'Barbie' Movie Takes Back the Power of Pink
Why Viewers All Over the World Parade in Pink for the Film of the Summer
When I was a kid, I was a stereotypical Barbie in my own way. I loved the pink and frills of my childhood. There was no mistaking me for a tomboy, or possessing any qualities outside the realm of what it meant to be a 'girly girl' in the 2000s. I had no shame in being a girly girl until someone else told me I was. Growing up being called such was never a compliment. It was never said with the same sparkle that I believed it to have obtained. It was with discernment and maybe a hint of pity. Being girly and loving the color pink wasn't something to be proud of. It was deemed as too feminine, which in turn equated to being too weak. Luckily, Margot Robbie's delivery of a live-action "Barbie" executed by Little Women Director Greta Gerwig reclaimed the power of pink and hyper-femininity in the 2023 "Barbie" movie and everyone who was once a girly girl is celebrating.
Unless you're living under a rock and are oblivious to the abundance of positive traffic that the film has procured, the 2023 film is inspiring women everywhere to embrace their womanhood. In a world where a woman's reproductive rights can be overturned by the snap of a finger, eliminating a woman's autonomy, "Barbie'" is giving women a breath of fresh pink air. Viewers all over the country are taking their Barbie movie theater outfits to social media to prance their pink and unapologetically own their inner Barbie.
Musician and Content Creator Yasmin Rogers attended the opening night premiere of "Barbie," along with nine of her friends, at Universal Cinema AMC on July 21 at 11:15 p.m. Rogers flaunted a pink and white Chanel set with a pink tweed blazer on top as she headed to the theater.
"My amazing Mom let me borrow [the set]. It was so special because my mom and I have always bonded over Barbie,” Roger states.
In anticipation of the movie, Rogers posted 10 TikToks about her night that accumulated over 123,000 views in total. In one of her TikToks, Rogers states, “Anything that revolves around being girly, wearing pink, and having a good time with your girls? Count me in!”
The "Barbie" movie has rekindled a feminine fire that women had forcefully put out prematurely because there was no room for that kind of light. As a young girl, you’re treated like a woman very early on. With that early introduction to womanhood, your adolescence is burnt out for you. Sometimes when all you wished for was to put on your pinkest outfit and embrace what it meant to be a girl with your best friends, you had to focus on what the rest of the world would think of you if they saw you in that moment.
For Rogers and her friends, this was not an opportunity in their adulthood they were going to miss out on. Clearly, the rest of the social media population agrees with Rogers as she is not the only individual who has outsourced their enthusiasm for the new film to the internet.
Our Vibes Media Founder Caroline Salinas and Auburn University Alumna Maggie Hardin are two more "Barbie" babes who had the pleasure of individually healing their inner child this summer.
Salinas was privileged enough to attend an early screening of the film on Wednesday, July 19. She wasted no time in posting five TikToks of her experience at the theater that reached over 8,000 views in total.
She stepped into the theater in a one-shoulder crop top paired with a sequin skirt and booties. Salinas fit right in with the crowd once she took a look around.
"The phenomena this film created was something truly special. It was so exciting to walk into a space where strangers also dressed up for the occasion and were excited to see your outfit too,” Salinas states. “When I arrived at the theater, I had a group of strangers in pink wave at me and say ‘Hi Barbie!’”
The popularized “Hi Barbie!” quickly spread to theaters worldwide. While masked as a short and sweet greeting amongst fellow movie-goers, the catchphrase signifies a sense of understanding and belonging between one another.
Whether or not a “Hi Barbie!” was spoken, once the movie started rolling and the popcorn started popping, it was clear that everyone in the theater was witnessing the same moment: a change in perspective. This movie evidently influenced the opinions of Barbie and what it means to be a girl.
Twenty-two-year-old Hardin did not grow up with the same heart for Barbie, but that did not stop her from seeing the film on July 22. Like many other susceptible young girls, the Alabama native was under the impression that pink was too girly, and feminine was a synonym for weak.
“I wanted to be strong. I even hated when people called me a "ballerina" because that was another feminine, ‘girly’ word often used to diminish the art of dance. Anyway, as I grew up, I slowly began to realize I could embrace my femininity and strength at the same time,” Hardin states. “Now I love pink and all things ‘girly’ because I am a strong woman, and I know that, and the people I love know that. If people want to take advantage of my femininity because they think I'm weak, well... they have a big surprise in store.”
While Hardin didn’t grow up idolizing Barbie, her perception of it all changed after experiencing the story that Robbie and Gerwig created. Hardin was influenced enough by the movie to wear a light pink set topped off with a pink headband that you can see on her Instagram. The film highlighted all the parts of being a woman that are hidden behind the shadows while playing with the whimsical tones of Barbie Land.
As a viewer myself, these moments felt personal, yet invigorating. From stereotypical Barbie’s existential crisis once she was exposed to the truths of womanhood in the real world to what happens to women in a society where men [Kens] feel the need to mark their territory. These scenes didn’t feel like the usual kick in the teeth because they were delivered with a side of copious hues of pink and the diction of a female-forward production team. They felt like a hug after years of misinterpretations because somebody finally got it right.
And not just somebody. Barbie. A toy that meant much more to millions of girls all over the world. Influencer Harshini Karthikeyan says Barbie was a friend to her. Karthikeyan went to visit her childhood confidante on July 21 in a traditional Indian pink sari mirroring the outfit the Indian Barbie wore at the beginning of the movie. Karthikeyan shared her day and outfit dedicated to the film with her 19,000 followers and accumulated over 1.5 million views.
“I’d treat my Barbies as my personal playmates, doctors, athletes, mannequins, and anything else. They gave me a space to be creative,” Karthikeyan states. “I felt amazing walking into the movie dressed in pink and seeing so many other people doing the same. The best part was feeling like I was surrounded by women who only wanted to uplift and support one another!”
It’s been less than two weeks since the film premiered, yet women all over the world are taking the pink out of their closets to see the sun. It’s refreshing walking into a movie theater and seeing women with these illuminating smiles on their faces knowing those smiles are letting out years, maybe decades, of repressed femininity.
I’ve loved pink and my girlhood for as long as I can remember and I am more than proud of that. But there was once a short period of my life where I felt guilty about it. While those moments were brief, I’m ashamed that they existed at all. "Barbie" is a chance to unapologetically put on your pinkest outfit yet and smile at the woman you are. So I think if you have the chance to do that this summer…at least do it twice.
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