This to me reads as a pretty surface level interpretation of the movie. I don’t disagree with most of it because it takes the subtext and makes it text.
Still I think the best point that the movie and this article make is that if these men got what “wanted” they wouldn’t be happy about it. If they were in charge, if they got paid lots of money, and they had a “long-term long-distance low-commitment casual girlfriend”, they still wouldn’t be happy. The world and life are very complicated. There isn’t some simple solution that women are hiding because they’re harpies. Developing healthy relationships, finding purpose, maintaining a healthy work/life balance, are all parts of the tapestry that makes someone fulfilled.
Barbie posits that for women the answer is to stop seeking external validation and instead write your own story, as messy as it may or may not be. For men it says that whatever answer you look for it’s important to know that tearing other people down doesn’t lift you up, it just brings them down to your miserable level
I haven’t seen this movie yet, but this article ends by saying that
Barbie and Ken reach a middle ground. Barbie encourages Ken to work out who he is outside of his relation to Barbie, and to learn being Just Ken is enough.
So, in reality, maybe the movie comes to the same conclusion for both genders. Being dependent on another person for happiness is not productive. Cultivating hobbies and interests, and being ok with who you are, is key.
I think it’s notable that Barbie never really looks to Ken for happiness or personal satisfaction. He is largely treated as a friend and sometimes an obstacle (in that he brings patriarchy to Barbieland). Instead, Barbie’s story is focused on coming to terms with the modern world and how it treats women.
