This blog post doesn’t have anything to do with the harp, but rather, it’s about pop culture!
Time to go see the new Barbie movie! I did and loved it! It is ALL about the old patriarchal system and the movie is quite thought-provoking. (I would actually like to see it again because there are so many nuances in it that I’m certain I missed in only one viewing.) I recently saw these interesting statistics:
- 84% of women and 77% of men say they believe the patriarchy affects the workplace.
- 82% of the men surveyed said the Barbie movie increased their awareness of the patriarchy in the work environment.
Further, the movie contains important messages for women’s self-empowerment and society as a whole. It is directed by Greta Gerwig, who wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach and the movie is breaking records, grossing more than $1 billion in box office earnings!
And when the character Gloria (played by America Ferrera) “went off” with the following quote, I wanted to jump out of my theater seat and cheer loudly!!
“It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.
Women have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass.
We, as women, have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother but shouldn’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people.
You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful.
You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line.
I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.”
If you’ve seen the movie, please feel free to share your thoughts with us …
