Summary
Warning: This article contains spoilers forBarbie.
Greta Gerwig’sBarbiehas been a resounding success, both critically and commercially, but as usual, its satirical message has already been covered byThe Simpsons(and theSimpsonsversion is even better). TheBarbiemovie has been praised for its oddball humor, its vibrant pink-hued visuals, the delightfully over-the-top performances of its star-studded cast, and the unbridled imagination of Gerwig and Noah Baumbach’s script. But it stumbles in its use of themes and messages as it uses a world run by Barbies as a prism to explore sexism and the patriarchy. The same themes were covered much more clearly and effectively in the classicSimpsonsepisode “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy” (season 5, episode 14).
InBarbie, a “Stereotypical Barbie” doll finds herself plagued by cellulite, anxiety, and fears of her own mortality, so she heads to the real world to meet the girl who’s been playing with her and try to turn her frown upside down. Along the way, she learns thatBarbie dollshave actually been harmful to women in the real world as they created unrealistic standards of beauty and reduced the entire gender to a handful of narrow-minded stereotypes. Meanwhile, Ken learns that the patriarchy has put men in positions of power in the real world and brings that system back to Barbieland. So, Barbie has to figure out a way to topple the new patriarchy and put the Barbies back in charge.
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In “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy,” Lisa is initially ecstatic when her favorite doll line releases a version that talks, so she can finally hear what Malibu Stacy (the in-universe parallel for Barbie) has to say. However, she’s heartbroken to learn that she has nothing substantial or empowering to say; in fact, it’s quite the opposite: “Let’s buy makeup so the boys will like us,” “Thinking too much gives you wrinkles,” “Don’t ask me, I’m just a girl!” Concerned that young girls will grow up being brainwashed by these phrases, Lisa tracks down the creator of Malibu Stacy – Stacy Lovell, voiced byguest star Kathleen Turner– and convinces her to make a new line of dolls with feminist values called Lisa Lionheart.
“Lisa Vs. Malibu Stacy” Tackles The Same Themes As Barbie
BothBarbieand “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy” seek to satirize the detrimental effect that Barbie dolls have had on the feminist movement. But sinceBarbieisbacked by Mattel itself, the corporation built on Barbie’s objectification of women, it doesn’t have the same bite as theSimpsonsepisode, penned by arguably the greatest group of satirists ever to write for television. “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy” was produced in response to Mattel’s release of the “Teen Talk Barbie” doll, which spouted similarly vacuous expressions like, “Will we ever have enough clothes?” and “Let’s plan our dream wedding!”
Barbieand “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy” both stress the importance of giving young girls powerful role models to look up to. But whereasThe Simpsonsrecognizes the inherent flaws of the Barbie brand and creates a new doll from scratch,Barbieis determined to turnBarbie herselfinto that role model. Both stories deal with body image, sexual harassment, and the difficulty faced by women who want to have a voice in society. ButThe Simpsonsdoes a better job of providing clear answers.
Why The Simpsons Version Is Better
Barbieis a really great movie – andone of the funniest big-budget studio comedies in recent memory– but it bites off a lot more than it can chew with its satirical messaging. It sets out to convey much too broad a message as it attempts to provide a solid solution to gender inequality. Satirizing the dolls is a jumping-off point to satirizing misogyny as a whole. But instead of using a Barbie parody to tackle the enormous issue of sexism,The Simpsonskeeps its focus on the societal impact of the dolls themselves. TheBarbiemovie ends on a great punchline – using a trip to the gynecologist’s office to show Barbie’s excitement about being a real human being – but it doesn’t quite land its message of female empowerment. “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy,” on the other hand, lands its message beautifully.
In the final scene of “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy,” Lisa feels the familiar sting of unchecked capitalism as the launch of Lisa Lionheart is overshadowed by a reissued Malibu Stacy featuring all the same perpetuated stereotypes but now with a new hat. Almost all of the consumers who were flocking to buy a Lisa Lionheart doll decide to buy a new Malibu Stacy instead. But the ending of the episode provides a glimmer of hope as one little girl decides to buy a Lisa Lionheart doll instead of a Malibu Stacy “with hat” doll. Stacy Lovell remains cynical about all the money she’s losing, butan optimistic Lisasays, “If we get through to just that one little girl, it’ll all be worth it!”
