Mothering two imaginative girls, Jasmine and Natalie, I spent many years watching them play with Barbie dolls. Seeing their creative minds plan soirées at the Barbie mansion, towering in a corner of Natalie’s bedroom, was like watching a sitcom. Sometimes Ken and his friends were fortunate enough to make it out of the toy box to join the fun, but usually, it was all about the girls. From brunches to pool parties or road trips in luxury convertibles, my daughters’ dolls lived well and without limitations.
LaWanda Dickens’ daughter, Natalie Dickens, is a 2023 Summa Cum Laude graduate of Jackson State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Media Production and Studio Art. And she’s a big Barbie fan. Photo by LaWanda Dickens
This past Sunday, Natalie and I fancied up in cute, pink dresses for a grand outing we’d been anticipating for months, the “Barbie” movie. She invited two of her own Barbies, Sasha and Marla, whom she and Jasmine used to play with, to go with us. During the drive to Malco Grandview Cinema & IMAX, she dressed them for the show.
Cruising down Lakeland to I-55, from Flowood to Madison, all four of us vibed in our pastel, floral prints while listening to Lizzo, Dua Lipa, Nikki Minaj, Ice Spice and Aqua. The only missing player was Jasmine, who lives in Detroit and had seen the movie three days earlier.
As we walked into Malco, Natalie and I instantly became participants in a cross-generational gathering of women with a cultural connection steeped in mutual stories and experiences. Each girl and woman self-represented in a communal fashion show featuring elaborate, colorful hairstyles; dresses ranging from casual to formal; Barbie T-shirts; pink shorts; and shoes symbolic of inclusivity—heels, Converse, sandals and combat boots. It felt like a pre-party before the main event.
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The hype was on the button.
Every second of the movie evinces brilliant writing, critical consciousness and cultural competence. The story of Barbie is contextualized in such a way that every victory for and atrocity against women is equally exhilarating and exhausting.
Barbie’s world is highly