Questions about gender and sexuality plague the evangelical church. Books on the topic are proliferating. In that context, it’s understandable that some folks see the new Barbie film as another volley in the gender wars. But Greta Gerwig’s latest project is far too layered to be read through a literalist hermeneutic. Rather than offering a blind affirmation of feminism or a critique of patriarchy, the movie explores how we use ideology to bypass the messier work of growing as humans. Consider Ken’s character arc. Forever condemned to be “just Ken,” he finds his identity through his relationship with her. He follows her into the Real World, one where men rule but more importantly, feel seen and valued. Ken carries this idea back to Barbie Land as a shortcut to his own growth. The movie tracks with Christine Emba’s recent observations that modern men are in a widespread identity crisis—as if they didn’t know how to be. This loss of self, she argues, is what fuels the popularity of right-wing masculinity. Eventually, Ken reckons with the roots of his discontent, which are less about social order and more about an abdication of self through posturing and performative identity. Barbie’s journey, too, is directed away from gender stereotypes and toward mature personhood. But unlike Ken, who learns his own value, she learns to embrace her own imperfection. Both Barbie and Ken venture beyond plastic tropes to discover their full (and sexed) humanity. The movie is a kind of retelling of the Fall. In both Genesis and Barbie, a prototypical woman reaches for forbidden knowledge and then offers it to her male companion. Both are met by a loss of innocence and exiled from perfection.
Some See ‘Barbie’ As A Retelling Of Humans Leaving Eden
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