Zornio: One week later, Barbie Land is still the place I want to go

It’s been exactly one week since I ponied up the $8.50 to see “Barbie.” It was the first time I’d been to the movie theater in years, and I, like many, was skeptical going in. I mean, Margot Robbie and the rest of the cast are fantastic, but a whole film about an outdated plastic doll? I wasn’t so sure.

Truth be told, I probably wouldn’t have gone had I not seen an interview with Robbie a few weeks before the movie’s release. Amid all the usual chatter, she replied that upon first reading the script she thought it’d be great, but that they’d never let them make it. 

I was hooked. Who wouldn’t let them make it and why? What about “Barbie” could be so edgy that it might get turned down?

It only took a few minutes into the film to understand what Robbie meant. The film is about so much more than just a doll. It’s a feminist commentary women like me needed, even if it meant pissing off a few Kens along the way. 

Like clockwork, conservative men were livid. Even as the film received stellar reviews from critics and moviegoers, the threat to fragile male egos was apparently too great. Right-wing figureheads like Ben Shapiro quickly expressed their discontent with lengthy online rants and even burned Barbie dolls in protest.

But in protest to what? And why are so many conservative men getting overly emotional about a doll?

There’s no mistaking Barbie Land for real life. Heck, it’s not even real feminism. That’s exactly the point. The film wasn’t meant to suggest a future society that women would actually choose to create. It’s far too unrealistic, so much so that even Barbie herself chooses to leave at the end. 

No, what “Barbie” offers is a comedic outlet and alternate reality for those of us who are forced to live in a very real society that often does treat us like real-life accessories. In other words, Barbie Land is a funny, fantasy mental vacation for women like me who, even if only temporarily, need an escape.

This is what the Shapiros of the world just can’t seem to comprehend. “Barbie” isn’t about bringing over-the-top fantasy feminism into real life. For goodness sake, no woman wants fake boobs up to her ears 24/7 or to live with make-believe showers and food. Let us eat cake!

But what we do want and appreciate is a place to turn when things in the real world get hard. It’s not about keeping men down. It’s about validating our struggles as women at the hands of men. 

In this way, “Barbie” is a movie most of us didn’t even know we needed. For the first time in a long time, women like me feel seen and understood in a way that makes us want to laugh, not cry. And it’s not a fantasy land because women need to fawn over a hot pink Dream House or support some dude on his journey to being Kenough. It’s because one week later people are still talking about the movie and what it means. That’s what makes “Barbie” great. It sticks with you. Meaning the experiences of women stick with you.

For me, I’ll probably never come to like Barbie the doll. But I would guess that for a long time to come I’ll enjoy and appreciate the fun of “Barbie” the film. Not because it was cinematically perfect; it wasn’t. It’s because as a woman who has been kicked down hard by the patriarchy on more than one occasion, and as a woman who refuses to accept the status quo and will likely be kicked down hard again in the future, I appreciate knowing that for even just two hours I can find solace in a satirical fantasy where once and for all I am free to imagine what it might be like if people like me could finally hold the power. 

That is the true beauty of “Barbie.”

Trish Zornio is a scientist, lecturer and writer who has worked at some of the nation’s top universities and hospitals. She’s an avid rock climber and was a 2020 candidate for the U.S. Senate in Colorado. Trish can be found on Twitter @trish_zornio