Barbie is such an iconic topic and when you add a modern flair of technology and controversy it’s bound to be influential. On July 1st, 2023 Mattel and Warner Bros released The Barbie movie. “People never moved on from it,” says Sophomore Jacob Jones.
Many trends have started on social media even before the release of the movie. “Oh gosh, probably like 100 honestly” says senior Zoey Sabbatino when asked how many trends she had noticed pertaining to the Barbie movie. Some of the minor trends include the soundtrack being used in videos, Barbie-inspired “fit checks ‘, pink everything, and the rise of Barbie-branded fashion “I got myself a pink water bottle right after the movie because I thought it was cute, ” says junior Sadie Tatum.
There has also been a rise in popularity of Barbie-themed events. At West Albany High School, a spirit week day prompted students to show support for either Barbie or Oppenheimer, and the halls were flooded with pink.
The Barbie Movie is not only influencing the media and public events, it also calls attention to feminist ideology and encourages more public discussion of the social issues illustrated within. The Mattel brand left a lot for the writer’s room to work with, and the film frequently subverts common tropes, showing its non-adjustable, plastic hand to the audience through humor.
“I’m glad they started the conversation on self-confidence” says health teacher Mrs. Bornheimer. The Barbie brand isn’t known for being the most body-positive but the movie did bring up its past mistakes: “There’s a line where the mom starts talking about female perfectionism, which I think is kind of a crazy big deal.” Says junior Sadie Tatum. The Barbie movie has also influenced people to be more aware of women and men in their own lives.“[The movie]reminded me that, like, my mom is also just a girl. You know, she’s dealt with a lot more than me, but she’s still just a little girl at heart, you know?” Says senior Zoey Sabbantino. The Barbie movie has brought about many trends and conversation topics and overall had quite a lot of influence on society itself.
