Hi, Barbie!
We are now just days away from the release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, and we can barely contain our excitement. As the world prepares to visit Barbieland on July 21st, the buzz around the film has gone from memeable to memorable.
The trailers are teasing at what’s to come: Warner Bros dropped the music video for ‘Just Ken’, an angsty but campy musical number performed by Ryan Gosling. The press tour continues to wow us with pink everything, Margot Robbie’s iconic Barbie-themed wardrobe, and the endless brand collaborations. Seriously. If you can think of it, Barbie’s marketing team has probably done it. It’s endless.
And, it’s only getting bigger - on Wednesday, fans flooded Leicester Square in London to see the stars on the (fittingly) pink carpet. Margot Robbie was all dolled up as the 1960s Enchanted Evening Barbie in a custom Vivienne Westwood gown, complete with classic pearls and opera gloves, and Ryan Gosling brought the Kenergy with a pastel blue Gucci suit. Obviously we have to include Amelia Dimoldenberg’s TV News Anchor Barbie look - everyone’s leaning in.
The star-studded London premiere follows the world premiere in Los Angeles on Sunday, where Nicki Minaj and Billie Eilish made their appearances. Both artists are included in the line-up of the highly anticipated Barbie album, which also boasts singles from Dua Lipa, Lizzo, and Charli XCX.
The hype has whipped the world into a frenzy. Suddenly everyone loves Barbie, and they should. The movie trailers promise a theatrical fantasy-comedy turned existential, and from critics’ early reviews, it looks like Gerwig has delivered a masterpiece.
Yet, Margot Robbie only joined the cast on one condition. Our starring Barbie, who is also the producer of the film, worked with the director to create a flick that’s fun for everyone. Robbie insisted that the movie be as inclusive as possible, with a cast that reflects Mattel’s new diversified doll line. Speaking to Time, the actor explains her feelings on the issue - “I don't think you should say ‘This is the one version of what Barbie is, and that’s what women should aspire to be and look like and act like.’” And she’s right - not only would this make Barbie so bland and confusing to watch, but it just wouldn’t speak to its audience in the way that it has. Barbie isn’t just one thing, and that’s what makes her fabulous. Right on, Robbie.
Ryan Gosling has also been speaking on the power of representation. “This guy’s story does need to be told,” he says to GQ, “I care about this dude now”. According to Rolling Stone, the Barbie director “wouldn’t take no for an answer” when it came to casting Gosling as Ken, insisting that he was her one and only choice for Barbie’s boyfriend. Honestly, it was genius - fans are gushing over Ken’s trailer appearances. Gosling comes off as a comically devoted boyfriend to Barbie, but he can also steal the spotlight with his own angsty musical number, ‘Just Ken’. In a world where a Barbie can be a Supreme Court Justice, and our leading Ken’s job has just been ‘beach’ for 60 years, it’s a necessary component to Barbie’s story.
In an interview with Letterboxd, the director Greta Gerwig reveals that one of her biggest inspirations for Barbie was the dreamy ballet scene from Singing In The Rain, and she knew Gosling would be perfect for her “Marlon Brando meets Gene Wilder” approach to the character. But Ryan Gosling as Ken is also hilarious. Gerwig commented to The Times that her first choice for Barbie’s boyfriend “made everything so heartfelt - but also so funny”. We must say, it’s super refreshing to see Gosling commit to the role.
The wonderful women behind Barbie are worth celebrating. America Ferrera, who plays a Mattel employee from the real world, didn’t grow up playing with Barbie dolls - she says it might've had “a lot to do with not feeling seen and represented in that world". But Ferrera is a part of the change that this movie is catalyzing; a line of fashion dolls that speak to all girls, everywhere. Issa Rae as President Barbie, Hari Nef as Doctor Barbie - each lady working on this film brings more life to Barbie as an ever evolving symbol of what women can be and do. Barbie is a feminist piece for its unabashed adoption of hyperfemininity in all its glorious forms. And, needless to say, Ryan Gosling is championing the Kenergy movement.
The fabulous thing about this movie is that, like the trailer tagline says, it's for you, whether you love Barbie or you hate her. And for those who are undecided, Margot adds, “If you haven’t thought about Barbie in years, this movie is for you”. There’s something here for everyone - thanks to the work of Gerwig, Robbie, and all the Barbies and Kens, who have truly created something fantastic out of plastic.
Personally, I’m absolutely thrilled. If you’re like me and you grew up with the animated Barbie classics (which I still unironically love), this film is a reconnection to childhood fantasies of princesses, mermaids, and fairies. Catch me in the theater dressed as Erika from The Princess and The Pauper.
In case you couldn’t tell, we’re completely obsessed. So grab your tickets while you can - a cultural moment like this is not to be missed.
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