MY FAVORITE Barbie movie is Barbie: Fairytopia (2005) because Elina inspired me to dream bigger and gain my own wings, but it’s also because I wanted my own Bibble. 

My favorite Barbie playset growing up was the Princess Vanity featured in Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses (2006) because I wanted to become a ballerina and a princess at the same time, even if it seemed impossible.

My favorite days are when I am wearing my Barbie pambahay, playing with the “Cali Surfer Barbie” who is living in the fancy Barbie Bed and Bath Carry Case, and repeating the pirated CD of Barbie Diaries (2006) until it gets scratched.

When Barbie (2023) came out, I felt like I was twelve years old again doing the most Barbie-crazy things—because at that time, Barbie made me feel like I could do anything when I was with her. However, when the illusion and hype died and the criticism came out, even Barbie could not protect my little childhood reminiscing.

If we’re talking technicals, Barbie is a pretty good movie. Crafted by Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer, the film’s mesmerizing set and production design takes us back to our vibrant Dreamhouses. The brilliant Jacqueline Durran’s costume design feels like each thread was taken carefully from our well-loved Barbie dolls, and the script—courtesy, of course, of Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach’s mastery—was exceptionally delivered by the talents of top-billing actors.

Thus, it’s a bit disheartening when it has been a month and all you can hear is how they say Barbie is “entry-level feminism” and discredit its influence, despite thousands of girls crying in the cinema and finding solidarity. Maybe America Ferrera was right when she said that it’s hard to be a woman and please everybody.

You cannot expect an almost two-hour film to attempt to encapsulate deeper and more complex feminist ideas—not when so many girls and women have not been able to access the fundamental ideologies before watching Barbie. I cried watching America’s monologue because the feelings and insecurities I have never had the opportunity to unpack since I was a pre-teen were suddenly being put into words—but here it was: simply stated with no subtexts and hidden meanings.

Maybe Barbie really was not meant to be revolutionary in a way that it launched a new wave of feminism like many thought it would; personally, Barbie was revolutionary with how it made feminism more accessible across generations and cultures.

If anything, these critiques and discussions just mean that we still have more work to do. As evidenced by the success of the blockbuster, new generations of girls are waiting to dive into the next level—if Barbie was Feminism 101, then it means we have more people in line for Intermediate Feminism where we can grasp more intricate feminist ideas.

There have been a myriad of films that also depict various facets of the female experience—and maybe Barbie is the newest addition that can introduce audiences to this rich collection. After all, Barbie is not the be-all and end-all. A multitude of layers and years of feminism are still yet to be nuanced the same way Barbie made feminist themes more digestible to the general audience.

Years from now, Barbie will be remembered as many things: as the brighter counterpart of the double-feature trend with Oppenheimer, as Mattel’s first attempt at building a cinematic universe, or even as a movie that was both loved and hated by many for a multitude of reasons. However, in the future, I hope that I get to defend and retell the story of how Barbie continued its legacy of comforting and fighting for generations of girls everywhere—the same way Barbie lived, played, and dreamed bigger alongside us.

Rei is a Communication senior expecting to graduate from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2024. Passionate about creative breakthroughs in media studies and advertising, Rei hopes to chronicle pop culture and trends as they come and go—one human-centric story at a time.

Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed by the opinion writer do not necessarily state or reflect those of the publication.