Barbells and Barbie
Takeaways from the Barbie Blockbuster to Bring Back to your Barbell (+ Moreover, your Fitness Mindset) This Fall!
As a little girl, I was not super into Barbies. 🤷♀️
I played with baby dolls, and, likely due to my somewhat puritanical, religious upbringing, I felt kind of ill at ease when my cousin bequeathed her Barbie house, all of her Barbies, and what felt like the entire line of Mattel outfits and accessories to me when she outgrew them.
I managed to squeeze all evidence of my Barbie doll collection into a dark corner of my closet, where I mostly ignored and forgot about them, with the exception of an eager friend or two who discovered them over the years and wanted to haul everything out to play with them to the point that they became Weird Barbies.
As a result, when I heard that a Barbie movie coming out, I wasn’t entirely interested…until I saw the first teaser trailer:
This Stanley Kubrik reference kicks the Barbie movie off right, with a nod to Kubrik’s perfectionistic high standards, paired with a wink to let the viewer know: “get ready — this is going to be FUN!”
After 18 months of hype, including the somewhat unexepected fun of the double-release of Barbenheimer, director Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie finally hit theaters in July of 2023, smashing box-office records with a $356 million opening weekend globally; which is the highest-grossing opening ever for a film directed by a woman.
The film follows protagonist Barbie (played by actress Margot Robbie) and her sidekick Ken (played by Ryan Gosling) on a journey of learning and self-discovery following necessitated by an existential crisis.
This smart, funny, and unexpectedly deep film showcases a star-studded ensemble supporting cast, including America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Helen Mirren, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell.
ANYWHO, if you’re alive and have the money to go to the movies, you probably at least know some of this and have perhaps even seen the movie at least once if not multiple times by the point of my writing, mid-August. I personally saw Barbie for the first time with a couple of my gym girlfriends and then again with my husband, because it was just too good not to share. For the record, he was equally entertained (as he should be).
I am tickled that every woman I talk to about the Barbie movie — from young girls to grandmothers — has felt seen and validated by this film. They also all were genuinely entertained and just enjoyed the film.
While this is something that I often joke with my husband that boys and men have in common (i.e. the ability for a grown man to play the same video game as an 8 year old boy and be equally entertained and engaged), it is not common for women and girls to have shared interests that engage and entertain across ages and life experiences, so this felt like a particularly special touchpoint.
I find myself continually returning to the broader themes of the movie and wanting to reflect on those in a little more depth. While the film was simply delightful to view (and I strongly recommend watching as many of the making-of YouTube videos as your heart desires, because it’s fascinating to hear some of the behind-the-scenes of Greta Gerwig’s work bringing this iconic story to life), peeling away the top, pink, wrapped-in-plastic, layer to get to the deeper stuff is where I find myself wanting to focus. So, let’s go on a journey of self-reflection together!
We begin the film with a walk down memory lane and the halls of history as narrator Helen Mirren reminds us of the ever-expanding influence and diversification of the Barbie Doll and later, introduces to the Barbie Doll Inventor and Mattel Co-Founder, Ruth Handler.
Even Barbie skeptics like me are lulled into the realization that Barbie really did provide little girls, who grew up into strong women, with a visual representation of all they could be — from doctors to athletes to lawyers to mothers to the President!
Of course there’s a hitch when the viewer realizes that Barbies living in Barbie Land are under the impression they’ve fixed all feminist issues, for all time, for all women in the real world — clearly not the case. 🤣
As a woman in the real world (America Ferrera), who grew up with Barbie, struggles to make sense of her sadness in a new phase of life, her anxious thoughts and feelings impact Barbie and her experience in Barbie Land.
Thus the journey to Barbie’s self discovery kicks off as most journeys do: through a somewhat self-centered, aesthetic worry and anxiety: potential cellulite and flat feet 😅😂
While the impetus for Barbie’s journey may not be the deepest or most meaningful, as with most journeys of self-discovery, along the way Barbie learns a lot of lessons and the film peels away the plastic, candy-coated exterior to get to the deeper stuff rather quickly! 😅
My Top 3 Takeaways from the Barbie Movie
Barbie takes on big issues like sexism, patriarchal norms, and female self-determination and self-acutalization with grace and gumption. For me personally, the top 3 takeaways I’d like to dive into and explore in more depth include:
- The Value of Intentional Female Friendship
- The Necessity of Discomfort for Growth and Change
- The Power of Female Agency
One of the best moments of the film is actress America Ferrera’s monologue on the never-ending complications and contradictions of being a woman, ending with a line that resonated on a deep level for me, personally:
“I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us.”
In Ferrera’s own words, about the monologue:
“It just hit me as the truth. There’s no woman in my life who those words aren’t true for…not a single one. And when we hear the truth, it hits in a certain way, and you can’t unhear it, right?”
💥 TRUTH.
Luckily Gerwig eases the viewer into this moment. First, we are treated to a simply-too-cute intro in which the Barbies in Barbie Land wake up in a Perfect, Sunny existence in which women are the ones in power and Kens are…just Kens. 🤣
Takeaway #1: The Value of Intentional Female Friendship
As we are introduced to Barbies who play chess poolside, fly airplanes, run the Supreme Court, serve as President, and go to Space, we are re-comforted by the narrative that anything is possible when women come together and believe in themselves (and perhaps have the help of a kind and supportive ally in the process).
