“ I would rather have a babe with a rack so big she would fall over if she were a human who is known for her ability to defend herself from bullshit men as she hustled in the underground economy, than a human-proportion Barbie in a suit who is the CEO of a corporation.” 💗💕👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
LOVE this so much!!! I’m so confused all the time by the notion that hyper-femininity is rewarded... I have not lived in that world!
Also! Think you would have fun with the role Jenna Lyons is playing on Real Housewives of New York... First queer housewife, I think, and speaks about dressing for men versus not.
You really got me with this: "(On the note of connection, there is a really adorable tender thing that queer femmes share — when we greet each other (on text or email or in person) we say: “Hi femme.” (Some butches greet us this way too <3). It’s a form of in-group interpellation that never fails to make my heart a little glowy. The chorus of “Hi Barbie” all around me feels similar, and I am just relishing in it!)"
Getting to this one pretty late but I really really enjoyed this. You put words to the frustration I was feeling surrounding Barbie and all the controversy. Thank you!!! 💖
"Barbie is not radical, but we get to talk about the shortcomings of its asserted politics, and to do so we get to watch Barbie! I do not turn to the movies for revolutionary guidance; I turn to the movies for pleasure (entirely valuable on its own) and, sometimes, the opportunity to engage in thought, collectively, on how we could dream bigger than the visions allowed on our screens." VERY MUCH AGREE! Also I wish I could've been your student lol
I think you really misinterpret what Defino is saying. She’s not saying that dressing like Barbie/Elle Woods is rewarded - it’s what you pointed to...white, thin, blonde (conventional beauty). The Barbie aesthetic is a white supremacist aesthetic. No one is suggesting that wearing a bikini to work is what’s promoted by our society. It’s having the goal be to look like Margot Robbie. But I do think wearing heels, tight pencil skirts, shaving your legs, doing your hair and makeup are all part of the baseline standard of beauty Defino refers to.
Hi femme! 😋 Thank you as always for your writing magic 💕✨. I love the way you discuss how queer femmes in academia are told to tone it down for the sake of the profession. Once in college the school’s highest paid professor (you can guess his social identities & investments) told me I was “too pretty” (i.e., too not into shopping at Talbots) to be taken seriously as a Rhodes candidate, so he offered me unsolicited sartorial advice that continued to haunt me throughout graduate school when I too bought a sale pantsuit at Express 🤭 after being told that pairing it with my platform Doc Martens would end my career 🙄😹 #hardfemmeproblems
Hi femme!!!! Ughhhhhhh that story sounds AWFUL. And entirely not surprising. Hilarious that we both ended up at the Express sale rack to try to fit in lolololol. Thanks for reading and for the empathy and solidarity! I feel you out there! <3
I enjoyed the movie but I kept wondering what Mattel’s play is since they obviously approved use of their property for all sorts of subtle and strong statements, many of which weren’t exactly positive of their product. I’m not mad, but it does seem like a rebrand effort. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Yes I think it's an example of how corporations are surviving these days! Like the corporate Gay Pride floats happened because it made them money. This summer was the first in decades that there was less corporate sponsorship and that's entirely because the tide is turning on queer rights. But, as far as movies go, they have to be hip to the fact that Zoomers on Tik Tok are critiquing capitalism. It's all still profit-motivated for Mattel. But Gerwig was probably still trying to make some meaningful art. It's full of contradictions!
One of my big takeaways from the film is that it was largely a good combo of a lot of stuff that’s already been present in many kids movies for a few years. It felt like it was more an adult film that was catching them up with basic decency by using kid-based material. My girls thought it was just ok. But then they’ve never been into Barbie and are pretty aware of all kinds of disparities and lame attitudes in the world. My eldest daughter (9) is already a pretty militant about a ton of issues. It’d be cute and funny if it wasn’t so badass.
I just listened to a podcast episode about Barbie and her controversies and really enjoyed it! The host doesn’t go as in depth with the Marxist critiques but presents a pretty compelling defense of Barbie and how a lot of the opposition is wrapped up in femme phobia. Podcast is called American Hysteria and BJ Colangelo is the guest!
Thank you for reading!! Critiques that push back harder against it are also totally legit, I just couldn't sit by and not point out some potential femmephobia.... Curious what you think if you end up seeing it. <3
“ I would rather have a babe with a rack so big she would fall over if she were a human who is known for her ability to defend herself from bullshit men as she hustled in the underground economy, than a human-proportion Barbie in a suit who is the CEO of a corporation.” 💗💕👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
:)
LOVE this so much!!! I’m so confused all the time by the notion that hyper-femininity is rewarded... I have not lived in that world!
