Sinead Butler
Apr 02, 2024
New York Post - Page Six / VideoElephant
Shakira has left people divided after describing the Barbie movie as "emasculating" for her two sons.
In a recent interview with Allure, the 47-year-old Colombian singer shared her thoughts on the film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, as well as her breakup from ex-footballer Gerard Pique and her upcoming album.
It turns out that Shakira's two sons - 11-year-old Milan and nine-year-old Sasha who she shares with Pique - aren't fans of the live-action blockbuster about the iconic Mattel doll.
"My sons absolutely hated it. They felt that it was emasculating," Shakira said about last year's box office hit, "And I agree, to a certain extent."
The film directed by Greta Gerwig takes place in Barbie Land where there is a matriarchal system as the Barbie dolls work in important roles while all the Ken dolls spend their time at the beach.
Upon travelling to the real world, Beach Ken learns (Ryan Gosling) about the patriarchy and wants it to be part of the Barbie Land constitution but in the end, Barbie (Margot Robbie) manages to stop this from happening.
During the film, Gloria, a Mattel employee (America Ferrera) who helps Barbie navigate the real world gives a monologue about the societal expectations that are put on women which provides the Barbie dolls inspiration to stop patriarchal rule in Barbie Land.
Barbie became one of the top-grossing movies of all time, earning $1.4bn (£1.15bn) and this year was nominated for eight Oscars.
Shakira continued: "I'm raising two boys. I want them to feel powerful too [while] respecting women."
"I like pop culture when it attempts to empower women without robbing men of their possibility to be men, to also protect and provide.
"I believe in giving women all the tools and the trust that we can do it all without losing our essence, without losing our femininity.
"I think that men have a purpose in society and women have another purpose as well. We complement each other, and that complement should not be lost."
The 'She-Wolf' singer's comments have sparked a discussion on social media, where some including Piers Morgan have praised her for "standing up for men being men."
While others weren't impressed with Shakira's comments on the Barbie movie.
How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel
Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
Top 100
The Conversation (0)