Op-Ed: Fast-fashion brands are pummelling the whole point of the Barbie film: That’s Ken–ough!
by Meg Pirie
Source: Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
By now you would have been living under a rock to have not heard of or seen the new Barbie film. The premise of the film certainly surprised me and while I’d watched the press train and was somewhat prepared for the undercurrent of feminism, I was not prepared for the sheer brilliance of what producer Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig had created.
Gerwig is by definition a feminist filmmaker and her characters are often transgressive and curious, rebelling against their suppressive environments (think Jo March!). Barbie is no exception. While it’s important to recognise that Mattel’s 60-year-old flagship doll has had a long and controversial history and in the past has been blamed for its unrealistic beauty standards, the propensity of the film exists to raise women, well, up.
The plot tells a fairly simplistic story about Barbie – played by Margot Robbie – grappling with the existential insecurities of real-life women everywhere. In Barbieland there is a black woman president played by Issa Raei and also a trans woman and respected doctor played by Hari Nef. The women in Barbieland hold all the positions of power and rule over the Kens, something which is most apparent with Ryan Gosling’s character, who plays – just Ken (rather brilliantly). Gosling spends most of the film coming to terms with who he is as a doll, whilst simultaneously suffering from a lack of self-worth and power. When both characters venture to the real world, an ubiquitous and deeply seated trope of misogyny and patriarchy rules over women. However, in the end, the Barbies in Barbieland prevail.
Given the film’s status as the biggest opening weekend for a film directed by a woman, it was obvious that consumerism would follow in some shape or form. Even prior to the film being released, Mattel had an exhaustive number of collaborations, however fast-fashion brands have jumped on the bandwagon to capitalise on the film’s success. Primark’s new Barbie line offers affordable fashion pieces and a wider collection which spans categories such as beauty and homeware. The Barbie x Zara Capsule Collection offers its customers the chance to dress up as Barbie or Ken, whilst its products in an explosion of pink and glitter, also span across its categories. Meanwhile Boohoo’s Instagram page is a flurry of Barbie memes and unsurprisingly, the colour pink.
While this only highlights a handful of the collections, it goes some way in raising concerns about the social and environmental impacts of the capitalisation of the Barbie film by fast-fashion models. Perhaps for this particular point it is worth focusing on the fact that the majority of garment workers are women and the majority of fashion supply chain stakeholders reside in countries with weaker social welfare and job security than the UK for example. This is a part of the sector that is rooted in a flawed business model, but it doesn’t have to be this way. The fashion industry is creatively rewarding and has the potential to contribute positively to livelihoods across the UK and in working partnerships across supply chains globally.
The Barbie film has proven a feminist movement and this should not encourage business as usual for fast-fashion brands. This undermines the entirety of what the film stands for. In the film Barbie says: “By giving voice to the cognitive dissonance required to be a woman under the patriarchy, you robbed it of its power!” And in some way that’s what this article sets out to do, in calling out fast-fashion practices and their role against women. Ken-ough’s Ken-ough!
“The Barbie film has proven a feminist movement and this should not encourage business as usual for fast-fashion brands. This undermines the entirety of what the film stands for.”