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Barbie has been a lightning rod all summer for conversations about gender roles in society. These are challenging conversations worth having, right? Anything directed by Greta Gerwig is a big deal. She chooses her projects with passion and intention, featuring fascinating, often quirky, always complex, female lead characters. I find her work to be extraordinary. Margot Robbie is simply perfect in the role of Barbie and such a far cry from her performance in "I, Tonya" that you cannot help but admire her range as an actress. Like Greta Gerwig, she is another smart cookie who chooses her projects with intention. Barbie is a blockbuster bombshell and I loved it! The movie is so much fun! The scene where Barbie steps out of her high heel shoes and her foot maintains that Barbie Doll shape is so clever and well executed. Barbie watching Colin Firth as Darcy in Pride and Prejudice as a a legitimate way to ease anxiety made me snort, as I too watch that particular version of P&P to self comfort. It's a classic. That fabulous monologue by America Ferrera as Gloria explaining the impossible expectations of society that women not only have to bear, but smile with gratitude while bearing them, gave me goosebumps. Hearing Barbie and Ken singing along to Closer to Fine was so funny. And we can all relate to Weird Barbie, right? Except for being able to do the splits. Ha! The role reversal had me cheering to see women in the traditional male roles from Mount Rushmore to the Supreme Court to The White House (or The Pink House in this case!) but then I was terribly sad to see Ken reduced to a decorative object, seen as foolish, useless, unimportant, irrelevant and without his emotional needs being considered or met, and then I thought, hey, Ken represents us women in society! This movie makes you think about gender, roles and society as we have set it up, with men largely taking the power and control and women being deliberately subverted. This is not an opinion about the movie, this is a fact about society. There are so many clever scenes that are riotously funny in the moment, but by the end of the movie those moments add up to a stinging satire of society. Barbie has a kick, a bite and will scratch at your eyes. Greta Gerwig said about the movie, "It’s a spicy margarita. There’s like a lot packed into it...I always wanted it to surprise people. I wanted it to make people laugh, but then I also wanted it to kind of almost unexpectedly make people think and cry." It's a movie that makes you think and have those challenging conversations about gender politics. After watching the movie, I don't crave a Malibu Dream House, a pink Corvette convertible, an iconic pretty-in-pink wardrobe with to-die-for accessories, or a Mojo Dojo Casa House, or even a Ken, I simply crave equality. I may have to watch it a few more times. 💖💖💖 
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From hot pink to flamingo pink and all the princess pinks in between, the pink decor at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, CA, is spectacular and always in vogue. Having featured in TV shows, music videos and movies, the Madonna Inn is a flamboyant starlet. Pink, pink and even more pink is the theme of the Inn. Established in 1956 by Alex and Phyllis Madonna (not the Virgin Madonna or the 'Like A Virgin' Madonna) this charming hotel with its shocking pink hues and grotto-like rooms is an iconic Californian Landmark. We stopped for lunch on a rainy day and were warmed by the colorful welcome.  |
AuthorLaura Barnes is a retired educator. Mostly she loves books, travels and mischief. She dabbles in writing. 
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