How Stereotypical Barbie might shatter stereotypes about the Bible

In my circle of friends, I’m famous (or infamous) for being obsessed with movies after I’ve seen them. Unexpectedly, “Barbie” was one such movie.

For many, it inspired or frustrated, entertained or enraged, excited or frustrated. Many have applauded its message of empowerment for women. Some have accused it of portraying men as ignorant, narcissistic and power-hungry. Despite being almost completely undefined, “patriarchy” is literally named the disease (like smallpox) that the Barbies in Barbieland are fighting to eradicate.

A flurry of praise and criticism may drown out the film’s deeper meaning, but that’s probably not what the filmmakers intended. This summer’s hit movie has a surprising meaning when it comes to history’s most popular book.

“Barbie” and the Bible have a strange affinity, like the culture’s love-hate relationship. “Barbie” evokes nostalgia for those who treasure their beloved dolls. But the film reflects contemporary criticism that Barbie dolls feed girls’ body image insecurities and perpetuate harmful female stereotypes. In fact, the name of the main character in this movie is “stereotypical Barbie”.

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The Bible is the most beloved book of all time, yet modern culture’s relationship with the Bible is one of love and hate. The Bible’s message sparked some of the greatest social reforms in history (women’s suffrage, the abolition of slavery, and the invention of hospitals are just three of her examples). But the Bible is now being accused of being the root of toxic patriarchy.

Through this bizarre exchange, perhaps the stereotypical Barbie doll can break more than box office records. Perhaps she can help shatter our perception of the stereotypical Bible.

Consider the apparently dualistic imagery and content of “Barbie.” Both the female utopia of Barbieland and the real-world dystopia are undoubtedly populated by different men and women who act in traditional (and comical) masculine and feminine ways. Men love trucks, powerful animals, sports, and the “godfather.” Women dress in pink, take care of hygiene, and take care of each other (not men).

The filmmakers accidentally put an exclamation point in the binomial sentence in the final scene of the film, in which the stereotypical Barbie doll (now a real woman) is examined by a gynecologist. Given that transgender actor Hari Nef plays one of the Barbie dolls, perhaps the filmmakers didn’t intend for this apparent dichotomy to emerge. But the binary will appear.

Interestingly, the Bible He has been accused of portraying the world in terms of same-sex dualism. Similar to the “Barbie” image, the Bible declares that humankind is clearly composed of women and men, with no sense of fluidity or continuity. Genesis 1:27, Genesis 5:2, Matthew 19:4, and Mark 10:6 state that God created humans in his own image, specifically “male and female.” declared to have been

The fact that it is exactly “Barbie” Despite being widely lauded as a manifestation of female empowerment, the work’s depiction of the distinction between men and women, no matter how much we try to escape it, is what the Bible has been for centuries. provide at least some evidence that the same dichotomous realities that have proclaimed in

Perhaps more subtle, but no less striking, is the similarity between Barbie and Ken on the one hand and Adam and Eve on the other. Ken doll was created just to be Barbie’s boyfriend. In the film, despite Ken’s efforts to define himself through cartoonish masculinity, he can’t escape the fact that he’s a derivative of Barbie and is therefore inferior to Barbie. .

In the end, Barbie urges Ken to find his own values ​​apart from her. However, Ken’s anxiety does not go away.he Only exists for Barbie and was made for Barbie. But the stereotypical Barbie eventually convinces (stereotypical) Ken.

In “Barbie,” Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, brings Barbie into the real world. (Warner Bros. Movie)

“Barbie” got it perfectly right at least on: order and Apparently The purpose of male and female creations does not determine their degree of dignity and value. This delicate gem of a not-so-subtle film shatters the stereotype of Eve’s creation as a declaration of women’s inferiority to men.

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A stereotype looks like this: The creation of Eve from Adam’s rib in Genesis 2:21-22 indicates that Eve was a descendant of Adam and that God intended her not as Adam’s equal partner but as Stepford’s wife (she was It strikes us with the idea that it was created as something like Ken of Adam.

However, the creation of Eve in Genesis 2 actually speaks to the equality the original couple should have. Adam affectionately refers to Eve as “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (v. 23).

The Apostle Paul advocates humility for all men who see in Eve’s creation anything that might justify male supremacy. “As woman was born of man, so also man was born of woman, and all things are of God” (1 Corinthians 11:12).

Combine this with the fact that both men and women were each created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). Since no aspect of the image of God is inferior to any other, men and women equally bear the image of God. Additionally, Adam (male) and Eve (female) were created to relate to each other as an expression of their relationship with the Creator. The order of creation therefore has nothing to do with the quality of its value or purpose. Barbie might agree.

But the stereotypical Barbie doll deviates greatly from the Bible. My ethnic background as a Middle Easterner and my religious background as a convert from Islam to Christianity fuel my reflections. The Middle East is not known as a bastion of women’s rights. Islam has been criticized for the way women view men.

I checked life of jesus I saw something very different about this Middle Eastern man, as the Bible describes it. He countered the misogyny of his time in a way that empowered women and men alike.

Today, “Barbie” makes men uncomfortable by putting degrading shoes on their feet, telling men how they feel when they see stereotypes of degrading women displayed on screen and elsewhere. to show. That’s good enough, but it goes too far because throughout the film, women’s worth is shown at the expense of men’s dignity. There is a contrast with Jesus.

Jesus often flaunted the status of women as equal to men. He defended their right to education. He used women as God’s representatives in his famous parables. Women were heroines at his birth, part of his service, and faithful at his death. In fact, they were given the honor of being the first witnesses to the supreme miracle of Christianity, the resurrection of Jesus.

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Although Jesus condemned the treatment of women by men, he never disrespected men. He shattered the stereotypes that held women back without creating new stereotypes about men.

A friend told me that in a conversation with a prominent British atheist thinker, the atheist admitted that “Jesus was not of his time.” As a Middle Easterner, I wholeheartedly agree. That is why women fled other religions and flocked to the fledgling Christian movement in the early centuries. If the “Barbie doll” offers us anything of value, it is in contrast to Jesus’ way of dignifying women without denigrating anyone.

Here is my final reflection. “Barbie” goes beyond the power struggle between men and women. Themed on what it means to be human, ‘Barbie’ explores the messy real world where we build dignity and purpose through achievement, beauty and appreciation.

Margot Robbie attends the ‘Barbie’ European premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square in London on July 12, 2023. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)

When Barbie encounters the ghost of her creator, Ruth Handler, she tells Barbie that humans create concepts like patriarchy and Barbie dolls to bring meaning to a chaotic world. Masu. Barbie’s reaction is thought-provoking. She wants to be part of the people who make meaning, not them.

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In that exchange, stereotypes of popular culture come to the fore. Each of us creates our own meaning and builds our own worth by creating social structures and orthopedic idolizations of ourselves to address our own shortcomings, but the very idols we create The inability to respond will only cause more anxiety. The Bible confuses that stereotype and warns us of the harm that can befall us when we focus on the ideal man-made image instead of focusing on the image of God that each of us holds.

Because the form of God is infinitely beautiful and worthy, our reflection of His magnificence defines our worth and meaning. For Christians, the cross is a striking declaration of our great worth and that God has paid an infinite price to redeem us. Sure, ‘Barbie’ isn’t a Christian movie, but it can make us think about a lot more than we might think.

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