The Barbie movie faced criticism from nearly the moment it was announced, and all that backlash really ramped up once the film arrived in theaters.
It’s been the target of near-unceasing criticism for weeks now, as a certain camp of people — we won’t point fingers, but Ben Shapiro is among the most incensed — rail against Barbie‘s every theme, from *gasp* equality to objectification and female empowerment. They simply aren’t pleased by the success of a film like Barbie, which goes too deeply against their long-held beliefs.
Those aren’t the only complaints levied against the film. Its now being blasted by a frustrated parent, who found themselves shocked by several “adult” jokes in the early minutes of Barbie. They took to the web to share their dismay over the film’s “inappropriate” opening, and complained about the film shattering her “picture perfect Barbie” perceptions.
In a bafflingly lengthy rant — yes, its a full four pages long — Indian actress Juhi Parmar criticized the film for failing to give adequate warning via trailers (despite “beach off,” one of the scenes in question, featuring prominently across marketing), and for “exposing” young children to inappropriate themes. She even goes so far as to frown at the marketing team for leaning on “Barbie Girl,” which she says heightened the illusion of a child-friendly film, despite the blatantly adult themes prevalent in the song.
The entire post served as an excellent example of how off-base most of the criticism aimed at Barbie really is. Most people who are against the film are searching for any and every opportunity to take a swing at the pink-soaked release, but their critique is far too vacant to hold water. Yes, there are some adult themes in Barbie — and “Barbie Girl,” in case you were wondering — but many of those jokes will fly miles over a child’s head. That’s kind of the point, actually. It happens all the time, particularly where kid-aimed releases are concerned, so that exhausted parents can find something to enjoy in a film they’re doomed to watch on repeat for the next six months.
There are usually at least one or two inappropriate innuendos, sly jokes, or clever asides in any given kids’ movie, and many of Barbie‘s jokes come across the same way. What kid is going to recognize “beach off” for what it really means? Only the ones who are already well-familiar with the phrase the film is parodying — and by that point, the responsibility doesn’t fall on Barbie.
At the end of the day, its any parent’s choice to decide whether Barbie is suitable viewing for their kids. The film isn’t as innocent as some parents would like it to be, and it teaches lessons about actually important topics, but its not the Satanism-inspired feminist attack many people seem to think it is. It’s just a movie — albeit one using a children’s toy to take aim at society’s many problems — and it’s simply not that serious.