In the world of entertainment, a timeless icon continues to play a significant role. Barbiethe blonde doll, with her unmistakable silhouette and the enchanted pink world around her, is back in the news.
Amidst controversy, criticism, appreciation and reflection, the film Barbie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling directed by Greta Gerwig is on everyone's lips.
It was a clear choice by the director: to remain faithful to the aesthetics of Mattel toys and to create a world where pink was the protagonist. Or rather a specific type of pink, identified and pursued by production designer Sarah Greenwood and set designer Katie Spencer who, in an interview, said "the world has run out of pink!" referring to the global shortage of the pink Rosco paint used to make the set.
On the other hand, the director had been very clear about the directions for the set design: "I wanted,' said Greta Gerwig, 'the pinks to be very bright and everything to be almost too much. And so it is that every detail of Barbie Land, is pink, incredibly and irredeemably pink. No wonder, then, that it took an entire production run of Rosco pink paint to make it possible.
But Barbie's seemingly idyllic and perfect world hides reflections and questions related precisely to the 'world in pink' and its connection to the lack of diversity and inclusion in the real world.
Her pink world is an enchanting vision, but it is crucial to challenge stereotypes and embrace diversity in order to fully reflect on real-world opportunities.
Barbie, then, under all that dazzling pink, hides a message aimed at self-awareness and body consciousness.
