Shonda Rhimes argues that Barbie “didn’t need to be” a “feminist manifesto.”
The “Bridgerton” producer admits that she enjoyed last year’s blockbuster featuring Margot Robbie as the iconic toy doll but was disgruntled with the cultural discourse that put unnecessary expectations on the flick.
“OK, here’s what I’ll say: If you’re expecting a Barbie movie, then I thought it was great. But I think a lot of people were expecting so much more, and then tried to make it so much more,” Rhimes said.
“There was nothing wrong with the movie; I thought it was totally delightful. But the weight people put on a movie about Barbie was very interesting to me,” the showrunner continued.
“I’ve heard the song ‘I’m Just Ken’ in my house every single day because one of my kids sings it all the time. But, yeah, I think that people wanted it to be sort of this feminist manifesto that it doesn’t need to be,” Rhimes explained to Variety.
Rhimes is not the only critic of Barbie. Pop star Shakira revealed earlier this year that her two sons “absolutely hated” the film as they found it “emasculating.”
The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer took her sons Milan and Sasha to see Greta Gerwig’s movie last summer. She said they didn’t enjoy it because of the themes of feminism and patriarchy — and she agrees with the children.
“My sons absolutely hated [Barbie]. They felt that it was emasculating. And I agree, to a certain extent,” the star told Allure.
“I’m raising two boys. I want ’em to feel powerful, too, [while] respecting women. I like pop culture when it attempts to empower women without robbing men of their possibility to be men, to also protect and provide,” Shakira said.
“I believe in giving women all the tools and the trust that we can do it all without losing our essence, without losing our femininity. I think that men have a purpose in society and women have another purpose as well. We complement each other, and that complement should not be lost,” the singer added.
