OFF THE BEAT | Creating a cultural shift and dialogue for women

My outfit consisted of a slicked-back half ponytail, a one-shoulder pink dress and nude heels.

My friend and I had lunch while I was adorned in my Barbie-core outfit, and every single person in the building was staring at me. Hell, one of the line cooks just stood in the middle of the kitchen staring at me without saying a word as I ordered.

I couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable and overly conscious of my body. So later, watching Barbie herself perfectly describe the feelings I felt as she first entered into the “real world,” I knew this film would resonate.

While I’m not the co-writer of “Barbie,” Greta Gerwig, I do know what I felt and took from the movie. For me, this film is about what it’s like to become a woman before you are mentally ready.

As a woman who grew into my figure before I was an adult, I struggled with how the world viewed my body and, by proxy, me. Seeing Barbie enter the real world without an understanding of sexuality and sensuality yet be treated as a sex symbol made me recall being sexualized at an age when adults had no business sexualizing me.

“Barbie” embodies the social struggles of women of all shapes and sizes in such a beautiful yet humorous way. While the depiction of the Kens could be seen as caricaturistic, many of the interactions with the Barbies have occurred in real life — from the Kens loving a woman who needs a man’s help, to Ken trying to kill himself because Barbie doesn’t love him.

The film explores what it is to be a woman in a profound way. When Gloria gives her monologue about being tired of the expectations of women and the impossible standards of a rigged system, I cried so hard my contact nearly fell out, because that is the struggle I feel every single day.

There was provoking commentary on the exploration of masculinity and the patriarchy. We see Alan become a prime example of the bystander effect — a male doll who knew what the Kens were doing was wrong but did not stand up on his own to say no.

Ken said leading was hard and he became way less interested in patriarchy once he realized it wasn’t about horses. That shows how often people can dive so deep into a system or fantasy and realize it is not at all what they thought it would be.

While this movie had wonderful social commentary, it also found ways to lighten the heavy existential load.

At the end of the movie, after Barbie decides she wants to be a human woman, and before the credits roll, she’s dropped off at an appointment with words of encouragement. The audience wonders what world-changing interview she’s about to step into and then comes to find, it’s a gynecology appointment. It was a great way to go out with a laugh but also create a natural ending, because what really symbolizes someone entering into womanhood if not a gynecologist visit?

By the end of this film, I was teary-eyed and excited to reclaim my femininity and body. While many criticized this film, I will remember it as what it really is: a compelling, whimsical and empowering story that likely will create a cultural shift for my generation.