Warning: mild spoilers ahead for the Barbie movie.
At this point, it's Barbie's world and we're just living in it.
Greta Gerwig's huge movie has finally hit screens, and it's scored the biggest opening weekend any female director has ever had. Huzzah!
There's a lot to love about Barbie, not least the pop culture references and Easter Eggs that are peppered throughout.
From patriarchy-inspired films to a touch of The Wizard of Oz, here are all the best moments from the movie that nod to a broader meaning.
When the opening scene had serious Stanley Kubrick vibes
It was our first glimpse of the Barbie movie last year when teasers began, but it’s also the opening to the entire film. The first scene we see is a riff off the iconic opening sequence from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, but instead of seeing chimps in a desert, it’s girls flocking towards a giant Barbie.
When Ken was given patriarchy lessons
During Ken’s rather telling montage introduction to the patriarchy of the real world, we see the iconic scene from Grease where the men dance around the beloved car, as well as his Rocky-inspired fur coat when he discovers the delights of the film franchise.
When Barbie meets Bratz
In an especially meta moment, Barbie meets four girls in the real world who look just like the doll’s rival doll collection, the Bratz. When she tries to connect with them, one of them says: “We haven’t played with Barbie since we were like five years old”. Obsessed with Greta’s attention to detail.
When Ken mansplained The Godfather
We see Barbie return to Barbieland to find that the patriarchy has taken hold, and she discovers Ken #1 (played by Kingsley Ben-Adir, not to be confused with Ryan Gosling's character) watching The Godfather.
It's a great Easter Egg, as the movie has been criticised for the way in which it portrays its female characters. To top it off, Barbie has Ken #1 mansplain the premise of the film to her as a means of distracting him. Perfection.
When Barbie followed the Pink Brick Road
An easy one to explain here – instead of the Yellow Brick Road to Oz, Barbie follows a very similar-looking road out of Barbieland to the real world. But obviously, it's pink.
When The Shining Barbie happened
Margot Robbie's Barbie discovers that her thoughts of death – which prompt her to leave Barbieland for the real world to get answers – is due to her connection with a woman called Gloria (America Ferrera) who was playing with her.
After it's discovered that Barbie was able to make connections with people in this way, it's suggested that she could be The Shining Barbie due to the themes of telepathic connection in the movie and Stephen King's novel.
When Barbie entered The Matrix. Sort of.
As we saw in the trailer, when choosing between staying in Barbieland or going to the real world, she must pick either the stiletto (which symbolises staying) or the Birkenstock (which symbolises leaving). Obviously there it's possible that these shoes also represent choosing the patriarchy (heels) or liberation (Birkenstocks).
Fans have compared this decision to one in The Matrix, where Neo must choose between the red pill and joining the resistance or the blue pill which will keep him in The Matrix.
When Depressed Barbie watched Pride and Prejudice
An advert for Depressed Barbie – shown once the Kens have taken over Barbieland – shows the doll "scrolling Instagram for seven hours" and watching the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, starring Colin Firth.
This series means to Greta Gerwig herself, so we're happy she managed to fit it in.
When Barbie’s ride(s) were inspired by IRL accessories
Barbie and Ken must journey through “the rift” to reach the real world, which means travelling through numerous extreme environments and a great excuse to bring in a load of throwback Barbie accessories.
We see Barbie's Snowmobile, her Dream Camper, the Space Discovery with Rocket Ship, the Dreamplane and even the Sisters Tandem Bike. Cute.
When we got to see Barbie as a dog mum
We even see Barbie's dog Skipper, who is owned by Weird Barbie (played by Kate McKinnon). He's a dead ringer for the popular toy, and super adorable too.
When all the discontinued Barbies come out to play
A whole gang of discontinued Barbies are lined up at one point by Weird Barbie, including Growing Up Skipper, which garnered controversy IRL due to its weird take on going through puberty – you could even get breasts to grow by cranking the arms. Video Girl Barbie makes an appearance also, which was flagged by the FBI due to the fact the doll could record you.
Sugar Daddy Ken, who was released briefly as a doll in 2009, also makes an appearance (played by Gavin and Stacey Rob Brydon).
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qLjApqauqp2WtKLGyKecZ5ufY8Kse8GaqZuhlWK6sMLInmSemaOpsrN5xKCerA%3D%3D