Barbie and the Question of Subjectivity

In this article I argue that Greta Gerwig’s 2023 film Barbie achieves a number of things. First, and most profoundly, it offers a series of reflections on what it means to be a human subject, especially by way of a distinction between being a doll and being human. Secondly, at stake in the notion of being human is the question of gender, so Barbie’s themes of human subjectivity are ones that include a critique of gender norms and the continuing oppression of women. Thirdly, the film offers reflections on the manner in which activities like playing with dolls or watching movies can provide us with imaginative ways of negotiating with reality. Finally, Barbie reverses the traditional trajectory of films in the musical genre for, instead of taking characters on a journey which sees them venture out of the real world and into a realm where utopian feelings are experienced and expressed, Gerwig’s film begins in the utopia of Barbie Land and then takes its main characters on a journey into the real world.