Life Lessons From Barbie
I went to see the Barbie movie. There, I said it.
Now, I do admit that I did not want to go alone. A 59-year-old man going to see the Barbie movie alone in the middle of the day surely puts me on some local "watch list," so I made Michele go with me.
I was pleasantly surprised. I liked it.
Our church has just begun a study on the book of Genesis, and the similarities between Barbie and the first book of the Bible immediately struck me. (There is a sentence I never thought I would type.)
Like Adam and Eve, Barbie has a creator, Ruth Handler.
Much like the Garden of Eden, Barbie is placed by her creator in her version of paradise. Barbie Land.
Every day in Barbie Land "is the best day ever. So was yesterday, and so is tomorrow, and every day from now until forever."
It is not good for Barbie to be alone, so a companion is created for her named Ken.
Like Eve, Barbie wants to seek more knowledge, and thoughts of death enter the picture for the first time.
As a result of this new knowledge, Barbie must leave her perceived "Paradise" of Barbie Land.
Barbie's male companion, Ken, follows her actions and leaves Barbie Land, much like Adam followed Eve's actions.
Once outside their "garden," Barbie and Ken become self-conscious for the first time.
I found a quote from the movie's director, Greta Gerwig, which brings the contrast between life in Barbie Land and life in the "real world" to light.
"How Barbie operates in Barbie Land is she's entirely continuous with her environment. Even the houses have no walls because you never need to hide because there's nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed of. And suddenly finding yourself in the real world and wishing you could hide, that's the essence of being human."
The pink, perfect, plastic world of Barbie and the green, growing garden of Genesis do share parallels. (Okay, spoiler alert. We find out later that Barbie Land is not as perfect as it seems, but you need to see the movie for that part.) The thing that struck me the most in the film that communicated truth was the role of Ken.
The Barbie movie poster reads, "She's Everything. He's Just Ken."
Just Ken.
The movie states, "Barbie has a great day every day, but Ken only has a great day if Barbie looks at him."
Wow.
While Barbie shows that women can do anything and be anything, Ken is merely a sidekick, an accessory. He might as well be a new purse, hat, or pair of shoes for Barbie.
He tells Barbie, "I just don't know who I am without you."
While Ryan Gosling steals the show in his portrayal of the accessory Ken, I was a bit uncomfortable with how he was treated at the beginning of the movie. As a man, it made me uncomfortable to see him treated as less than, secondary, or even an afterthought.
Then I came to a realization. I'm feeling uncomfortable with this two-hour fictional portrayal of men, but women have been treated in the same way by the church for much longer than that.
Just a woman. A sidekick. Less than. Secondary. An accessory.
The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18
"Suitable Helper"
I think our view of those two words might be where we have gone wrong. At first glance, they seem to indicate someone who is secondary, less than, less knowledgeable, or educated.
Well, friends of mine who went for the more expensive seminary degree than I did will tell you this.
The word used for "suitable" in this verse is the Hebrew word "neged." It means in front of, in sight of, opposite to, conspicuous, vigorous, effective, and to stand boldly out.
The word used for "helper" in this verse is the Hebrew word "ezer."
The same word is used to describe God 66 times in the Bible. This "ezer" speaks of God's strength, power, protection, help, and being a rescuer.
A woman is a helper. But so is God. And if you think God is less than, or secondary, or just an accessory, you might want to go back and reread your Bible. (Or at least beware of lighting striking around you.)
"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27
Both are God's image bearers. Both are needed to reflect God's rich glory. Both reflect different characteristics of God. Neither is closer to God.
So when we are tempted to treat ANYONE as less than us, it would do us good to remember Paul's words to the Galatians.
"There is no longer Jew or Gentile, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28
No more "Just Ken."
Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to watch "The Powder Puff Girls" and "My Little Pony" and see what truths I might find from the books of Habakkuk or Revelation for the next 3 from the TBLC.