“Barbie” by Greta Gerwig is a film that, in a very subtle way, under scrutiny, shows the widespread problems of modern societies concerning gender roles, social pressure, and the unreachable standards of a perfect woman. Moreover, the film stresses the negative consequences of appearance over substance standards by showing how girls are reduced to mere commodities trying to fit into all the established societal patterns (Lubis et al., 29). What this essay will do in the end is apply the New Criticism approach to Gerwig’s “Barbie” film that will scrutinize specific characters, notions, and literary tools to prove that it is a satirical critical piece that commands the rectification of the viewers’ understanding of society’s expectations towards women.
This film is not merely about an iconic plastic doll named Barbie. Instead, it reflects the dynamic of contradictory gender pressures women face in the modern context. Gerwig’s Barbie embarks on an adventure that shifts between real and unreal, as she reveals impossible expectations regarding external appearance and success. Centering on the changeability of social acceptance and the madness of graphics, the film speaks of the central theme: the danger of social attractiveness and the dream of perfection. Scenes in which Barbie questions her unhealthy proportions and its strikes wrongness of aspirations to be perfect synonymize how ridiculous our culture is. In this case, the fleeting moments are not just a plot device but have different, symbolic messages telling the audience that the consumer culture pervades female socialization.
The literature world, with the use of literary devices, becomes a central character in the movie in its satirical portrayal. The irony of her fictional world, as portrayed against the complexities of her female life in the world of reality, is depicted repeatedly, especially in scenes where Barbie’s perfect Barbie Land life becomes a stark comparison with her reality. The humour of this scene is not in the fact that it is a contrast but that it shows a sharp representation of what a girl looks like against our perception of a woman’s ideal beauty. Besides, the picture applies to humour, particularly when showing the lifestyle in Barbie Land – a dystopia that fakely presents the artificial and falsely superficial society Barbie doll represents (Lubis et al., 31). Being a genuinely outstanding element of the mentioned “Barbie” by Gerwig is a play on themes of identity and self-love. Through her personification, Barbie develops from a model for perfection into one with authority that encourages people to look for acceptance and not to build their lives on unrealistic standards. This thematic investigation is mainly highlighted in Miranda France’s article in the Times Literary Supplement, where she demonstrates how the movie reveals the inherent contradictions of Barbie to which she intended it and, of course, the broader consequences these contradictions have on female popularity and identity.
The analysis of France brings out the richness of the movie and the complexity of the issues and pressures that women bear as they try to make sense of their place in society. The scholarly opinion is integrated into the argument that “Barbie” critiques social norms surrounding gender identity and beauty. Therefore, this becomes a stronger argument. An emphatic argument that the ban on this funding is wrong has been cleverly used in the quote sandwich style method, explicitly stating that it is indeed a fundamental right to receive such financing Lubis et al., 33). By the end of the film, the viewers realize the depth and the multiple edges of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie”, which goes beyond the appearance of a renowned doll and magnetizes them to the inner layers of gender roles, self-identity and social expectations. Through her skilful analysis of characters, themes, and the symbolic signs of satire, the film emerges as a satirical story that forces spectators to mediate on the vain ideal of female perfection. Developed between the lines of the analysis, this essay brings forward the view that “Barbie” is not just a movie figuring out what a doll is but a critical review of the vast spread quest for the perfect picture of the female world, calling for collective apprehension of the values around and the norms we create.
In the end, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie:” takes on these concepts in a way that renders critical examination and opposition to the norms of society regarding gender roles, beauty, and the crafting of women. Using a New Criticism approach presented in this essay has discussed that the film is a satire through its complex characters, themes and figurative language aimed at questioning the pressure placed on females to follow the societal norms typically imposed on women. Gerwig excellently gathers the appropriate criteria for the essence of femininity and social norms, trying to balance the objective and the creative. The narrative she presents is a paradox, both a reflection and a deviation. Moreover, Miranda France’s thesaurus contributes considerably to the topic’s broadening because it discloses the chimaera of the gynocentric stereotypes (Lubis et al., 36). Thus, “Barbie’s” own story has more than one dimension, and it is not just about a doll’s life; it is rightly viewed as a genuinely acute critique of perfectionism and social norms that shape female values. It argues for a shared reconsideration of these principles, making them what women are supposed to be in favour of a true, individualized, and comparable perception of women and acceptance of themselves. Distortions, contradictions, and ironies in the present can be seen in the way viewers are permitted to reckon with and reflect and in their constant pursuit of romantic views of the world in which surface appearance is more valued than substance.
Works Cited
Lubis, Adilla Pramaisela. “Exploring masculinities in Barbie (2023) directed by Greta Gerwig.” Lililacs Journal: English Literature, Language, and Cultural Studies Journal 4.1 (2024): 26-39.
https://doi.org/10.21009/lililacs.041.04
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