#gloria monologue

[girltalkcollectives]

The Barbie Scene That Had Us All Ugly Crying in the Theater (You Know the One)

I wasn’t prepared to have an existential crisis about womanhood while eating overpriced movie theater popcorn, but there I was, mascara running down my face, as America Ferrera started that speech in Barbie.

You know exactly which one I’m talking about.

“It is literally impossible to be a woman.”

And just like that, I felt seen in a way that hit differently than any feminist text or empowerment speech ever had. Because here was this regular mom, in a movie about a plastic doll, putting into words everything I’ve felt but couldn’t explain since I was old enough to understand what being a woman meant.

I glanced around the theater, and I swear you could feel it — this collective moment of recognition from every woman in the room. Like we were all simultaneously remembering every time we’d been too much and not enough, all at once.

The thing is, I didn’t walk into that theater expecting to confront every contradiction I’ve ever lived through. I was just there for the pink aesthetics and Margot Robbie’s outfits. But then Gloria started talking about how we’re supposed to be extraordinary but somehow always doing it wrong, and suddenly I was thinking about every time I’d dimmed my own light to make others comfortable.

“Always stand out and always be grateful.”

I felt that line in my soul. I remember a time last year when I got a 100 on a final exam for one of my college classes. I literally prefaced telling my friends with “It’s not really a big deal, but…” Why? Because I’d rather downplay my success than risk being seen as boastful.

The part about never admitting we’re doing any of it unless we want to be called difficult? I actually snorted in the theater (sorry to the people behind me). Because right before I went to see that movie, my roommate called me “high maintenance” for having basic boundaries about cleaning schedules. The bar is literally in hell.

Sitting there, watching this scene, I thought about every woman in my life who’s lived this impossible paradox. My mom, who was told she was “too aggressive” for asking for a raise after 15 years at her company. My best friend, who got called “difficult” for turning down a guy who wouldn’t take no for an answer. Me, being told I’m “too sensitive” for calling out sexist jokes while also being told “too cold” for not laughing at them.

You want to know the most ironic part? Some critics called this speech “too on the nose” or “heavy-handed.” And isn’t that exactly what Gloria was talking about? Even when we perfectly articulate the impossible standards we face, we get criticized for how we articulate them.

I left that theater feeling different. Not because anything had changed, really, but because finally, someone had named this thing we’ve all been feeling. In a summer blockbuster. In hot pink. In a movie about a literal plastic doll.

Sometimes I rewatch that scene on Tiktok when I need to remember I’m not crazy for feeling overwhelmed by these contradictions. When I need to remember that every woman I know is doing this impossible dance of being everything and nothing all at once.

To the woman who sat next to me in the theater and offered me a tissue during that scene without saying a word — thank you. To America Ferrera for delivering those lines like she was reading from my diary — thank you. To Greta Gerwig for sneaking this truth bomb into a movie about Barbie — thank you.

And to every woman reading this who’s ever felt like she’s failing at being a woman because the requirements are impossible — you're not alone. We’re all just trying to navigate this pink paradox together.

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

Barbie (2023) | Superstore (2015-2021)

[marveliter]

I just saw Barbie again with my mom and sister and noticed something:

A little snippet, a soft whisper of What Was I Made For? plays when Barbie is on the bus bench with the old lady telling her she’s beautiful; I could hear the piano and Billie’s soft humming melody there, and then I think it happens again when Gloria is about to speak her monologue, right before when she tells Barbie she’s so beautiful.

The song plays when women are helping other women.

I am unwell.

[eternaldisguise]

From Barbie (2023) 🩷

[londongirl]

It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.

You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman, but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.

I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.

[cruesfavgirl]

“It is literally impossible to be a woman…

… You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong. You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman, but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged.  So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.”

- America Ferrera as Gloria in 'Barbie’

[liyazaki]

womanhood: a state of being in which we are as unified by impossible societal standards as we are by the out-of-body experience starting with the dreaded “I want to play a song- just for you…” 😏

[barbiejewelle]

Gloria's complete monologue from the Barbie movie:

It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.

You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman, but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.

I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.

[stacys-mom-has-got-it-goin-on]

"It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful and so smart... and it kills me that you don't think you're good enough. Like, we always have to be extraordinary, but somehow we're always doing it wrong. We have to be thin, but not too thin and you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also, you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can't ask for money because that's crass. You gotta be a boss, but you can't be mean. You have to lead, but you can't squash other people's ideas. You're supposed to love being a mother, but "don't talk about your kids all the damn time!". You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men's bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you're accused of complaining. You're supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you're supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be very grateful, but never forget the system is rigged, so find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It's too hard! It's too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault! I'm just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women... then I don't even know."

