Why the Barbie movie is making some people uncomfortable

If you randomly ask a person from the street what they think about Greta Gerwig's new movie 'Barbie', chances are high that you will receive a negative response. Negative, irrespective of gender; and it would matter little whether they actually went to the cinemas to watch the movie or not. But why is that?

Before we delve deeper into that, let us talk a bit about Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze. What is 'Male Gaze'? 

It is the portrayal of women as an object of desire through the eyes of heterosexual men across different forms of media. Simply put, it is the sexualisation of women. Whatever media we consume, everything is curated from a heterosexual man's point of view.

If we consider movies across countries in the last twenty years, most of them, if not all, portrayed women as nothing but an eye candy for men, to devour with their gaze. The existence of the female characters does not add any flavour to the main plot of the story. In those, men are everything. Women are just there. 

A popular example of this trend is the inclusion of "item songs" in Bollywood movies, something that we grew up watching as children, being unaware of its social effects. 

Item songs contain provocative lyrics with music videos; women are seen performing provocative dance moves for men in skimpy outfits in these songs. Sheila ki Jawani, Chikni Chameli, Saki Saki are just a few examples of such songs. 

Women are heavily sexualised in item songs to attract more viewers to the cinemas. As you may have already guessed, those item songs have nothing to do with the main plot of the story whatsoever. 

Elements of item songs made it into the Bangladeshi media as well – not only lyrically, but also visually. For example, in the music video of the popular song Local Bus by Pritam Hasan ft. Momtaz and Shafayat, we can see a girl dancing amongst random men in a flashy dress. 

The most viewed part of that music video on YouTube is the part where the girl gets rid of her dupatta and changes into a flashy dress from a salwar kameez. This says a lot about what the audience consuming the content is actually interested in.

In most of these movies, women are just there to cheer and give the male protagonist a push for character development. Ananta Jalil's films are living proof of this. In all his films he is in the spotlight, and the heroine just exists there in the background. 

The recent blockbuster hit 'Prioyotoma' starring Shakib Khan is no different. It is a tragic love story that revolves around the life of the male protagonist, whereas the heroine is just there to act out the tragedy that changes the life of the male lead for the better… or maybe worse. 

Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" does not give into the popularised pattern of sexualisation of women. It does not follow the ever-so-popular pattern of the Male Gaze. Instead, it follows Female Gaze, where the movie is shown from a woman's point of view. 

It does not strip any character down to its sexual existence but looks broadly into the characters and their personalities within the film. Not a single character is sexualised in the entire movie. All the characters receive their well-deserved screen time and their personalities are presented boldly and gracefully.

Yet, why does it receive so many negative responses from men and women alike? The answer to that is the bold yet sarcastic portrayal of reversed gender roles. In reality, apart from a few female-led societies, most of the world is run by men. 

Women got their legal rights to participate in mainstream society as human beings, with opinions of their own, not very long ago. Hence, men, in this case, are triggered by the portrayal of men resembling how they treat women. Meanwhile, some women are so accustomed to the patriarchy in society, they are blinded by the screen of the male gaze on their eyes and they fail to see their own position. 

Some women will counter this with words like "Barbie is supposed to be a fictional character we enjoyed as a child. They did not have to make this political. It ruined my childhood." However, Barbie has always been a political existence. 

Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" brilliantly presented women's position in society and how they are viewed, by simply twisting the gender roles. Men could not sit and watch their kind being treated as lesser beings who are deprived of their rights in a fictional land for two hours, whereas that is the reality for women worldwide; in fact, worse.

In every era, men have been everything. Women are just there in the background at all stages of life. Through "Barbie", women get the chance to escape to a fictional reality where the Barbies are everything, and the Kens are just Ken. 

It is 2023 and it is about time we move on from the Barbie complex. Let us cheer on the Barbies in their journey towards self-discovery – to become anything that they want to be in the real world. Kens can join the adventure too. But make sure to buckle up! It is not going to be all butterflies and roses.

Jabin Tasmin Shatabdi is an English Linguistics graduate from North South University.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.