
Sorry I could not think of a less ungainly title. I casually mentioned to another person at work this week that I was getting emails from the local cinema, telling me I must go and see the Barbie movie. I said to the other person, a younger woman, that I had thought a lot of people considered Barbie beyond the pale these days.
I was informed that, no, this was different – the whole idea has been subverted. I just didn’t understand obviously!. I said that the other half and I had been to see another film recently and saw a long trailer for Barbie whilst there – my other half had described it as ‘migraine inducing misandry’. It was apparent even from this short extract that all men are to be regarded as useless thick tossers. I was then informed that ,well, that is because they are! Presumably women who think like this do not have fathers, brothers or male friends as otherwise they would have to concede that some people are all right and some are not, irrespective of any characteristics.
If this is progress you can frankly count me out – I said that for an example of good practical feminism, they should perhaps refer to the recent book by the former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies who has experienced much harrassment, loss of income and abuse for simply pointing out that women and girls are physically different from males and they therefore cannot compete together in sports fairly, and for trying to challenge this.
Never mind though dear, you go and see a shit film and boo the male characters throughout and I’m sure that will make a huge difference to everyone’s lives. No society ever worked better for people finding a way to get along, after all. It is also a bit peculiar that actual children, who you would think would be the target audience, are deemed too young to see it.
Not that I think people shouldn’t go and see crap films if they want to, but I can see months of these sort of conversations ahead, which makes me feel very weary, a bit like the carry-on about Fifty Shades of Grey ( where it was seemingly OK for someone to tie you up as long as you got a new handbag afterwards).
What a huge bag of sickly pink, festering, candy sprinkled cunt.
nytimes
Nominated by Mary Hinge.