A color traditionally associated with femininity, pink often causes the most ridiculous gender discrimination, as it is attributed characteristics such as grace and delicacy that masculinity should lack. We often see pink in “idioms” where it takes on an idiomatic meaning associated with optimism or, with negative connotations, superficiality. We think about “seeing everything pink”, about “pink”. power”, or the mantra of the late 20th century, “Think Pink”, preaching a bright life. For Audrey Hepburn, pink symbolizes a credo, and Oscar Wilde warns to beware of women who, after thirty-five, prefer ribbons in its shades. In short, pink both divides and unifies, prescribes and describes a way of life.
In accordance with Pink by Lizzo (2023), an anthem to the monochromatic trend Barbicor, pink goes with everything and gives to anyone because it makes you strong. The people who were with me at the cinema probably thought so too. Barbie Greta Gerwig (2023), all dressed in pink, no difference in age or gender, as if we agreed. The pink color of Barbie conveys carelessness, it is irresistible, it refers to childhood, to games, to the timeless and fears. From this point of view, I consider it indicative that “Barbicor” spread even in Moscow immediately after the release of the film, despite the fact that the release of the title was banned in Russian cinemas. The desire to see the world in pink colors during the war speaks of the need to look beyond, of the desire for a sudden change of scenery.
In Barbieland – Lizzo still sings – every day you wake up in a peaceful pink world where everyone chill and got dressed. Pink Barbie smells like candy and Big Babol gum, cream and strawberry. In the Barbie metaverse, there are two seasons that follow each other: spring and summer, because the weather conditions, as well as the hues of the landscape, should be conducive to happiness. There isn’t a day when you don’t experience life to the fullest when the Kens aren’t patrolling the beach, showing off their toned muscles. The predominance of pink can be explained precisely by the fact that he looks at the dominant color “through the prism of the seasons”, as Lauren Weiger does in the second volume of a successful and internationally translated collection. Ideal Palettes (Hepley, 2023). Barbie’s pink color takes on precise “emotional and expressive meanings” as an integral part of her relationship to the world. Following the “seasonal color code” formulated by Weiger, pastel pink is for spring, metallic is festive, neon fuchsia is summer. Here, these colors were worn by Barbie at three different points in the story, respectively describing an upward climax consisting of stillness, rupture and awareness of lack, enlightenment. The problem with Margot Robbie’s well-played stereotypical Barbie is that she languishes in a childish naivete that crystallizes her in a frivolous loop until she realizes the existence of death. The unsuspecting Barbie wears pastel pink, which Wager believes is a spring color that heralds new beginnings. The meeting with death takes place during a disco night, for which Barbie chooses a golden jumpsuit: a metallic shade celebrating awareness, celebrating a renewed look. The moment Barbie becomes aware of her anxiety about life going beyond the cycle, she reacts with somatic fear and her body transforms: the first signs of humanity appear, such as cellulite holes (microscopic…if they are) and legs” plates”, in the sense that the whole plant is on the ground, and not just the tip. Barbie begins to experience physical pain and realizes that only her doll legs are fit for high heels. This is one of the moments in the film that leads to complete identification with the protagonist – along with America Ferrera’s monologue – during which thoughts turn to Georgia Prime Minister Meloni and her impatience to wear stilettos after the NATO summit held in Vilnius on 12 July. 2023 Meloni made the news for the umpteenth time solely because of a clothing detail that made her apologize to the people present at the press conference after a grimace of pain: “It’s for the shoes, I’m sorry. I’m not bored with you.” Meloni’s stilettos are driven by a set of unwritten rules rooted in the common sense of being a powerful woman in a particular culture. From my research in etiquette and ceremonial, there is no indication of the obligation to wear heels on formal occasions, moreover, it seems that their height should be limited to 5 cm if you participate in daytime activities. Meloni’s sneakers weren’t allowed, of course, but instead of suffering himself to the point of feeling unwell, he might consider ballerinas or moccasins, more comfortable shoes for a busy day. The choice of genre for the thematic role also includes a direction, in this case based on the male vision of fashion, where a woman must sacrifice herself for the sake of a silhouette conceived on the basis of aesthetics, and not working practices. In short, there is no social rule that takes care of bodily passions that cause so much discomfort. The presence/absence of heels is proportional to the degree and type of femininity, so much so that Barbie’s red and blue Matrix pills are replaced with Manolo Blahnik-style cleavage and classic Birkenstock Arizona to emphasize the transition. from doll to intelligent woman. Nirvana is achieved through flat, ergonomic sandals.
