This barbie is also (still) too sick to write a proper Substack. With the launch and hype of Barbie movie, this is maybe the only things I can think of to share this week.
On one of the (seemingly rare) days I felt up for a walk, as we walked past the movie theatre to enter the bird sanctuary trails, a shiny black vinyl plastic cursive ‘B’ stared back at me. Of course. Plastic waste destined to stay on this Earth far longer than the cultural impact the movie will ever have.
I’ve felt a bit icky about the Barbie movie ever since the trailer. It painted a cheeky mocking feminist picture of the toy brand fit for our late-stage capitalist society, but something just didn’t sit right. After all, Barbie is, at the end of the day, a brand not just an original movie. A brand made by corporations. To sell us things. That we probably (definitely) don’t need.
Today I bring you a few pieces from other amazing writers and thinkers to read and ponder that might change your views on the Barbie film and how authentic it is (or maybe isn’t).
“How the Barbie movie merch undermines the Barbie movie script” by Jessica DeFino
If the Barbie production “speaks directly to women … about the impossibility of perfection,” as the New York Times Magazine insists, its products speak directly to women about the importance of attempting it anyway.
The Plastic Feminism of Barbie by @verilybitchie
A deeper dive into the history of Barbie and its “feminism”, and also what Mattel, the toy brand that owns Barbie as a franchise, has to say about the film. It also covers why Barbie’s new “eco-friendly” recycled plastic scheme is just some fancy greenwashing of plastic components.
And you know, it wouldn’t really be a true Substack if I didn’t at least mention the environmental impact once. Curious about the carbon footprint of Barbie? Check out these links:
I’m sure there will be some folks here who don’t want their Barbie dreamland reneged on. And I get that. It’s hard to find joy sometimes and I’m not trying to inherently take that away. I’m sure some of you might feel I can’t talk shit about it until I’ve seen it. But I’m just not that into massive multi-million dollar campaigns to sell toys or products through films: it’s certainly not new, but Barbie sure re-popularized it this year.
Shoutout to my bestie Amy for a. encouraging me to send this post today since I had already written it on Monday and b. helping me workshop the title in my sick state. I love “brandwash” that we came up with, just a catch-all for greenwashing, wokewashing, and whatever else you can apply under the umbrella for a brand behaving badly.
Hopefully next week I’ll be feeling better. It’s Day 19 of being sick as I write this. Fingers crossed.
Hi Emma, I so appreciate your emails and the wealth of information you share with us about sustainable graphic design. 🙏
I watched the Barbie movie this week and absolutely loved it. Honestly, it's one of the most powerfully feminist, uplifting and delightful films I have ever watched. As much as I completely agree that capitalism is a key reason we are destroying this beautiful earth of ours, I think that this movie's message far outweighs the consumerist side of things. I think it's a pity that there has been so much criticism for this film while all the immense waste and consumerism that is created by male directed Marvel films and any other big budget action movies goes unnoticed.
Please do send us an update with your thoughts after watching the film - it wasn't what I expected at all. :) Feel better soon!
Thanks for sharing and feel better soon! I watched the movie and aside from the movie itself being fun, I have to admit the whole marketing and memes around it have been the most light-hearted thing in my life recently and I loved it. I also want to support one of the only female directors in Hollywood 🥲 But, yes, at the same time it's all so capitalist and consumerist, and also very white American, it's hard for me to really go crazy for the film. However, I think those feelings might be fertile ground for someone to create eco friendly dolls! I can't deny how I loved to play with babies when I was young, so I think some smart designer is going to want the same for future generations, with a responsible doll. What if you could bury an old barbie and a flower grew from it or something?