It is very rare for me to take time for myself and do activities that are meant solely for my own relaxation, pleasure or entertainment. I woke up at 4:00 am on a Sunday morning and decided to watch the much-talked-about Barbie movie by myself. My daughters had already watched its premiere with their friends a couple of weeks prior and told me I should watch it. I decided on that fateful morning that this was indeed going to be ‘me’ time and I wanted to see what all the hype was about. 

My unpopular opinion? I do not believe that the majority of Filipinos are ready to accept or understand the points of the movie.

I do not believe that the majority of Filipinos are ready to accept or understand the points of the movie.

Let me start off by saying I did not grow up liking Barbie dolls or products from Mattel. I owned one Barbie my entire life and even that doll was gifted to me. My daughters grew up not interested in Barbie dolls, although I was always willing to buy them those toys. They did, however, love the old animated Barbie movies and played those on repeat. I do understand that Barbie played a more significant role in the childhoods of many children growing up and many girls found comfort and happiness playing with those dolls.

As I sat in the theatre watching it fill up, I was surprised that many parents brought their very young children to watch. I am assuming they did not read reviews or posts about the movie’s content or figured a movie about a toy could never be too serious for a child to process. I am going to also assume that the silence throughout the theatre the entire time and the sad faces as everyone exited after the movie proves that they did not expect the train of truths that hit them. 

[…]the sad faces as everyone exited after the movie proves that they did not expect the train of truths that hit them.

I say ‘truths’ because the movie did indeed force several points down their throats, one being that women are constantly struggling to do what society expects of them and to do it flawlessly. What many people in the Philippines do not understand, or are not willing to admit, is that women of all social classes struggle with this daily. No woman is spared from this insane pressure to be the epitome of the perfect Filipina. From the women who married for status and wealth to the women who live in shanty towns and struggle to make ends meet, they often struggle with similar problems. No woman is immune to physical and psychological abuse. The burden of teaching and raising the children falls mainly on the women. All of this must be done while presenting a façade of submission and obedience. No woman wants to be looked down on as the one who left a failed relationship, even to the point of tolerating the abuse and affairs of their partner. No woman wants to be called a bad mother for standing on their own when the mindset of the community they live in is ‘stay together for the sake of the children’, not realizing that the cycle of dysfunction only repeats itself. 

Another ‘truth’ which may have made the men in the audience feel uncomfortable, much like the man sitting next to me who could not sit still and shifted around restlessly, was the bitter pill known as patriarchy. I do not believe many people in this country know it as ‘patriarchy’, but they most definitely know how it works. Philippine society is still, for the most part, a man’s world. Whether it be in business or politics, a strong woman is often ignored or takes a back seat to the men who sit highest in the ranks. It is not as common for women to receive the same level of recognition for their achievements. Although there are women who hold high positions of power and who are acknowledged, these women are often seen as threats to the patriarchal mentality of the country. They are said to be unruly and not proper women. Although the movie showed a slightly ridiculous interpretation of how patriarchy corrupted the Kens, it is also true that many women with major life accomplishments are not given the proper respect or attention they deserve due to the fragile egos of the men who still believe that men are, or should be, ‘in charge’. 

Philippine culture still follows many religious dogmas, many of which give men control over women. For example, there is still no divorce in this country. Although a married couple can try to get an annulment, there is no guarantee they will be granted one as they are at the mercy of the church officials who review their case. Aside from that factor, there is also the price of the annulment that many can’t afford. This makes it nearly impossible for a couple to legally terminate their marriage, no matter how volatile the relationship is. 

Another example of how religious beliefs fall in favour of men is family planning. In order for a woman to have the tubal ligation procedure done, she must first get consent from her husband or partner. The same applies to men for vasectomies, however it is more common for the woman to undergo a procedure. This is an unfortunate circumstance for the women at risk because many times, especially in lower-income families, the men do not want their partners to lose the ability to bear children. It is at this point where a woman may lose control over her own body and reproductive health. I personally know women who have lied and brought male friends to pose as their husbands to sign the consent forms just to have the procedure done. One woman received a beating from her husband when she got home, but she was happy she could no longer have children. Although there is supposedly separation of Church and State in the Philippines and one religious group cannot be allowed to impose its beliefs on the rest of society, the belief that the man is the head of the household and therefore in charge is still ingrained among the people. 

One reason this movie disappointed me was the way patriarchy was portrayed. I believe there were ways to better present the case against that system that did not demean men in general. Let us not overlook the fact that Ken had a very real need to find his own identity, something that many men do struggle with but are not allowed to openly discuss in public for fear of being picked apart by the community. These emotions are considered ‘soft’ and ‘effeminate’ in Philippine culture, something men are taught not to be. They are told these are ‘gay’ feelings. You can’t like things that are not ‘manly’ or ‘rugged’ enough because these are for boys, anything less is for girls. Not more than one hour prior to watching the movie, I stood behind a mother in line at a bookstore who snapped at her son for wanting a pencil case that was ‘for girls’ and she called him ‘gay’ for liking the colour. Sometimes this mentality poisons not only the minds of men, but of women as well. This is what society teaches them and none of them are ready to break the cycle because they are afraid of what people will say about them and their character. How can people accept a movie telling them Ken’s feelings are valid when they are still blind to gender equality issues? They would rather display bigoted behaviour and say hurtful things to their children than disappoint their community. 

I do not fault Barbie’s director Greta Gerwig for trying to use an iconic doll to try and bring certain truths to light. I do, however, think that it was not as seamless as many think it is. I also believe that this movie was made with only Western culture in mind, not allowing for room to fully understand why these messages are so necessary. The Philippines has a long way to go in terms of breaking down patriarchy and empowering women. Having these messages presented in a forceful manner is not always the best way to get the message across. Many did not understand the humour of some jokes because it upset their sensibilities. 

I hope that more artists can find ways to somehow present these issues to people in slightly more digestible forms of art. There is still hope for this generation to break the cycles of patriarchal dominance in Philippine culture.