In the summer of 2023, millions of people worldwide rushed to their local movie theaters dressed in pink to watch the fourteenth highest-grossed film worldwide. The highly anticipated Barbie had quickly captured the hearts of viewers worldwide, especially those of the young girls and women watching. Equipped with both a gut wrenching monologue of what it meant to be a woman as well as a nostalgic montage of what it means to be part of girlhood, there was no denying that this movie had a significant impact on its viewers. However, many failed to understand the true meaning behind the movie and at the Golden Globes women around the world let out a collective disappointed sigh when Jo Koy compared the movie to another
blockbuster that was released that summer called Openheimer , and stating that “ Barbie was on a plastic doll with big boobies.” This joke not only reinforced what the movie stood for but it also fell flat for many women who held the movie dear to their hearts. All across social media many users posted videos and comments of what the movie meant to them and for my art piece I decided to take the words of those across the world to create a portrait of Barbie and what she stands for. In my piece Barbie says what patriarchal society expects her to introduce herself as, a plastic doll with big boobies, however, behind her are some of the comments shared on social
media in regards to the movie. Similar to how the movie teaches viewers that what is visible on the outside is often not as important as what is on the inside, I aimed to remind others that what is expected of us as women is never something that we have to be, that in fact we can be whomever we please to be if we just keep dreaming.
