Barbie has finally hit the big screen, and it's breaking box office records and resonating with audiences far and wide. If you haven't seen it yet, what are you even doing?!
We asked women of the BuzzFeed Community who have seen Barbie to tell us about the moments that resonated with them the most. Their responses, like the film, were incredibly moving. Here's what they shared:
🚨🚨WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!🚨🚨
1. "I took my 15-year-old niece, who uses a wheelchair most of the time, to see Barbie. During the scene where the narrator is showing all the different Barbies and there is one in a wheelchair, she pointed at the screen and went, 'There’s me!' and laughed. Then, during the disco, when the Barbie in the wheelchair was front and center dancing with the other Barbies, she grabbed my arm and just had the biggest smile on her face and tears in her eyes. After the movie, she said it was so cool to see someone in a wheelchair doing the same thing everyone else was doing and looking just as beautiful doing it. Representation matters."
2. "Just seeing a plus-size Barbie played by Sharon Rooney made me feel so seen. And, her weight isn't brought up! She's not put on a pedestal because she's 'so brave' for being plus-size, and she's not bullied by the others. She's just living her life as Lawyer Barbie and getting to wear cute clothes like everyone else. She's not considered different by the others, for better or worse. She's equal, which is all I really want as a plus-size person myself."
3. "I went dressed in all pink with a lab coat to be a Science Barbie. When they showed a Barbie winning a Nobel Peace Prize, I got teary-eyed. But, when they said how women can do anything because of Barbie and how we actually ARE scientists today, I cried. My boyfriend whispered, 'Thats you!' in my ear, and I just had a wave of pride come over me. I am a scientist. I am really feminine/girly, and I am a Science Barbie that's crushing it in the lab!"
4. "For me, it was when Barbie tells the old woman (Ann Roth) that she’s beautiful, and she responds, 'I know it.' It felt like a connection of affection all women have for each other, but also the bridge between 'younger you' and 'older you.' I have always felt connected to my older self whenever I have moments of self-doubt. Moments whenever I feel physically ugly or not accomplished enough, I try to think, 'How would older me look back on this moment?' I know she would be compassionate, forgiving, and loving toward all parts of me while growing up. The kicker is, I AM already her, and she is me. No matter how much time has passed, I will always hold love for myself and know I am beautiful throughout my whole life. So, I might as well have that self-compassion now that the older me would have."
"Telling an older woman she is beautiful — it’s so rare to be told this after a certain age. She knew she was beautiful, even though she does not fit into the societal beauty standards. Barbie had just been scared of having cellulite or looking different, and here she sees a woman who looks nothing like the Barbies in Barbie Land, and thinks she's truly human and beautiful. It was heartwarming and really made me walk away thinking less terribly about how I look or will look in the future. This is especially prevalent in our society where men are calling Margot Robbie 'mid' and women are using an aging filter on TikTok and getting upset about how they look. We are beautiful. We are everything. Don’t forget that."
—Anonymous
"It was the 'You're so beautiful,' 'I know it!' moment with the older woman that got me. The fact that Barbie sees this old woman and doesn't fear her; she sees beauty in her, too. Considering Barbie was so scared of cellulite and imperfections before, having her telling this woman, who has 'imperfections' that she's beautiful...it was special. It also says a lot about how we as women judge ourselves harsher than others. I also love the fact the woman agreed, and wasn't just bashful or dismissive. It was nice seeing a woman in our world knowing her worth, too, especially one who would usually be dismissed."
5. "The line about mothers (or older women in general) standing still so their daughters (and younger women) can see how far they've come DESTROYED me. It made me think of how many things in the world have changed for the better just in my own lifetime, my mum’s, my nan’s, etc., and how much is going to change in my kids’ lifetimes. 😭"
6. "It might not be the most obvious one, but Allan!! I grew up in a very conservative, Christian environment where girls and boys couldn't be friends. If you wanted to hang with the boys, that was a huge decision you had to make. Everything was ridiculously gendered and separate. Being butch and trans-masc, it was surprisingly validating to see Allan both hanging with the Kens and pulling badass shenanigans with the Barbies! The main plot was about gender roles 100%, but the entire time you had Allan vibing no matter which 'group' he was with, and that was really important to me."
