Barbie is not Born, but Rather Becomes, Barbie
I begin this paper by identifying several criticisms of the film Barbie (2023), several of which have been proposed as reasons to deny its feminist content. I then circle back to what I consider the film's most coherent theme, which exemplifies Simone de Beauvoir's best-known quote, `One...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nederlands Genootschap voor Esthetica (Dutch Association of Aesthetics)
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Aesthetic Investigations |
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| Online Access: | https://aestheticinvestigations.eu/article/view/18041 |
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| author | Sue Spaid |
| author_facet | Sue Spaid |
| author_sort | Sue Spaid |
| collection | DOAJ |
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I begin this paper by identifying several criticisms of the film Barbie (2023), several of which have been proposed as reasons to deny its feminist content. I then circle back to what I consider the film's most coherent theme, which exemplifies Simone de Beauvoir's best-known quote, `One is not born, but rather becomes, woman.' This claim emphasises that what it is to be a woman is not biological, but social. That is, who we become is influenced by external factors such as family upbringing, available role models, class expectations, and our freedom to navigate our choices. A post-script relates the theme of this film to the current political situation in the U.S., after the re-election of Donald Trump.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a89273295af54f9a9b9c19e045b6ef72 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2352-2704 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Nederlands Genootschap voor Esthetica (Dutch Association of Aesthetics) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Aesthetic Investigations |
| spelling | doaj-art-a89273295af54f9a9b9c19e045b6ef722025-01-09T13:33:09ZengNederlands Genootschap voor Esthetica (Dutch Association of Aesthetics)Aesthetic Investigations2352-27042024-12-017110.58519/vaknze21Barbie is not Born, but Rather Becomes, BarbieSue Spaid0Northern Kentucky University I begin this paper by identifying several criticisms of the film Barbie (2023), several of which have been proposed as reasons to deny its feminist content. I then circle back to what I consider the film's most coherent theme, which exemplifies Simone de Beauvoir's best-known quote, `One is not born, but rather becomes, woman.' This claim emphasises that what it is to be a woman is not biological, but social. That is, who we become is influenced by external factors such as family upbringing, available role models, class expectations, and our freedom to navigate our choices. A post-script relates the theme of this film to the current political situation in the U.S., after the re-election of Donald Trump. https://aestheticinvestigations.eu/article/view/18041existentialismfeminismfilmfreedomchoiceideal |
| spellingShingle | Sue Spaid Barbie is not Born, but Rather Becomes, Barbie Aesthetic Investigations existentialism feminism film freedom choice ideal |
| title | Barbie is not Born, but Rather Becomes, Barbie |
| title_full | Barbie is not Born, but Rather Becomes, Barbie |
| title_fullStr | Barbie is not Born, but Rather Becomes, Barbie |
| title_full_unstemmed | Barbie is not Born, but Rather Becomes, Barbie |
| title_short | Barbie is not Born, but Rather Becomes, Barbie |
| title_sort | barbie is not born but rather becomes barbie |
| topic | existentialism feminism film freedom choice ideal |
| url | https://aestheticinvestigations.eu/article/view/18041 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT suespaid barbieisnotbornbutratherbecomesbarbie |