Representation in the Media!!

                                          I feel like a really good example of representation patterns in a piece of media is the Barbie movie (2023). This movie is directed by Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie as “Barbie” and Ryan Gosling as “Ken”. A brief summary of the plot is that it is when Barbie sets out to the real world to fix an issue she facing. I personally enjoy this movie, it isn’t my top 10, but it’s a fun watch.

                                     The reason I chose this movie to talk about when speaking about representation is my knowledge of the creator and the themes the story portrays. The movie director, Greta Gerwig, is known for directing movies with strong compelling female characters that differ from how most women are portrayed in the media today. Her creator bias shows up in the writing of her characters and in the themes her movies portray, in this case, the movie contains strong themes of female empowerment and feminism which are themes Gerwig stands for and advocates for. The Barbies literally fight the Ken Patriarchy. Her creator biases and beliefs are apparent in her world building and how she structures and represents her conflict, which is how the patriarchy effect on both men and women.

                                     Greta Gerwig represents Barbie and the other Kens and fellow Barbies by othering them from the “real world”, which Barbie ends up traveling to in the movie. This is both intentional to the plot and how we view Barbie’s character as a whole. By othering her and her world from our reality, it makes more sense to why she would be confused or struggle to fit in our real world. The construction of Barbies world as well also helps representing her character and world around her. It’s bright and pink, happy and perfect, nothing goes wrong; a stark contrast to our society/world today. 

                                     On the other hand, unlike Barbie, Gloria, one of the main characters from the real world and her daughter Sasha serve as characters that can be seen as more mainstream and easier for the audience to relate to. When they arrive at Barbieland, Gerwig decenters them from the real world to Barbieland, which as the story progresses develops both of there characters and bond as mother and daughter.

                                        Overall, I enjoy the representational patterns in this film! I recommend anyone who hasn’t watched it to watch it. I believe it’s on HBO Max (or just MAX now.)

(Barbie, Greta Gerwig) 

Note: Her costume design also others her from the real world as well.