Barbie has been in cinemas since last week and Greta Gerwig’s film was a surprise success. Revenue exceeds expectations. The reviews are mostly good. The two stars Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (Ken) are already associated with the Oscar. Of course, not everyone likes Barbie, just like any other film.
What doesn’t happen with every other film: Sometimes very well-known and far-reaching voices from the (right-wing) conservative camp shoot against Barbie. They twist the worldview of the blockbuster beyond recognition and largely derive confused criticism from it.
Especially a bizarre one Video by Ben Shapiro caused a stir last weekend. In a Twitter post he shared Barbies “Destruction” announced, he wrote: “My producers made me watch Barbie. It was one of the most politically correct (‘wokest’) movies I’ve ever seen.”
Who is Ben Shapiro and what does he have against Barbie?
Ben Shapiro is an American political commentator, lawyer and author known for his conservative views. He is seen and heard: over 6 million people follow his YouTube channel. He is repeatedly accused of being hostile and impervious to viewpoints that are not his.
Shortly after Barbie’s US launch, Shapiro posted a video on his YouTube channel showing off “Two Hours of My Precious Time” wasted on Barbie. The video is called: “Ben Shapiro DESTROYS the Barbie Movie for 43 minutes”. Apparently, Ben Shapiro didn’t like Barbie.
More about Barbie:
He believes the film conveys the following message: “The only way to create a happy world is for women to ignore men and for men to ignore women.”
Shapiro is just the spearhead of a anti-Barbie front in the conservative camp. Right author Matt Walsh sees in Barbie “the most aggressive anti-men […] propaganda festival ever caught on film.” Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk recently wrote on his Twitter/X platform: “If you have a drink every time Barbie says the word ‘patriarchy’, you’ll pass out before the movie is over.”
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Ginger Luckey Gaetz, wife of far-right US Congressman Matt Gaetz, criticized Barbie because he “Faith or Family” not taken into account, reports the Guardian. In Latin America, too, conservative viewers see them “Destruction of the Original Concept of Family” in Barbie, as reported by Sensacine.
How Barbie fans react to Ben Shapiro’s video
All of these points of view are difficult to understand because they not nearly reflected in the film. However, Ben Shapiro’s video received the most attention in the conservative wave of criticism against Barbie because his appearance was unintentionally funny.
Twitter users noticed that Shapiro (probably accidentally) in the Ken Cosplay appeared for the Barbie launch:
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Author Jen Psaki was only persuaded to go to the cinema by Shapiro’s video:
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“Admit it: You only hate the movie because Barbie is taller than you.”
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“The guy was just looking at Barbie to get angry.”
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Why the conservative criticism of Barbie is nonsense and what director Greta Gerwig says about it
In an interview, director Greta Gerwig was confronted with the accusations of hatred of men, among other things. She reacted perplexed and explained: “My hope is that the film invites everyone to let go of things that don’t necessarily serve us as women or men.”
You could also say: If you really want to see a danger in Barbie, you will see a danger. Even if it obviously doesn’t exist.