The popular Barbie movie took the world by storm, quickly becoming a global phenomenon. Popular trends on social media, new fashion trends, and lengthy marketing efforts from Barbie car insurance to Barbie cocktails have led almost everyone, regardless of age, gender, or demographics, to see what this movie is about. The marketing push surrounding this movie has been nothing short of omnipresent, groundbreaking, and extremely pink. 

Opening in theaters on July 21, 2023, Barbie has managed to make over $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office, earning the movie a place in history’s top 20 films. An important note is that this movie is one of the only female-dominated movies in the top-grossing films of all time, leaving a significant impact not only on its’ viewers but on the show business industry as a whole. 

This movie further highlighted the message that the Barbie doll has been pushing for decades: that women can be in positions of power and can do the same jobs as men can do. In fact, according to Time Magazine, men have come to understand women’s struggles in society further because of the movie’s impact. However, this film makes an effort to show how the patriarchy affects everyone, not just women. In fact, studies show that 53% of viewers say Barbie improved their opinion of women in the workplace. Similarly, ⅔ of viewers said Barbie made them more aware of patriarchy in the workplace. 

There were many years in the making of Barbie, which has been in pre-production since 2009, with versions of stars like Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway. However, Barbie’s toy company, Mattel, wanted a leading lady who did not attach too much of a well-known face and personality to the doll. After all, Barbie was created to be a blank canvas for children to imagine, create, and project their dreams onto themselves, according to TIME magazine. Years later, the perfect option, Margot Robbie, came into the picture, and the film was set into production. Robbie serves not only as the film’s star but also as its’ producer, once again proving just how much a woman can accomplish in roles of leadership and power.

Sources: 

Time Magazine: https://time.com/6294121/barbie-movie-popularity-impact/ 

NPR: https://www.npr