Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" featuring Margot Robbie in the role of the iconic doll, the film that many of us hope will be the final escape from the complex times we're living in and the sweltering hot summer that is keeping us hostage, is almost here (release date: July 21st) and we are surrounded by pink and Barbiecore.
In between capsule collections (from Zara to Gap, Crocs, Aldo and Bloomingdale's just to mention a few ones), to makeup lines (from NYX cosmetics to makeup artist Lisa Eldridge's products that can be used to recreate specific Barbie looks and that also feature in the film) and window shops (Selfridges in London).
There is even a Google Easter egg: write the names of the main actors, the director or the words "Barbie" or "Barbie film" in the search engine and pink fuchsia sparkles will start blinking on your screen.
We have analysed the power of this shade in previous posts, exploring fifty shades of pink, a colour that has always been in fashion where it has been employed decade after decade for cute designs, but also for functional, architectural or sculpturally glamorous pieces and even fashion collections generated by Artificial Intelligence.
Film fans will remember that the shade has been employed for striking film sets and movie posters. Loved by artists, especially during the Renaissance, defined by some as a rock'n'roll or punk colour, pink has often been considered as the new black, even though, in some cases it was employed as a threatening shade or an indomitable shade.
The colour pink, with its versatile nature, offers therefore a rich tapestry of symbolisms and meanings to contemplate. I went through some of them in the latest episode of the Italian radio program "Storie dalla Batcaverna" (Stories from the Batcave, Episode N. 191; on air today at 4.00 pm CET and on Thursday 20th July, in rerun at 8.30 am CET; or you can listen to the program clicking on the following link - STORIE DALLA BATCAVERNA Puntata 191), hosted by Nicola Battista from Kutmusic on the station Radio Start.
The program is in Italian, but it revolves around a diverse playlist with some tracks from Barbie's film as well (Lizzo's "Pink" hasn't been released yet at the time of writing this post, so we couldn't include it in the program), but in between tracks there is a sort of summary about the history of pink that Italian listeners may find interesting.
Towards the end I mention the doll / human dichotomy that we will see in the film. In a way this point deserves an essay for too many reasons. Barbie has been demonized for decades for being a bad influence on young girls, but in recent years Mattel has introduced new Barbies with a variety of skin tones and silhouettes and with disabilities as well, relaunching the doll in big style.
Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie have promised us a feminist film, but it is obvious that this is also a new form of hybrid feminism, combined with consumerism, and set to sell a myriad of Barbie pink products and collections and Barbie dolls as well (Euromonitor International claims that the movie will boost global doll sales to US$14 billion by 2027).
The film prompts us to question the role of women in today's world: Barbie can be anything, but can we be who we want to be even when we don't look like perfect dolls and we do not wear prevalently pink clothes? Billie Eilish with her track "What Was I Made For?" (definitely Oscar material), part of the film soundtrack, incarnates the doll / human dichotomy and these dilemmas perfectly in the video for this song.
While the song was written with Barbie in mind, in some ways it also a metaphor for herself as a performer and, ultimately, for every woman. In the video, Eilish, styled like a Barbie doll in a yellow dress and ponytail, takes out of a vintage Barbie carrying case one miniature outfit after the other from her previous performances. Facing sudden and adverse elements, from an earthquake to wind and rain, she goes through the outfits as if she were flipping through a photo album, contemplating her career and accomplishments and the transformative journey she's undertaken as an individual.
So, if you're planning to go and watch "Barbie", enjoy it, but also take a moment to ponder on these issues - from the role of women in today's society to the significance of the color pink, its history, connections with art and fashion, and its relevance to life in general.
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