America Ferrera on Barbie: There are a lot of people who need Feminism 101

I loved Barbie and I loved the fact that Greta Gerwig – as co-screenwriter and director – tried and succeeded at injecting general feminist theory into a mainstream studio film about Barbie dolls. The Barbies are not quoting Simone de Beauvoir or Andrea Dworkin, but it definitely felt like Gerwig found a way to make feminism easily accessible for girls and women. Whenever I think of the feminism of Barbie, I’m reminded of Marc Maron’s excellent comments on the film, which he made last summer:

“I saw Barbie and I thought it was a f–king masterpiece. And like, I don’t throw that word around lightly, but, Jesus Christ. It’s like it does a fairly amazing thing to create a sort of broad-based entertainment product that applies to the entire spectrum. I think primarily of women. And then just seep it in progressive politics and basic feminism in a way that’s funny, informative and well-executed in a context that is completely engaging is f–king monumental. [The movie is] intentionally, thoroughly explaining feminist ideas in a way that’s funny.”

[Maron’s comments via THR]

Maron also mocked the men who cried about Barbie being “woke,” calling those dudes “insecure babies.” Anyway, I agreed with Maron – Barbie is a feminist film and it’s a film which explains mainstream feminism in an easily digestible way for a mainstream audience. The fact that Barbie was the most successful film of 2023 is just icing on the feminist cake.

Well, America Ferrera was questioned about her character’s wonderful “feminist speech” in Barbie by the NYT (via Variety). She was asked if she thought the speech was an oversimplification of feminism and this was America’s response:

“We can know things and still need to hear them out loud. It can still be a cathartic. There are a lot of people who need Feminism 101, whole generations of girls who are just coming up now and who don’t have words for the culture that they’re being raised in. Also, boys and men who may have never spent any time thinking about feminist theory. If you are well-versed in feminism, then it might seem like an oversimplification, but there are entire countries that banned this film for a reason.”

“To say that something that is maybe foundational, or, in some people’s view, basic feminism isn’t needed is an oversimplification. Assuming that everybody is on the same level of knowing and understanding the experience of womanhood is an oversimplification.”

[From Variety]

What an excellent answer, and she’s absolutely right. There are little girls who went to see Barbie with their moms, and now those girls know the word “patriarchy” and they can talk to their moms or aunts or friends about patriarchy and feminism. While the ideas within Barbie were not “revolutionary,” the film absolutely helped give a feminist framework for young girls and maybe some boys too.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.

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