The Good in Barbie (And Yes, I’m a Christian)

I went to see the movie Barbie with my fifteen-year-old. I hadn’t heard much about the movie before we saw it, but my daughter was excited, so I was looking forward to hanging out with her for a few hours. 

I was immediately surprised by how many grown women dressed up to see the flick. We were early to the movie, so my daughter and I had a grand time watching as pink sequins and high heels slowly filled the auditorium. As folks entered, we shared a few laughs, a few gasps, and we decided we were perfectly comfortable in our t-shirts and shorts.  

As we walked to the car after the movie, I asked my daughter what she thought: “It was a little weird, but it was good!” To be honest, that was pretty much my sentiment. We talked the rest of the way home about various messages in the film, which characters were casted well, and then played one of the theme songs, “Closer to Fine.”  

During the next several days, I couldn’t help but notice the many voices on the Christian blogosphere speaking against the film. I’d like to offer a slightly different opinion from those who are suggesting that Christian women and teens should not see the film. 

But first, some important caveats…

Do Your Own Research

An inordinate amount of people are sharing opinionated articles about the film and beginning a post with, “I haven’t seen the movie, but [insert very strong opinion in agreement with the article].” 

We must be careful about forming opinions based on someone else’s thoughts without doing some digging ourselves. As Christians, you have the tools necessary to form wise, biblically centered opinions on matters that are minor and ones that are more significant. James tells us that if we lack wisdom, we should ask God, and He will give it generously. This promise is for you, not just for those with a theology degree. As a believer, you can do theology! God has given us the Scriptures for this very purpose. 

Seeking an opinion on a matter from another Christian whom you respect is certainly helpful, and it gives us a good start, but our investigating shouldn’t end with their opinion. Do your own research. 

And, please, be very cautious in forming a strong opinion on a film, a book, or an article without watching or reading it. 

Hollywood Almost Always Has a Political Agenda 

Many are stating that the film has a political agenda, and so we shouldn’t view it. But this is not a new concept in Hollywood. Agendas behind films started when the Lumiere brothers began making films in the late 1800’s. I took a couple of classes on film as literature in college, and the one consistent element is that each film has some message the film maker wants to get across to the audience. Sure, many films are made purely for entertainment, but even those films have messages that need sorting through. 

And this same principle goes for “Christian movies.” They also have agendas, and while we would agree with many more of these messages, you might be surprised by some of the unusual views of those who make some of these films. 

The point is that almost every form of entertainment has an agenda; our responsibility as Christians is to sort through the good, the bad, and the ugly of these messages. Even in a purely secular film, good can exist; we call this common grace. It doesn’t always exist, but it certainly can, and it often does. As Christians and as parents, our responsibility is to teach our kids how to view what they see and experience from Biblical worldview. See the world through the lens of Scripture. Keep pointing back to Scripture. 

In this film, there is good and there is bad, as there is in almost every film. Plenty has been written on the bad (some of which I agree with), so I’ll offer just a few aspects of the film that I think are positive. 

Pushing Back on Male Chauvinism

Everything hinges on how words are defined. The word “patriarchy” was used in the film, and it was used in a negative light. When people hear that word, it might conjure up ten different images. The film defined it as a system in which men “rule.” 

There are Biblical principles in which patriarchy is held up (I am a complementarian), but there are other connotations that accompany this word that are utterly anti-Scriptural. One of those meanings has to do with the idea of a real man “ruling” with an attitude that is macho, self-seeking, and belittling of women. 

The film rightly pushes back on this. There are many young men following influencers like Andrew Tate who come scarily close to promoting violence as a marker of masculinity. It’s repulsive. At the school where I teach, we do a unit on Media Literacy, and what is overwhelmingly consistent is that advertisements show “real men” as built, excellent at sports, driving a truck, and grilling meat. 

But this is not the Biblical concept of a godly man, so we must keep shining a light on what the Bible affirms: humility, selflessness, love, courage in the Lord, and godly character. I see teen boys in my classroom struggle regularly with understanding their value if they are not super strong or a top-notch athlete.

We can affirm the message in the film that men need to discover their own unique giftedness, and that giftedness may not include what the world says “real men” should possess. As Christians, we can encourage that message and then shine an even greater light on the fact that In Christ, they have value; In Christ they have the strength needed to live out their calling for the glory of God and not in comparison with other men. 

Encouraging Strong, Independent Women

My daughter and I talked quite a bit about this aspect of the movie. If you’re interested in reading more on the waves of feminism, it’s worth researching to understand what is meant by “feminist theology.”

In essence, there have been three major waves of feminism since the early 20^th century. While there are many aspects of the second and third wave that Christians cannot affirm, the first wave was driven, in part, by Christian women who fought for equal rights based on their equal value before God. This is a Biblical principle as Jesus Himself treated women with dignity and respect. 

Using Scripture as our guide, we can affirm the message that women can and should be ambitious, hold leadership positions, and not stand for being treated as objects. Jesus regularly used women as examples in the Bible to teach a lesson through their character or actions (Luke 21:1-4, for example). 

But what I loved most was the praise for the “ordinary” in the film. Feminism today has caused many women to think that they are not enough if they are “just” a mom or to be embarrassed if they “stay at home.” 

The film pushes back on this idea. As I talked with my daughter, we focused much on this. As Christian women, we are glorifying God when we are faithful to Him in the place where He has called us. Chase your dreams, women – you can, and you should! And if the Lord opens the door to do what you have dreamed of doing, then use it for His glory. If you dream of being a stay-at-home mom, and the Lord gives you a child, then use that blessed calling to point your kids to Jesus. If your dream is to be involved with politics and the Lord provides an opportunity to hold a public office, then use that incredible calling to affirm the gospel in your circle of influence. 

The message in the film is that women can change the world for the better. Child of God, this is true. But it’s not true because of what you do; it’s true because you can use your position to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you do that, woman of God, you will indeed change the world for the better. 

But this all is just my opinion. 

Do your own research. 

See it for yourself. 

And then process what you see through a Biblical worldview.