Barbie

I'm very late to the Barbie movie party, but I finally watched it over the weekend. It was fun, a little weird, over the top, a bit more than I expected, and had one great part that I can't stop thinking about. If you've seen the movie, you probably already guessed that it's America Ferrera's speech. 

"It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.

You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman, but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining.

You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.

I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know."

Frustration, honesty, unrealistic expectations, contradictions - this monologue had it all and said it so well. So well, in fact, that it snapped Barbie out of her depression and enabled her to see the solution to the male dominance that Ken has brought to Barbie Land. Obviously, a speech isn't going to solve all the issues in the real world, and I'm willing to bet that men might have their own version of the speech. But I hope that all of you have stopped tying yourselves in knots and have found (or maybe still finding) ways to be yourselves.

Make it a good Monday!