[dark-nymph3t]

The afab but-not-cis experience is deeply relating to something a woman says (ex: America Ferrera’s monologue in the Barbie movie) but not being able to voice it because then people will immediately start invalidating your gender identity and saying that you can’t relate to it because you’re not a cis woman, but you can. It’s not our fault that we were born into a body and a designated gender role that we didn’t ask for, and even though we’ve abandoned it we’re still pressured to act and perform said gender role.

No one wins.

[paulidin]

Transcript of Gloria's Monologue from the 2023 film

Hi, just sharing it here for those who are curious, or for those who have seen the Barbie film and want to read / revisit / repost it somewhere else, etc. Just don't ask me how I got it lol.

EDIT: changes to the second last paragraph as suggested in the comments.

"𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸, 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨?

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘌 𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘕.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘴𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦'𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴.

𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰, 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘐𝘕𝘚𝘈𝘕𝘌, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨!

𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 ��𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘈𝘓𝘞𝘈𝘠𝘚 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘖𝘜𝘛 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘓𝘞𝘈𝘠𝘚 𝘉𝘌 𝘎𝘙𝘈𝘛𝘌𝘍𝘜𝘓. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘈𝘓𝘚𝘖, 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭!

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘭𝘥. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘥𝘦. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧𝘧. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘖𝘜𝘛 𝘖𝘍 𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘌. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥! 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 '𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶!' 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵.

𝘐'𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘴.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸."

[magicalgirlsasuke]

my take is that the barbie movie pieces together conversations that girls/women have throughout their lives, and so is not meant to be any more or less feminist or revolutionary than a standard conversation had between girls and women

[gayspacemonk]

I unironically think the barbie movie should be adapted to an broadway play

[thedalatribune]

© Paolo Dala

Gloria's Monologue

It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don't think you're good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we're always doing it wrong.

You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can't ask for money because that's crass. You have to be a boss, but you can't be mean. You have to lead, but you can't squash other people's ideas. You're supposed to love being a mother, but don't talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people.

You have to answer for men's bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you're accused of complaining. You're supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you're supposed to be a part of the sisterhood.

But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful.

You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It's too hard! It's too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.

I'm just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don't even know.

Gloria Barbie [Written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach (2023)]

[cinader]

Reflections on Barbie Land and the Real World

Truthfully, when I heard Barbie was being developed as a live-action movie, I was afraid she would be burned at the stake, with the fire stoked by haters bent on punishing my beloved beauty for crimes against feminist kind.

(“Barbie” movie spoiler alert) The original Barbie doll Of all the gifts you ever received on Christmas morning, which one springs to mind? One of my most vivid memories is not of my present but something Santa brought my best friend. “Baby Alive” was a doll that she could “feed” some gel-like substance, and as a bonus, this pseudo food made an encore appearance in the form of baby poop. I…

[larlar1588]

Always reblog <3

“It’s literally impossible to be a woman.

You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don't think you're good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow, we're always doing it wrong?

You have to be thin, but not too thin, and you can never say you wanna be thin. You have to say you wanna be healthy, but also, you have to BE THIN.

You have to have money, but you can't ask for money because that's crass.

You have to be a boss, but you can't be mean.

You have to lead, but you can't squash other people's ideas.

You're supposed to love being a mother, but don't talk about your kids all the damn time.

You have to be a career woman, but also, always be looking out for other people.

You have to answer for men's bad behavior, which is INSANE, but if you point that out, you're accused of complaining!

You're supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you're supposed to be a part of the sisterhood, but ALWAYS STAND OUT and ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL. But never forget that the system is rigged, so find a way to acknowledge that but ALSO, always be grateful!

You have to never get old. Never be rude. Never show off. Never be selfish. Never fall down. Never fail. Never show fear. Never get OUT OF LINE. It's too hard! It's too contradictory, and nobody gives you a medal or says 'thank you!' And it turns out, in fact, that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also, everything is your fault.

I'm just so tired of watching myself, and every single other woman tie herself into knots, so that people will like us.

And if all of that, is also true for a doll just representing a woman, then I don't even know." -Gloria the barbie movie

this is it. this is exactly it oh my god.