Amid all the pink outfits, dazzling sets, laugh-out-loud moments, and exuberant musical numbers and dance scenes, a poignant tale of self-love shone through the Barbie movie.
Director Greta Gerwig wanted viewers to be reminded that they are good enough.
“I want the movie to make people feel somewhat relieved of the tightrope,” she told WBUR. “We ask ourselves—not just as women, men too—that we walk this impossible tightrope of being perfect.”
But it appears that some missed the point entirely and are using the film’s hype to promote cosmetic procedures and unrealistic beauty standards.
User @ginnygranato shared the perfect example in a recent TikTok video.
While “What Was I Made For” by Billie Eilish plays, the video shows a handwritten sign outside of an unnamed business.
@ginnygranato #barbie #barbiemovie ♬ What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”] – Billie Eilish
It advertises three different Botox packages with Barbie-themed names. The first one is called “Barbie Girl.” It comes with Botox and lip fillers for $899. The second package is called “In a Barbie World.” For $1,999, clients can get Botox and cheek and lip fillers.
The third and final package is “Beach Barbie,” which is aimed at those who plan to show off their figures on the beach. It comes with everything the last package had, plus fat-dissolving treatment for $2,999.
In the comments on Ginny’s video, people couldn’t believe that the film’s central message of self-love could be missed entirely.
“I’m gonna throw up that’s so gross and they MISSED THE POINT BY A MILE,” a user commented.
“The way my smile fell, this is vile of them to abuse Barbie like that,” another shared.
A third brought up the meloncholy song in the background, writing, “Oh nooo not with the Billie song.”
The song, which explores feelings of self-doubt and the search for purpose, plays during an emotional scene in the movie where Barbie (Margot Robbie) stands in a white void room with the creator of Barbie, Ruth Handler (Rhea Perlman).
As Barbie decides that she wants to be human, a montage of various women plays on the screen.
There have been other instances of people using the Barbie movie to uphold unnatural standards of beauty. There’s #BarbieBotox, which is a cosmetic procedure in which Botox is injected into the trapezius muscles.
According to cosmetic experts, keeping these muscles relaxed is said to make the shoulders appear flatter and the neck longer—much like the plastic doll that doesn’t even have traps.
