I rewatched all the original Barbie movies and here is what I learned (or relearned) about myself
Over winter break, I decided my single and only goal was to rewatch all of the original Mattel Barbie movies in chronological order. I started with Barbie in the Nutcracker (2001), then moved on to Barbie as Rapunzel (2002), Barbie of Swan Lake (2003), Barbie as the Princess & the Pauper (2004), and so on so forth.
While I already owned every movie on DVD, I never realized how equally beloved these childhood films were to others, too. When I told my friends and siblings about my big winter break plans, they begged me to wait for them to rewatch certain movies. My friends begged for Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses (2006) and my brother specifically requested Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia (2006). He then proceeded to quote more scenes from the movie than I could remember myself (and that says a lot considering I’ve watched the movie over 50 times in my life). Therein lies the beauty of the (older) Barbie movies. Besides the beautifully animated costumes, lovable side characters, and captivating story-telling, Barbie holds a unique, special message for everyone and anyone who watches.
As every early 20-something-year-olds do, I’m going through a transitional phase in my life. As I relentlessly cling to endings, I am continuously being spoonfed with beginnings. In a black-and-white world, it feels like I live in a grey area. I’ve noticed that whenever I start living in my grey area again, I tend to feel distracted, insecure, and doubtful, particularly in myself and my decisions.
“Now that one door has closed, which door will I open next? How can I know for certain which door is the right door? And what if I choose the wrong one?”, I worry over and over again.
Sylvia Plath’s Fig Tree analogy perpetually rings in my mind.
And while Sylvia Plath’s voice is nothing less than wickedly important, it is not the voice I need to hear in my head right now — It’s Barbie’s.
And so, as I began to rewatch the Barbie movies, I noticed how confident Barbie was. She never doubts herself (except for in Barbie Diaries (2005), but if you’re a true Barbie movie fan, you know that one doesn’t count in the Barbieverse…). When a side character questions her, it projects right off of her like a ray of sun would bounce off of a mirror. In Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus (2005), Aidan asks “Is she crazy?” (referencing Barbie risking her life by trespassing a giant troll’s house to save her clumsy bearcub), to which Barbie’s sister, Brietta, responds with “Apparently.” In the end, Barbie’s strength and courage leads them all to success.
But I’m not here to recite Barbie movie scripts for you…
Barbie simultaneously manages to put others before herself, while still executing examples of sheer strength, courage, and bravery. She combines kindness and empathy with resilience and confidence.
So I began to wonder… If I, and so many Gen Z’s alike, grew up watching these Barbie movies, why do so many of us lack a combination of these traits? I might describe myself as kind and empathetic, but never resilient and confident. It might be the inverse case for yourself. Either way, at what point in my girlhood did Barbie’s signature traits rub off from me entirely?
Was it after failing my first test in high school? Or after facing repeated platonic and romantic rejection during the trivial stages of puberty? Or maybe it was after cutting my bangs too short for the first time and begging my mom to let me stay home from school the next day out of pure embarrassment…
It may have been a combination of these confidence-melting moments I faced in the past. But the issue remains; I had lost my Barbie Confidence.
Going into a new year, my biggest goal is to regain my Barbie Confidence. It might start slowly in small actions. But it’ll come back to me in full, someday. I know it. If you also feel as if you have lost your Barbie Confidence (whatever that might mean to you), here are some suggestions of small actions that we can take together to get it back:
Approach every person and situation with an abundance of kindness. Barbie treats everyone (friends, animals, environments, and even her enemies) equally. *Remember: Barbie never lets herself or her loved ones be mistreated. Being kind does not equate to being taken advantage of.
Once you have made up your mind about something, commit to it! Have an intimate discussion with your heart and mind, and once settled on a choice, run towards it. Do not let others influence your choices to the point where you begin to doubt yourself. That’s when you make the wrong choices and regret them. *Remember: No matter how big or small of a decision it is, Barbie always decides with love. Because when you make your decisions on the basis of love, love returns to you and your loved ones tenfold as a reward for trusting yourself.
Learn to put yourself in other people’s shoes. Before approaching a bothersome situation or person with anger, attempt to see the situation from the opposite party’s eyes. With social media, it has become far too easy to create delusions and assumptions about people or situations before knowing the whole story. Take a moment to view yourself, too, from said person’s eyes. You might learn more about yourself than you expected to. *Remember: Barbie feels empathy towards everyone she encounters. She puts herself in their place and acts accordingly to benefit everyone’s (including herself) highest self.
Be strong. It’s a vague statement but that’s because strength takes different shapes and forms to each and every one of us. You have always been strong, you just maybe forgot it. Perhaps you, too, have experienced a bunch of confidence-melting moments that altered the way you view yourself and your strength. But you made it this far. You are brave, you are strong, and you are amazing. *Remember: Barbie creates her own reality. She would never want you to talk negatively about/to yourself. She would want you to call yourself strong and beautiful every day. Make Barbie proud that way.
Maybe watching hours of Barbie magic and whimsy has officially modified my brain chemistry, but I think it’s for the best... My inner child is happy, I spent some quality time with friends and family, and I’ve got some new goals to work on during this next year. Here’s to relearning our Barbie Confidence together!