Who's That Girl?

It started with the idea of wanting to do some mother/daughter bonding time on her birthday. I’ve been going through some rough stuff for a while now so I wanted to do one of the things that brings me happiness and joy, and that would be special for the birthday girl too. Quality time together is never a bad idea. She’s been growing up so quickly that I am trying to hold on and share in some special moments while I still can. I want to savour in those moments when she still reaches out to grab my hand while walking, because before you know it she will be letting it go as she becomes even more of the independent young lady and woman that I know she will be. So we dressed ourselves up in some pink and off we went.

My expectations were that this movie would be light, humourous and it would touch on all the childhood nostalgia from my days of sitting and playing with her, and boy do I have lots of memories from those days. My Barbie lived a life that I had envisioned for myself. She was a fun, wild and playful woman. She found love, she got married, she became a mother. She was a lawyer and she was not only beautiful but she was smart, confident, powerful and independent too. She had it all. She travelled all over the place too! She didn’t think, feel or live any of the things I was or that I would eventually as an adult later in life. Imagination is a beautiful thing and can take you away from your reality or it can help you dream up a pretty amazing future. How incredible is that?

Well, the movie had humour, it definitely touched on the nostalgia as we see her in her dream house, all the other dolls, their outfits, pets and all things pink. I was in my pinklady glory which despite what you see since I’m always in black, pink has been my absolute favourite colour since I was just a little thing. What I didn’t expect was the message that this movie explained so incredibly well to all those young girls sitting in that audience. I didn’t expect to be moved in such a way that had me in tears in the theatre along with so many other women and which led my little girl to take my hand and hold it a little tighter. The subtle and hidden nuggets in the movie like having Barbie herself, Barbara, whom the doll was created based on by her mother was just one. All of them were wonderful little gems.

What I didn’t expect was the powerful monologue given by America Ferrera to hit on the level that it did. So accurate, poignant, powerful and raw. She spoke out loud what so many women are thinking and feeling but are too scared to say or even admit. What I didn’t expect was the sound and words to Billie Eilish’s song “What was I Made For” to haunt me, in a good way, because it is so beautiful and sad at the same time. And I definitely didn’t expect Rhea Perlman’s heart wrenching and profound words “We mothers stand still, so our daughters can look back to see how far they’ve come” to stick and impact me on the level it did.

To say that this movie exceeded expectations would be an understatement. I was so beyond happy that I got to sit and have this moment, hand in hand with my girl and at such an important stage of her life. A pre-teen entering a new chapter and who needs to hear and learn these important messages. Messages that echo the sentiments and discussions we have regularly. The message that she can be absolutely anything she wants to be. The message that she will be faced with struggles and challenges being a woman but that she is strong, intelligent and wise and to remember that always, even in those moments when others might push you down. That the real world isn’t perfect but that it can inspire you and that she should be proud of her individuality and identity.

I have been thinking about it ever since we walked out of that theatre just shy of a week ago and have encouraged so many others to go see it. Not just mothers and daughters but fathers and daughters as well. It delivers an important message along with the playful entertainment and comic relief everyone could use. I am grateful that Mila and I had that bonding moment, that we got our matching Barbie tracksuits and shared such a wonderful day together and an even better discussion that it encouraged afterwards. I needed to be sure she understood exactly what she just watched and that those important messages didn’t get missed. She got them and she loved it just as much as I did.

So although Barbie may appear to be just a frivolous toy, the film actually presents a variety of complex and important themes, making it a true piece of genius so kudos to Greta Gerwig for her incredible piece of art. If you haven’t seen it, go. It’s worth it.

LM