Maryn can't stop thinking about Barbie
On the cultural moment of the year and our queen Greta Gerwig
So far, I’ve been publishing my newsletter posts on Monday mornings. No one noticed, but I couldn’t publish on schedule this time. My brain just couldn’t do it. Why? Last week, the bulk of my extra brain power went towards one thing, and one thing only: the Barbie movie.
It’s safe to say my ADHD hyperfocus latched on hard to all things Barbie in anticipation of the movie coming out. I don’t want to know how many hours I’ve spent reading Barbie articles and commentary, watching press tour clips, checking the Barbie movie Instagram to make sure I didn’t miss anything, listening to podcasts, preparing my movie-going plans, fixating on my outfit choice, analyzing the movie post-viewing, and so on. It’s been a lot of hours. A lot.
Friends of mine know I’m an active participant in the Cup of Jo community, and recently, a reader there asked this question:
“Can anyone explain the Barbie hype to me? I ask this in a non-snarky way. I don’t think I understand the hype. Is it due to the cast? The everything pink? Is it just because it seems to be a cultural focal point and it’s fun to participate in cultural focal points while they are happening?”
Honestly, I’ve been asking myself a similar question. How do I explain my own Barbie hype? Why did I become so obsessed with it?
I don’t have any particular attachment to the Barbie brand itself. Sure, I played with Barbies growing up, but those memories feel hazy compared to my childhood love of Pokemon and other animal-adjacent brands. If I dive deep into my inner child, I feel kind of numb thinking of Barbie. I don’t think I saw myself in my Barbies. Somehow, playing games like Pokemon felt much more empowering.
So for me, I wasn’t interested in the movie because it’s Barbie. I was interested because it’s a product of Greta Gerwig. Greta Gerwig, the brilliant creator of Little Women and Lady Bird and one of the foremost female directors and screenwriters of our day. Her involvement alone piqued my interest.
I’m not going to pretend to know everything about Greta, or that I’m a film expert. But as interviews came out about her Barbie journey and process, I couldn’t eat them up fast enough. Something about her made me feel like, while I’ve never been able to see myself in Barbie, I could see myself in Greta.
Part of it is that the more I read about her, the more I felt confident that she’s likely neurodivergent, like me. She’s gotta be. And as it turns out, she confirmed this herself! In an interview!
At school she was “a real rule follower.” She also “had a ton of energy,” she says. “Now, as an adult, I have ADHD – they diagnosed me. But as a kid, my mum was like, ‘Let’s sign her up for every activity. Let’s tire her out.’ I’ve always had a tremendous amount of enthusiasm. I was just interested in, like, everything. I had a really active imagination. I had a lot of really deep feelings. I was emotional.”
Aha! She has ADHD too, and was also diagnosed as an adult.
Then there’s her love for the creative process and making something that blesses others in her own way. Watch any clip of her talking about the movie and it’s clear that she put her whole, heart-forward self into making it. On the opening day of the movie, she surprised an audience at an NYC theater and gushed about how the movie was made with “so much joy and hope,” and she was genuinely moved that people were turning out in droves to support it. I’m also obsessed with the fact that Margot Robbie, the producer and star of the movie, gave Greta free reins over the entire script. There were no guardrails. She gave Greta the space to write freely — and so earnestly, as she’s known for. The result is Barbie.
On a smaller note, I can’t look away from Greta’s fantastic uniform throughout the filming of the movie: an array of colored boiler suits. As a neurodivergent gal, I’ve found it necessary to rely on a uniform wardrobe for my mental health. Having a uniform wardrobe makes my life easier and better. And then there’s Greta the auteur, joyfully wearing her daily uniform on the set of Barbie? I feel seen!
Leading up to seeing the movie, I started panicking about what to wear. I’m not a Barbie girl. My wardrobe is not one that screams Barbiecore. And I wasn’t about to go purchase some hot pink clothing item to fit in.
So, I analyzed my motivations for seeing the movie: namely, Greta. With visions of boiler suit-clad Greta in my mind, I decided to go dressed as Greta Gerwig Movie Director Barbie™ (why Mattel didn’t make that Barbie for their marketing blowout is beyond me).
The problem is, I didn’t have a boiler suit. And it was the day before. So, to the thrift stores I did go! Somehow, the universe and stars aligned, I lucked out, and I found a fabulous, vintage, Rosie the Riveter boiler suit.
Of course, I bought it, but it being navy, I panicked and also bought some deep hot pink nail polish (so unlike me, which begs its own analysis). Then, at home, after much iterating and scrambling to find my few pink accessories, my Greta Barbie™ outfit was complete.
It was made all the better once paired with my magical friend Morgan, who happens to be a fashion stylist and absolutely belongs on the Barbie set.
We had the best time.
I’ll admit, I spent so much energy and time hyping myself up for the movie that after watching it, I found myself in a stupor. I couldn’t tell what I thought or felt. Was I disappointed? Surprised? Sensory overloaded? Hit with joy-induced, Eras Tour-like amnesia? (Did I also read maybe too many articles going into it and therefore knew too much about the plot and therefore ruined a lot of the surprise for myself? Yes. I COULDN’T HELP MYSELF.)
It’s taken a few days for me to come back to earth and gather my thoughts. I absolutely want to see the movie again in order to process it all — Greta packed a lot into it. I will say that I don’t think I’ve ever in my life had so much fun seeing a movie. It was hilarious and absurd and meaningful and I imagine I’ll be rewatching it for years to come.
I don’t think Barbie is a perfect movie, and you know what? It kind of makes me love Greta even more. She put her heart and soul into it, and her creation is glorious but not flawless, and I think I prefer it that way anyway. It humanizes her. It allows me to see myself in her because goodness knows I do my best to put my heart and soul into my creations, but I rarely do it perfectly. Plus, Greta just broke the world record for the biggest box office weekend opening by a female director so I think she’s doing okay.
At the end of the day, perhaps what I love most about Barbie is the cultural discussions it’s prompting. Why don’t we have more women-made blockbusters catered to women and girls? Is the movie dismantling or contributing to unrealistic beauty standards? And gosh, doesn’t it feel good to have this shared moment of dressing up and having some absurd, girl-powered fun?
Part of me was hoping that writing this would cure me of my Barbie frenzy. But let’s be real — it’s not going away anytime soon. If your Barbie frenzy is also not going away any time soon, here are some more Barbie links for your enjoyment:
Greta Gerwig on the movies that inspired Barbie.
Margot Robbie and Greta talk about the seismic success of Barbie for Vogue Australia (it’s a delightful back-and-forth).
We’ve reached peak girl (Vanity Fair).
What Barbie’s Dreamhouse would look like in each state (Utah’s is clearly for some wealthy St. George snowbird).
Can Barbie be rebranded as a feminist icon?
Somehow I’m JUST seeing that Greta did a Vogue 73-question interview 3 years ago?!?! I loved it. I want to be her friend (and I will get in line).
I shared these Substack posts in the question links above, but I really don’t want you to miss them, so here they are again:
Until next time,
Maryn (is here)
I'm still confused about the hype...in fact I find the hype in many ways more meaningful that the movie. My writing fingers are itching to "fix" the plot flaws. Nevertheless it was fun. Thanks for sharing your take.
The Zack Snyder line was incredible.