With the exception of a confused John Carpenter, Greta Gerwig's Barbie transcended beyond film into a cultural phenomenon beloved by most — even if the Oscars snubbed the director and star Margot Robbie.
It turns out another Barbie detractor is Shakira, who recently released Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, her first album in seven years. In the latest Allure cover story, she criticized the blockbuster hit.
When asked if she had seen it, the Latin pop star said, "I watched it, yeah," pausing before launching into her hot take.
"My sons absolutely hated it. They felt that it was emasculating," Shakira explained. "And I agree, to a certain extent. I'm raising two boys. I want 'em to feel powerful too [while] respecting women."
She continued, "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."
This feels like a very old-fashioned (not to mention binary!) perspective to take, especially when Ryan Gosling's portrayal of Ken is so unanimously heralded as the film's standout performance. I personally feel like he would have stepped in if he'd been there that time Shakira's purse was stolen by wild boars.