Pictures

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wow, i’ve actually forgotten how long ago my update was that there are some stuff on this tumblr that brought back memories

memories vs nostalgia

sometimes, i can’t tell the difference either. nostalgia is a sentimentality evoked from memories but memories do carry their own fair share of sentimentality

i would love to pass it off as “i don’t know” but somehow i remember my psychologist telling me that when i “don’t know”, i’m just being lazy to think, to probe further, because i like to escape from the real issue

whatever

so many things have changed since i was last heavily active on tumblr. simply put, i grew up and got boring i’m not sure if i just “grew out of” things or did i just become boring and lose interest in everything honestly, i really hate who i am now and i bet the younger me hates me too

#perks of being a kay #personal

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i have not been posting here for the longest period of time. it’s not really a procrastination of sort, but maybe it is a form of avoiding. avoiding facing life, reflecting on the things i’ve done, the person i’ve become. a way of not noting down what has changed to pretend that it never existed. that it never happened.

it’s the same reason why i stopped writing in my Book of Feels, why i stopped recording my feelings. have i lost sense of them all? i don’t know.

but by not recording them, there will be no way of remembering them, to recall them at will because it was never set in stone.

anyways, i’m starting on my decluttering journey towards minimalism. i’m seriously so fed up with owning so many things that i do not need, that hold a sentimental value that i can no longer recall and for what? if i have none in my heart, why do i place such high values on things? i know part of me do this because i literally hate feeling for people.

people change. material things don’t.

so maybe naturally i turn to things that are fixed. but it gets a little silly, doesn’t it?

i’ve managed to clear half my wardrobe by clearing my head first. as long as i do it quick, the emotions that are attached to the items do not come. i know i’m keeping all the uni-based tees for memory sake only, and all the dri-fit tees that are unflattering and uncomfortable, but i’ve tossed the ugly class tees from secondary school that i do not like, so that’s a start.

at least now i take lesser time to think what to wear, considering that i have lesser clothes so it is definitely easier to see what i have and what the mood calls for.

most of the clothes that i rarely wear but am still keeping are either:  - for specific non-everyday occasions or  - because i want to sell them    (which is annoying because no one wants to buy them and they are rarely worn)

i know this is an endless journey but growing towards being minimal is definitely my end goal. and hopefully this mentally last a life time and is not some phase i’m going through 

#perks of being a kay #minimalism

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WANT ^

(via craziesandweirdos)

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^ want

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^ me and sushi

#picture words

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👆 need

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I’m working on a new one for y’all right now but in the mean time, here’s the one from my 2015 pep talk calendar.  Since I’ve got just a few left, you can get your own here for 20% off with the coupon code “aprilshowers” hooray hooray

Hope you all have a stellar month.  Everything will be okay.

Love always, xx Hannah

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You can be Christian and suffer from a or many mental illnesses. It could be depression, severe anxiety, social anxiety, bipolar, anorexia, or anything. God is not disappointed in you, expecting more of you, or condemning you “why don’t you believe in me enough”. All He is saying is “Come to me. Let me carry you, you don’t have to go through this alone, I’m with you and that is a promise

Unknown (via godmoves)

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People in their early twenties still refer to people older than them as “adults”. When do you think they stop… and realize… they are adults

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why do i have the same pained expression in both pictures?

#My Pictures #perks of being a kay

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^ i want this!

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So, yesterday i have confirmed/booked/made payment for my trip to HANOI!!!!

#perks of being a kay #kk wants to travel

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this is me, basically