Far from a feminist utopia

One wonders whether, had the film come out a week or two earlier, this pink wave rolling into cinemas across the nation could have had a greater influence on voters and the results of the election might have been more conclusive

Jennie Rhodes

Friday, 28 July 2023, 18:11

Apart from the drought in the Axarquía and the wildfires in Greece, the other two 'hot' topics this week have been the elections in Spain ... and the Barbie film. Of these two, it's hard to tell which has caused the biggest sensation.

However, expectations seem to have been surpassed for Greta Gerwig's movie, while neither Pedro Sánchez's Socialist PSOE party, nor Alberto Feijóo's conservative PP party, managed to woo the public enough for either to come anywhere near an absolute majority.

Some of the issues at the heart of the left-right debate leading up to the snap election included stances on feminism and in particular gender-based violence, with concerns that, in order to form a government, the PP would have to form a coalition with the hard-right Vox party who have been heavily criticised by the left for their views on gender issues.

What was clear in the election though was that of the four parties that won the biggest percentage of the vote, PSOE, PP, Vox and Sumar, it is only the latter that has a female leader. Male leaders are unheard of in Barbieland, well, until Ken gets a taste of patriarchy in the 'real world' and tries to take over upon his return to the hitherto feminist utopia.

Much like the left-right divide on what to do about women, Gerwig's film addresses not only two sides of the Barbie debate; is she a feminist icon or an out-of-date stereotype of the western beauty ideal? But also patriarchy in today's society. In Barbieland, the women are in control, from president, to Nobel prize winner and of course all the construction workers are barbies.

Every night is girls' night and the men (the Kens of course) seem to be aimlessly ambling through Barbieland with no particular purpose, but everyone seems happy enough until the pair go to the real world, where Ken gets a taste of patriarchy and what it's like to live in a man's world.

Everyone at the cinema going to see Barbie was wearing pink. This seems to have become a thing since the film premiered across the world last weekend, coinciding with the Spanish elections. If you visit the Sumar website, it is unashamedly pink and clear on its feminist and LGBT agendas.

While there are no explicit references to the LGBT community in the film, SUR reported this week that it has been embraced by Malaga's transvestite and drag queen collective.

One wonders whether, had the film come out a week or two earlier, this pink wave rolling into cinemas across the nation could have had a greater influence on voters and the results of the election might have been more conclusive.

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