Barbie. Just Go See It Already.

There are plenty of articles out there about the movie and why you should go see it. There are also plenty of opinions out there about why many of you won't and you're certainly entitled to those opinions, but I hope you'll hear me out. If you knew me as a kid, (and even if you just met me), it probably wouldn't surprise you to find out that I wasn't a big Barbie girl. I did have a Donny Osmond doll though. I don't even remember if I ever had any actual Barbie dolls of my own. If there were Barbies to be played with, I was going to be Donny--purple satin pants and all.

For me, Barbie doesn't hold the nostalgia that she does for so many little girls. In fact, I think I low-key resented her because it felt a little bit like I was supposed to like playing with her--because I was a girl. I never thought about what she represented, or how she could be so many different things--a veterinarian, a teacher, a doctor even.

That's the thing--you don't have be a Barbie girl (or boy) to love this movie. It is about Barbie, but it's also about so much more. It's about all of us. It's about the society that we've built and what it's done to all of us as individuals--boys and girls. It's about trying to create a society where there is equal opportunity for everyone and that having a matriarchy isn't any better than the patriarchy we're currently living under. It's about figuring out who we are and living our own authentic existences. It's about making space for everyone.

This movie will win awards, I have no doubt. Ladies, I hope that you'll go see it. Men, I hope you'll go too. In fact, go with your ladies--and then talk about it afterwards. I've seen it twice already and know that I'll rewatch it for years to come. Apparently, I am a Barbie girl after all.