As Barbie understands the state of things and learns to feel emotions in order to be able to appreciate them culturally, the pink color of her clothes darkens and becomes a fuchsia of glorifying ordeal. Despite her initial ignorance, Barbie proves to be receptive, even if not completely sane, because the skills needed to process “suffering” of various forms are anesthetized by the need to be happy at all costs. The inability to experience other emotions than happiness is embedded in the Mattel program, which does not allow him to experience sadness and shame. Barbie’s human nature confronts the cultural passions as she realizes she feels out of place because her outfit doesn’t match the Venice Beach style. Unlike Barbie, Ken continues to languish in ignorance, especially as he designs his transformation into clothes defined by media images of actors, singers, politicians, and entrepreneurs that he enjoys when he arrives in the real world. Ken’s dominance status is won with the help of some magical clothing items, including, in order, the first image quote is a western style suit borrowed from the official music video for the song “Permission to dance” (2021) by Korean BTS. . Ryan Gosling’s Ken looks just like BTS singer and dancer Jimin, who gets the guitar used in the film both as a tribute and to draw more attention, counting on the generosity of the ARMY fandom, a practice that is now widespread on social media content. networks. Hollywood. Here, Ken winks at a large audience, embodying a type of masculinity that goes beyond the classic Western male model of fat and squirming muscles, enhancing a more subtle allure. In a video message to Jimin, Gosling explains this sweet gesture with the unwritten code of the Kens, which preaches the need to give the most valuable treasure to the person from whom you draw inspiration for creating style. The dress code is also behavioral in nature, but above all it becomes an established and ingrained custom. Patriarch Ken’s style is probably influenced by the person who contributed the most to creating the image of a powerful and muscular macho, which is Sylvester Stallone, the opposite of Jimin. Among the images that startle Ken’s feeble imagination is a photograph of Stallone shirtless and in a long fur coat, probably taken in the 1980s, during the period when he was talking about the Vancouver Pappas Furs store, a collaboration that began by chance during shooting Rambo (1982). Fur allows Ken to feel like a real man, able to manage his fellows and get what he needs on his own, or, in extreme cases, with the help of horses, a male prosthesis par excellence, in animal form or on four wheels. The same goes for watches worn over clothes, as Gianni Agnelli did, the quintessential signs of status—think of the Rolex queues—that help Ken bring value to humanity.
The masculinity of the world of Barbie and Mattel is expressed in different types of clothing: an elegant suit for the powerful, kitschy clothes for kens, knitted vest and shirt sets for workers. Variety in appearance is reserved for women, and here I emphasize a sense of indulgence, because the decisions are still made by men, the instigators and manipulators of Barbie’s fate.
The “mission” of Barbie is the same as the mission of the brand that makes it, that is, to support new generations through play, through which they learn to recognize each other and acquire useful skills for adulthood. In this regard, Roland Barthes in Myths of today explains that toys are “literally a prototype of the universe of adult functions” because they provide the opportunity to make certain choices. The little girl is “prepared” for her future role by the clothes worn by Barbie, which act as an identifying uniform, like the dress code of this place in the world. Barbieland and Mattel’s website are filled with Barbie Careers and Barbie Role models, including a doll dedicated to Samantha Cristoforetti in a spacesuit, now sold out. Cristoforetti traits can help girls, I quote, “imagine they can be anything” and “discover that they can actually achieve great things.” Each clothing means the future, it helps to choose. The same goes for Barbie, who at the climax of the story wears a fuchsia Chanel total bow instead of armor, which figuratively represents a clear conscious change due to the saturation of the pale pink worn at the beginning of the film. The fuchsia-colored dress is made of tweed, a sporty masculine fabric created by Coco Chanel to be elegant and feminine in terms of liberating the body and increasing feminine strength. Here, although Margot Robbie is tied to Chanel by an ambassadorial contract, the Maison’s fashion items want to position themselves as a symbol of liberation and increased self-esteem, pink strength. Barbie Pink Power may continue to be divisive in terms of feminist and gender issues, but in my opinion continues to be a shining example of textual, cross-genre and cross-status effectiveness. A familiar narrative that, as Barthes would say, “introduces us to use synesthesia” as well as kinesic and vestimental mimesis.
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On the cover is the chromatic evolution of Barbie.