1.
Title & Info
Film Name: Barbie
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Greta Gerwig
Genre: Fantasy/Comedy
Platform: Available on Max (formerly HBO Max), Amazon Prime Video (rental), Apple
TV
2. Brief Synopsis
Barbie narrates Margot Robbie’s character, “Stereotypical Barbie,” as she travels out
of Barbie land to watch ordinary life around her. While trying to figure out the big rules laid out
by men, Ken (Ryan Gosling) understands something important about himself. The movie
humorously considers gender roles, our identities and what society expects of us by placing
fantasy alongside observations of cultural customs.
3. Thesis Statement
Barbie employs color, costume design, symbolic imagery, and spatial design to critique
gender stereotypes and societal norms, using visual communication to reinforce feminist themes
and provoke audience reflection.
4. Visual Communication Analysis
Color
People usually know the Barbie brand by its frequent display of bright colors. In
Barbie land, there are lights pinks and soft pastels everywhere to let everyone know that
‘feminine’ never ends. Certain colors are treated as aspects of design, but they can also alter how
viewers feel and think, says Lester (2020). To many, Barbie’s strong pink colors illustrate what
is considered a perfect look for girls and young women. Because she lives in the real world now,
Barbie has been seen in plain outfits, possibly as a way to stress that she doesn’t know what she
wants in life. In Color In Mind, Lester explains how the main character’s emotional and social
changes in the film are expressed through the various colors they appear in (Lester, 2020, Ch. 2).
Costume Design and Stereotypes
Barbie and Ken often wear modern and dramatic clothes that once revealed society’s old
views about gender. While Ken and Barbie’s clothes are not alike, Ken always wears clothes for
water sports and appears very strong. If you want to see the characteristics of a culture, look at
what its members wear. Barbie and Ken are cited in the fifth chapter as examples of how media
uses stereotypes to push one view of what people should look like. A Barbie in various outfits
reflects a person trying to identify individual traits, apart from usual gender norms.
Symbols and Imagery
Mirrors and billboards that show up again and again talk about the main idea: how people
perceive themselves. Her first problem comes from looking at herself and not recognizing who
she is. The huge logo at Mattel’s gray office building demonstrates how those in power keep the
staff down, making it less cool than free, fun Barbie land. In this chapter, Lester notes that by
using symbols, individuals communicate what their culture means (Lester, 2020, Ch. 3). Barbie
land illustrates some of the differences that can be found in society.
Design of Space and Environments
The app is created without dividing the sections or using dark backgrounds, just as real
Barbie playsets. Thanks to this model, designers demonstrate that how and when characters act
can determine their identity. He describes how spatial design helps form how the audience views
the play by setting the limits around what takes place (Chapter 6). Because everything in Barbie
land is strictly organized and perfect, identities are soon held back and controlled. It is clear
when you see that those in power have tasks in both official government meetings and important
educational institutions.
5. Conclusion
Barbie employs a variety of visual tools color, costumes, symbols and layout—to bring
up questions regarding gender and identity. Making smart visual decisions, the film both mocks
typical human habits and urges people to think more deeply. Lester (2020) reminds us that
pictures in visual communication create cultural meanings that cannot be expressed by words.
How effective visual storytelling can shake up old beliefs and encourage change is seen in Greta
Gerwig’s Barbie.
Citation:
Lester, P. M. (2020). Visual Communication: Images with Messages (9th ed.). Lex Publishing.
