Just a mom, taking her boys to the Barbie movie

Today I took two of my boys, 15 and 12, to see the Barbie movie.  Now I haven’t been much of a Barbie girl since I was 10 or so, but I had heard good things about the movie, so I went to see it with my ladies’ small group when it came out. It was phenomenal- funny, poignant, entertaining, and with great messages about the impossible standards placed on today’s women and what it means to be human and know yourself. America Ferrera knocked her monologue out of the park, and Ryan Gosling was made to play Ken, who is going through his own existential crisis.  I have since seen a lot of blog posts from men imploring other men to go see this movie. It is not just for women, and it is definitely not just a movie about toys.

I knew as soon as I saw it that I would try to get the rest of my family to watch it. I have always talked to them about how some groups are at a disadvantage in our society, so I knew they’d understand the message.  Since school started, the boys have heard a lot about the movie from their peers and started expressing interest in seeing it. The high school even had a Barbie vs Ken day as part of their spirit week, and Gabe’s house is doing a lip sync battle with one of the Barbie songs. 

Gabe loved it, both for the entertainment value and the message. Isaac was entertained by it and thought it was funny, but not great. He’s still a little young to fully grasp the deeper messages, but the groundwork is laid. I am trying to raise my boys to make the world better for those around them who don’t have the same advantages they have, and this movie supports that goal.  So watch it with your older kids, boys and girls. If the boys fight you on it, tell them there’s a big battle at the end.  Maybe leave out the part about it being a musical/dance battle. 😉