Feminist outrage over ‘Barbie’ Oscars snub ignores gender ideology’s victims
Barbie: A Feminist Icon or a Hypocritical Film?
“Now Barbie is a feminist icon thanks to Greta Gerwig who many believe deserved to be nominated for best director,” comedian Jimmy Kimmel said during his Sunday night Oscars monologue. “I know you’re clapping, but you’re the ones who didn’t vote for her by the way. Don’t act like you had nothing to do with this.”
The talent behind the “Barbie” movie took home one award Sunday evening for Billie Eilish’s song “What Was I Made For?” Despite being the highest-grossing film of 2023, “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig received no nomination for Best Director, and its lead actress Margot Robbie was snubbed for Best Actress. Feminists went mad calling out the Academy for its sexism when nominations were first announced in January.
“Greta & Margot, While it can sting to win the box office but not take home the gold, your millions of fans love you,” failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “You’re both so much more than Kenough.”
Male feminist Ryan Gosling, who received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor, all but apologized for his success in the film, stating, “To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement.”
“Did they miss the whole moral of the story of Barbie? Of course, we celebrate just Ken, not the woman who’s the lead in it, and the icon in it,” Alyssa Farah Griffin ranted on “The View.”
Barbie was admittedly funny, aesthetically pleasing, well-acted, and creative in an age where directors merely remake or produce sequels of once-great films. It is because of this that despite its feminist messaging, the film raked in millions at the box office, avoiding the fate of most overtly political movies.
But the film was hypocritical, as are most of its virulent defenders. In one of the culminating scenes in the film, America Ferrara monologues about the double standards modern women constantly face.
“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,” she says.
But as Ferrara’s character sounded off about how unfair it was that women had to “answer for men’s bad behavior,” just a few scenes earlier her film’s producers placed a man in lipstick and heels as a vapid caricature of womanhood.
Riley Gaines detailed in a recent interview with Joe Rogan how she lost out to male swimmer Lia Thomas despite tying with his exact time of 1:43:40 in the Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle at the NCAA championships. An astounded Gaines wondered, “Isn’t this exactly what Title IX was established to prevent?” The fact is, women have been losing out to men on a plethora of awards more consequential than an Oscar, but the feminists of “Barbie” have no problem ditching the sisterhood when it butts against the aims of transgenderism.
“Let me see if I understand this: the Academy nominated ‘Barbie’ for Best Picture (eight nominations total) — a film about women being sidelined and rendered invisible in patriarchal structures — but not the woman who directed the film,” Charlotte Clymer, a male who identifies as a woman, wrote on X, entirely missing the irony of his statement.
When Barbie’s Dream House was taken over by the Ken dolls, we felt an instinctive indignance that men would take over a woman’s space. But such indignance stopped short when it came to Gerwig’s decision not only to cast a transgender Barbie but to rearrange the filming schedule to accommodate said male actor Hari Nef. The actor said he imagined his character was a doll owned by a 50-something gay “collector.”
Clinton, who minced no words voicing her anger at Robbie and Gerwig’s “snub,” groveled before the trans mafia in 2019 for the crime of admitting in an interview that women had “legitimate” concerns about transgender-identified males co-opting womanhood.
The subset of feminists for whom “Barbie” was made hate when wealthy celebrities suffer, but turn the other way when female athletes, female prisoners, underage girls, and beauty pageant contestants suffer lost opportunities, abuse, and sexual harassment to spare the feelings of men.
The sexism depicted in Barbie seems almost absurd when compared to the real-life setbacks suffered by women who have found their dreams in conflict with the radical aims of gender ideology. In a more accurate version of the film, Barbie would come back to her home overrun by not only the Ken dolls but also the transgender doctor doll pretending to be a woman.
In what ways does the selective support of the feminist movement undermine its credibility?
Epinknews.com/2023/03/06/hillary-clinton-feminists-barbie/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>tweeted, “You can judge the success of a feminist film by the number of men who get offended by it.” Clinton’s tweet perfectly encapsulates the hypocrisy of the feminist movement and its selective outrage.
It is clear that the feminist movement has no problem supporting a film like “Barbie” when it aligns with their ideologies. However, the moment the film deviates from their narrative or fails to deliver the desired representation, they quickly turn on it and denounce its creators as sexist and hypocritical. This cherry-picking of support undermines the credibility of the feminist movement and exposes its inherent contradictions.
Furthermore, the hypocrisy within “Barbie” itself cannot be ignored. While the film explores themes of female empowerment and challenges gender norms, it falls short in practice. The decision to cast a male actor in a transgender role, while disregarding the accomplishments and contributions of talented female actors like Margot Robbie, sends a conflicting message. It undermines the notion of female representation and perpetuates the idea that women are disposable in the pursuit of inclusivity.
Moreover, the film’s portrayal of men as vapid caricatures of womanhood contradicts its supposed goal of challenging stereotypes. By resorting to such one-dimensional portrayals, “Barbie” reinforces harmful gender stereotypes instead of dismantling them. This not only undermines the feminist message of the film but also perpetuates harmful and regressive ideas about gender roles.
In conclusion, while “Barbie” may be hailed as a feminist icon by some, it is important to critically examine its content and the actions of its creators. The film’s success at the box office does not automatically make it a bastion of feminism, nor does it absolve it of its hypocrisy. Feminism should strive for consistency, inclusivity, and genuine empowerment for all genders, and “Barbie” falls short of these ideals. Instead, it presents a distorted and contradictory version of feminism that undermines its own message. It is time to hold “Barbie” and its creators accountable for their actions and challenge the narrative that branded it as a feminist triumph.
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