Also! Think you would have fun with the role Jenna Lyons is playing on Real Housewives of New York... First queer housewife, I think, and speaks about dressing for men versus not.
I have not ventured into RHONY-land yet! This is enticing me!
You really got me with this: "(On the note of connection, there is a really adorable tender thing that queer femmes share — when we greet each other (on text or email or in person) we say: “Hi femme.” (Some butches greet us this way too <3). It’s a form of in-group interpellation that never fails to make my heart a little glowy. The chorus of “Hi Barbie” all around me feels similar, and I am just relishing in it!)"
it's just so....warm.<3 <3 <3 (hi femme.)
HI FEMME!
also I love how you said you go to the movies for pleasure, not to get revolutionary guidance. Yes.
Getting to this one pretty late but I really really enjoyed this. You put words to the frustration I was feeling surrounding Barbie and all the controversy. Thank you!!! 💖
"Barbie is not radical, but we get to talk about the shortcomings of its asserted politics, and to do so we get to watch Barbie! I do not turn to the movies for revolutionary guidance; I turn to the movies for pleasure (entirely valuable on its own) and, sometimes, the opportunity to engage in thought, collectively, on how we could dream bigger than the visions allowed on our screens." VERY MUCH AGREE! Also I wish I could've been your student lol
I think you really misinterpret what Defino is saying. She’s not saying that dressing like Barbie/Elle Woods is rewarded - it’s what you pointed to...white, thin, blonde (conventional beauty). The Barbie aesthetic is a white supremacist aesthetic. No one is suggesting that wearing a bikini to work is what’s promoted by our society. It’s having the goal be to look like Margot Robbie. But I do think wearing heels, tight pencil skirts, shaving your legs, doing your hair and makeup are all part of the baseline standard of beauty Defino refers to.
Hi femme! 😋 Thank you as always for your writing magic 💕✨. I love the way you discuss how queer femmes in academia are told to tone it down for the sake of the profession. Once in college the school’s highest paid professor (you can guess his social identities & investments) told me I was “too pretty” (i.e., too not into shopping at Talbots) to be taken seriously as a Rhodes candidate, so he offered me unsolicited sartorial advice that continued to haunt me throughout graduate school when I too bought a sale pantsuit at Express 🤭 after being told that pairing it with my platform Doc Martens would end my career 🙄😹 #hardfemmeproblems
Hi femme!!!! Ughhhhhhh that story sounds AWFUL. And entirely not surprising. Hilarious that we both ended up at the Express sale rack to try to fit in lolololol. Thanks for reading and for the empathy and solidarity! I feel you out there! <3
“Hi femme.” has got me in all the fuzzy feelings <3 (hi femme!)
hi femme! <3
I enjoyed the movie but I kept wondering what Mattel’s play is since they obviously approved use of their property for all sorts of subtle and strong statements, many of which weren’t exactly positive of their product. I’m not mad, but it does seem like a rebrand effort. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Yes I think it's an example of how corporations are surviving these days! Like the corporate Gay Pride floats happened because it made them money. This summer was the first in decades that there was less corporate sponsorship and that's entirely because the tide is turning on queer rights. But, as far as movies go, they have to be hip to the fact that Zoomers on Tik Tok are critiquing capitalism. It's all still profit-motivated for Mattel. But Gerwig was probably still trying to make some meaningful art. It's full of contradictions!
One of my big takeaways from the film is that it was largely a good combo of a lot of stuff that’s already been present in many kids movies for a few years. It felt like it was more an adult film that was catching them up with basic decency by using kid-based material. My girls thought it was just ok. But then they’ve never been into Barbie and are pretty aware of all kinds of disparities and lame attitudes in the world. My eldest daughter (9) is already a pretty militant about a ton of issues. It’d be cute and funny if it wasn’t so badass.
I just listened to a podcast episode about Barbie and her controversies and really enjoyed it! The host doesn’t go as in depth with the Marxist critiques but presents a pretty compelling defense of Barbie and how a lot of the opposition is wrapped up in femme phobia. Podcast is called American Hysteria and BJ Colangelo is the guest!
Ahhh! BJ is from Cleveland! :) I just downloaded, thanks for the rec. (Hi femme!)
Ughh, I'm sorry this happened to you! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for reading!! Critiques that push back harder against it are also totally legit, I just couldn't sit by and not point out some potential femmephobia.... Curious what you think if you end up seeing it. <3