—Anonymous
7. "The 'I worked hard for this, and I deserve it' line blew my mind! I'm finishing up my master's and have been doubting myself so much as I've started applying for jobs, particularly doubting if the work and effort I've put into it deserves the degree. The morning after seeing Barbie, one of my first thoughts was, 'I worked hard for my master's, and I deserve it!' I almost cried!"
—Anonymous
8. "When Barbie and Ken first enter Venice Beach and all the 'real world' people are staring at them. Ken becomes more confident and feels powerful by how the 'real' people respond to him, but Barbie starts to feel self-conscious, ogled, and a little scared. However, the whole scene was so funny and innocent. I was happy I was watching it with my tween boys. It showed them what being a woman in public can feel like in a way I didn't know how to explain before, and it showed them how perspectives can be so different within the same scenario. It made me feel empowered to discuss it with them later. As they become men, they will know that just because they feel safe or secure in a situation, the women around them may not. Topics like that can feel really heavy to discuss with kids, but Barbie nailed it. As a little girl, it would've made me feel so validated."
—Anonymous
9. "When Lawyer Barbie said that she could hold logic and emotions at the same time! I am a worker's rights lawyer, and many of my clients have sexual harassment/assault claims. And yes, I can do both, and it makes me a better lawyer because I am able to support my clients legally AND emotionally!"
—Anonymous
"For me, it was Lawyer Barbie saying she can feel emotion and still use logic, and that it doesn’t diminish her, but makes her better. I fell apart. I'm an emotional but very logical person, so half my adult life has been trying to understand both those sides of myself."
10. "America Ferrera's monologue! EVERY word she said resonated with every cell in my being, and many others in the theater. We were clapping, amen-ing, and cheering!!! Trying to do and be everything for everyone, being chastised for not doing well enough, or doing too well, while being pretty enough, but not too pretty because their fragile ego can't handle others talking to you, being strong enough to take care of everyone, but not too strong to emasculate them... I would love to have a copy so I can post it and read it every day!!!"
—Anonymous
"The scene with Gloria's well-done rant about how all of us, both men and women, have to conform to these expectations put upon us by the world, and how these expectations keep confusing us as to what will actually satisfy others. Because no matter what we do to be perfect, it's always damned if you do, and damned if you don't."
"Hands down, America Ferrera's monologue, which nearly made me 'woop' out loud...but I'm British, and that sort of thing doesn't happen in cinemas. So, I sneakily high-fived my friend instead."
11. "The montage of home movies of real women and girls...that really got me. It was such a beautiful way to connect the cast and crew with their creation, and it really represented the community this movie built, highlighted, and empowered."
—Anonymous
12. "When Gloria tells Barbie that she's SO smart and SO pretty, and it kills her that she doesn't see that in herself. I cried when I saw Wonder Woman when I realized how smart she was while still being beautiful. Seeing this so clearly stated in Barbie was just...so powerful for me. Some of us grew up only being allowed to be one or the other. You're either smart or pretty, but there isn't room to be both. YES, THERE IS."
13. "Allan is, by far, my favorite character in Barbie Land. Just a great representation of an unassuming cis man who just wants society to work out for everyone. There's been speculation that the Allan doll was meant to be gay, but in the movie, he doesn't really show much interest in the Kens or the Barbies. He just wants to be included and to be acknowledged, and he wants some sort of harmony in life. I think we need to talk more about this understated ally for feminism, equality, and honestly just civilization as a whole."
—Anonymous
14. "All the Kens with their guitars serenading the Barbies with 'Push' by Matchbox Twenty!!! I love how my theater absolutely erupted with laughter in that moment. It became abundantly clear that all us women have been forcibly serenaded by a man at some point, and we've all been trying to repress the ick ever since!!"
—Anonymous
15. "Between the Snyder Cut joke and the Godfather moment, I was laughing so hard. I cannot tell you how many times a man has 'explained' the greatness of a movie to me. 🙄"
—Anonymous
16. Finally: "The community side of things: how the film seems to have brought us together. The way we all rocked up in our over-the-top pink outfits and just had a great time together. It's nice seeing Barbies have a blast together outside Barbie Land as well."
I still haven't recovered from seeing Barbie last week. It's truly a movie that stays with you. What's a moment that resonated with you?
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
You can follow more of our Barbie coverage here.
