Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is all anyone can talk about right now, with the feminist blockbuster breaking box office records, prompting the Kenergy movement and resurging the Barbiecore fashion trend.
The film, tipped to be the most talked-about of the year, is as empowering as it is hilarious, with feminist takeaways and quotes from its stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling getting the world talking on the regular.
Today, it was a different Barbie star who made news, as America Ferrera’s empowering speech from the film’s climax went viral.
America Ferrera plays Gloria in the film, a human whose life becomes linked with Barbie’s, and after the doll has an existential crisis, Gloria delivers a rousing speech to get through to her about the difficulties of being a woman in modern society.
Since the film’s release, women have been sharing the transcript on social media, encouraging each other to save it for when they need a confidence boost.
“It is literally impossible to be a woman,” America Ferrera tells Margot Robbie in the already iconic scene. “You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we always have to be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.
“You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas.”
She continues: “You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman, but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behaviour, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful.
“You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.
“I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.”
Well this is what we all needed to hear.