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The ‘Barbie’ Paradox: Greta Gerwig’s Cinematic Tightrope Between Artistry and Commercialism
How Greta Gerwig works within the capitalistic confines of Mattel
Just months ago, everyone and their mother was talking about Barbie, as one half of cinema’s biggest cultural phenomenon. Sure enough, the film was a resounding box office success for writer-director Greta Gerwig, as she became the first woman in history to solely direct a billion-dollar film. For a period of time, Barbie was untouchable — it’s a decidedly big win for women in cinema. But as most popular cultural products, critical discourse naturally invites itself soon after.
The main criticism lobbed at Gerwig? She is a corporate shill who sold her soul to a mega toy company. And Barbie is simply a two-hour commercial for Mattel, dazzled in glittery pink to mask its lack of artistry. For me, this sounds extremely cynical, and I’m not sure if I agree with this take.
In many ways, I agree that Barbie is indeed a toy commercial. It is a big-budget studio film backed by Mattel celebrating its most ubiquitous doll, and I don’t think anyone is trying to pretend it is not. But I see a mutual exploitation at play here. Gerwig taps onto Barbie’s cultural meaning to tell the tale of female self-actualization that she wants, because she…
