Barbie and the Power of Pink
So who here has seen the Barbie movie? I hope you all raised your hands because not only is Barbie now the highest grossing film directed by a woman, but has broken numerous other records including being Warner Bros. highest grossing film to date. That’s right, a female helmed film about the trials and tribulations about being a woman is now considered one of the most successful films ever made (cut to 10 years from now when Barbie will be eligible for entry in the National Film Registry and I predict the nominations for its entry will come pouring in).
Now that you have a little background on the major crack Barbie has made in the glass ceiling of Hollywood, let’s talk about the most distinctive feature of Barbie, her signature pink color scheme. For so long traditionally feminine things have been considered less-than. Girly things like makeup and fashion have been seen as frivolous. And the color pink has always been the punching bag for unreasonable misogyny. God forbid a man wear a pink shirt and threaten his masculinity. But then there’s Barbie, with her pink world of endlessly stylish clothes, perfect hair, and permanently painted eye lashes looking the epitome of the girly girl. And along with all that pink comes countless successful careers, financial independence, a full social life, and an afterthought boyfriend. For me Barbie always symbolized the possibility of not having to sacrifice ones femininity in order to be successful or to be taken seriously. Sure she’s a doll that has caused constant controversy since her inception and people still minimize her as just a children’s toy with no real influence at all. But if there’s one thing the success of the Barbie movie has proven it’s that Barbie is not just a doll and pink is not just a color.
The scene in the film where Barbie approaches Sasha at school in her hot pink cow girl outfit and Sasha scoffs back in her oversized black hoodie and jeans, brought me right back to the internalized misogyny of so many girls I knew growing up who made fun of any feminine expression, covering up in dark baggy clothes, refusing to shave their legs, teasing other girls for wearing makeup. All of this was a way of putting down other women and their means of expression. Here’s the thing; there’s nothing wrong with baggy clothes, not shaving, not wearing make up. Just like there’s nothing wrong with dressing in pink from head to toe, having smooth Barbie plastic legs, or covering your face with glitter. It’s all about what makes you feel the most like yourself. And Barbie is always unapologetically herself. Hence her strutting around Venice Beach in a rhinestone studded pink outfit. And that’s why the movie’s message is so powerful; that no matter what you’ve accomplished, how confident you are, how you dress, you can never please everyone. Which makes her start to ask herself why do people hate her just for being herself? If the color pink could talk I think that’s the question it would ask, making Barbie the perfect personification of pink and its many contradictions.
Since the hype of the Barbie movie started, audiences have been warned that they’ll never look at pink the same way again. But I still see pink the way I always have; as the color of joy, happiness, peace…and power. Because pink has always been a polarizing color, it is much more powerful than people give it credit for. Whether you cringe at the solid pink isle of Barbies and accessories at the toy store, or relish in the various shades of Barbie’s dream houses, pink causes a stir unlike any other color. And Barbie keeps her pink no matter what; see her pink Birkenstocks at the end of the film. Because pink is a part of her that she refuses to give up. Pink means never having to compromise who you are.