I want my boys to see the Barbie movie.

Sure, it addresses some mature themes like the patriarchy. But we talk about hard social issues all the time in our family.

Sure, my boys are explicitly not the target audience. But they read all sorts of stuff that centers girls and women, including Squirrel Girl comics and the Ramona books, and love them. 

Sure, they won’t get all of the jokes. But that’s true in day to day life and they’ll get plenty of them, like Ken’s job being “beach.”

So I think they’d enjoy it.

But more importantly, I want them to be exposed to the messages it carries in such an accessible way.

In particular, I want them to think about what a problem it is when one gender has such overwhelming power over another and what it feels like to be treated like an object. About women and girls’ experiences in the world. About how patriarchy hurts everyone, including cis men (even though it hurts them the least). About learning to take responsibility for harm done to people and learning from your mistakes. About standing up with people who are being hurt. 

I’ve read legitimate criticism that the Barbie movie covers ground that has been covered in other movies in more depth and more radical ways, especially movies by Black women. What makes it unique – as my husband actually pointed out to me – is that most of those previous movies were serious and solidly aimed at adults. What makes Barbie different is that it delivers these ideas in a package that is fun, cute, and mostly appropriate for preteens and teenagers. It can start conversations with our kids that would be difficult to start otherwise. There are other ways to start them of course, but as these conversations are never one and done, it’s good to seize on these chances. 

Girls and boys alike have to learn about the patriarchy. I want my boys not to uphold it, but to subvert and break it. That won’t just happen by magic and good vibes. It will only happen as a result of modeling and hard conversations. The Barbie movie can provide an opportunity for our girls and boys alike to think about these issues.