Later in the film, when Barbie returns from the nightmarish Real World with a severe case of existential dread and depression, Ferrera’s monologue snaps her out of her funk, and they realize all the Barbies have been brainwashed by the patriarchal ideas Ken brought back with him.
Who saves the Barbies? They do. They come together, once again, talk sense to one another, wake up to their reality, and take their power back. No damsels in distress in need of rescuing to be seen. Gerwig seems to be projecting the message: “Hey women everywhere! You are not broken, nor do you need to be saved or fixed. You have everything you need right inside of yourself! A Good Friend is one who helps remind you of that when you forget”.
In a series of empowering monologues to the Barbies (and rather emasculating scenes for the Kens), each Barbie is brought back to herself by her girlfriends (and Alan, their ally) and in so doing, Gerwig reinforces the value of intentional female friendship.
The takeaway? While you should always have your own back, it’s great to have a girl gang who will be there for you, and speak the truth you need to hear, when you need to hear it. The film seems to say: choose your friends carefully, and work hard to maintain the relationships in your life that truly matter.
Takeaway #2: The Necessity of Discomfort for Growth and Change
When Barbie and Ken arrive in the Real World, Barbie is immediately made concscious of…herself…for the first time. ☠️
While it’s a funny scene, it’s also a little bit sinister as the viewer realizes that Barbie feels this way due to the body objectification she is experiencing from the men who surround her.
At the exact same moment, Ken begins to truly enjoy himself, and, as he becomes increasingly enthralled with and curious about the patriarchy, determines it’s time to bring his verision of it (which mostly involves horses and and faux mink fur coats) back to Barbie Land so that he and then other Kens can have more power.
Barbie finds herself extremely uncomfortable beneath the male gaze, arrested more than once, and crying multiple times: “first I got one tear, and then I got a whole bunch!”; as she learns to experience the full range of human emotion. Later, when she returns to Barbie Land and finds herself at her lowest point, she nearly gives up from the pain and discomfort, preferring to pass on digging in and doing the work to fix things and hoping someone else will take up the cause.
Thankfully, Barbie meets some kind, supportive, wise women along the way — Gerwig’s portrayal of women of all ages and the mother-daughter relationship is powerful.
As Barbie learns from the women who have gone before her and paved the way for young girls, she wakes up and realizes she can still fight and change things for the better.
Instead of tapping out from the discomfort, she uses her negative, uncomfortable experiences in the Real World as a spring board and impetus for change back in Barbie Land—engaging in post traumatic growth! Gerwig seems to be telegraphing the message: “it may be messy and uncomfortable to grow, but it’s worth it! What you want is on the other side of discomfort, so go there!”
Takeaway #3: The Power of Female Agency
This brings us back to the most important takeaway of all: that women of all ages and experiences have agency to be who they want to be and do whatever they want to do in life.
The power of female agency and autonomy is underscored by Barbie’s careful, intentional decision at the end of the film (set to the beautiful score “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish). Barbie chooses to leave behind her dollhouse days and join the Real World as a Real Woman…a real woman who will feel hard feelings, struggle, create, and grow; a woman who will even die one day…and yes, a woman who has to go to the gynecologist, along with the rest of us, while she has the joy of living! 😅
Bringing these Takeaways Back to your Barbell (+ Moreover, your Fitness Mindset) This Fall!
I’ll leave you with a few questions and prompts for reflection when it comes to your fitness journey and how you might want to feel this fall:
Takeaway #1: The Value of Intentional Female Friendship
- Do you have a strong AF girl gang that supports your fitness goals?
- Do you look forward to your gym time because you get to see strong women who build you up and who you get to build up in return?
- Does your coach or trainer make you feel like the strongest version of yourself while encouraging you to get stronger every day — physically and otherwise?
Takeaway #2: The Necessity of Discomfort for Growth and Change
- Where might you need or want to get uncomfortable to grow and change?
- What goal have you potentially been postponing or avoiding that you might really want to dive into, even if it puts you outside of your comfort zone?
- What would it take to reach that goal? Do you need support? Community? Accountability? A Clear Program?
Takeaway #3: The Power of Female Agency
This is perhaps my favorite, because it ties so beautifully to my Mission and Values of my business, Build with Becky.
- Build with Becky Mission (aka my North Star, what my company exists to be doing, my purpose):
Empowering Strong Women to Become Even Stronger
- Build with Becky Values (aka the culture I promote in my program and fitness community:)
Approachability
Curiosity
Agency/Autonomy
Evidence-Based
Final Questions for you:
- Do you feel strong and empowered? Supported and surrounded by like-minded, intentional, strong women?
- Is your fitness program well-structured, evidence-based, approachable and flexible?
- Do you find yourself curious and eager to grow, learn, and change in big-picture, long-term trajectories that inspire you, despite the sometimes short-term discomfort involved?
- Do you know that you get to decide how your fitness journey looks and feels? That you and nobody else has the agency and autonomy to choose a program, a coach, and a community that resonates with you?
If any of the above questions resonate with you, and you’re looking for more, I would absolutely love to welcome you to my signature monthly strength training program, Build with Becky. You can get a little taste of it in the video below; you also join my newsletter, read testimonials of current clients and learn more about me at my website. Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions via email. And, for free workouts and mindful moments be sure to follow me on YouTube!
It’s time to recognize and own our own strength and power as women! 💪 Whether that is physical, mental, relational, social or another aspect of your overall health and well-being— I am here to support. Let me know what that looks like for you! 💜
