Barbie is a somewhat a controversial topic, with many conflicting arguments. Barbie has shown young girls since 1959 to date that they have a choice and that they can be anything. On the other hand, Barbie sticks to the conventional patriarchal way, following Eurocentric beauty standards, enforcing gender roles and controlling what should be called ‘feminine’.
Barbie could have many contrasting roles from person to person, which goes back to the question: ‘Who is Barbie for you?’
The blog is more about the Barbie movies, which were launched when Barbie started losing popularity, in the late 90s. The Barbie movies, in a word, were different, by completely defying something called, the ‘Male Gaze’.
The ‘Male Gaze’ was a term coined in 1975 by Laura Mulvey. The male gaze’s definition and meaning have been debated many times and to conclude it doesn't have a definitive meaning. What I took of the ‘male gaze’ was that it means portraying the world around, in cinema, through the eyes of a heterosexual, white male. The male gaze mainly concentrates on the description of women as sexual objects (sexualizing and objectifying). The male gaze makes the white, straight male experience, the universal experience because the cinematic industry was largely controlled by men and produced for men. The male gaze is thus inherently patriarchal with the male characters being the center of everything.
In contrast, we have the Female Gaze, which is largely debated as it still doesn't exist. This hypothetical female gaze is hard to create and define as we all live in this largely Westernized, patriarchal society. Escaping patriarchy is like escaping the world around, so to create something devoid of patriarchy (in the present) is creating nothing. Another reason the female gaze doesn't have a definitive concept is that there is not one thing that all females have in common. This hypothetical female gaze is more inclusive (than the (should be called) white, heterosexual, patriarchal, male gaze) and takes everyone into consideration so finding a definitive, concrete concept is hard. Many people identify the female gaze with a female lead but for others, the female gaze is way more complex and deep. In my personal opinion, the female gaze is a larger concept, yet to be discovered. With every cinematic release we hopefully, are moving closer to a female gaze. A good series, I believe has moved us closer to the discovery of the female gaze (without the ignorance of patriarchy) is ‘Queen Charollete: A Bridgeton Story’.
One such cinematic masterpiece, which has created a ‘female gaze’ if not opposed the ‘male gaze’ are the world-renowned Barbie movies. The Barbie movies not only centred around our obvious protagonist Barbie but also lets us view her world through her eyes. The other main characters are also females creating a 'feminine' world for Barbie to live in and show us. Barbie also has no love interest as it was produced for young girls and Barbie’s straightness or queerness was left to be debated upon. This gave closeted, young, queer kids the opportunity to be anything they wanted, just like Barbie. Barbie was one of the first franchises to strive close to creating a female gaze.
Putting this into perspective:
Did Barbie create a female gaze?
Yes and No. For young girls in the early 2000s Barbie created the ideal female gaze for them to learn and grow from. The female gaze was patriarchal, with backgrounds of societal gender roles but it created a place where these young girls could write their own story and have ‘choice’.
Is Barbie’s female gaze definitive?
Definitely not, it was a good and strong start but the meaning of the female gaze is only going to grow, for the better.
Does Barbie still adhere to Eurocentric beauty and has patriarchal touches?
Yes, obviously, but everything in the world isn't good or bad.
Making Barbie the main character and following her through her life which isn't about finding (heterosexual) love was an eye-opener for young girls growing up in the 2000s. Barbie teaches these kids that they had a ‘choice’ to be anything and everything just like Ruth Handler intended Barbie to teach.
Comments