The monologue does not come from Barbara. It comes from the human character, Gloria, played by America Ferrera. Shirley Lee: The speech says a lot of things that I think women know. And it's what kind of grounds the film from being this like a brand exercise, making you buy more Barbies.
Is Barbie a toy commercial doubling as the first installment of an inevitable Mattel Cinematic Universe? Or does it have something important to say? Barbie’s multitudes, explained.
This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Michael Raphael, and hosted by Noel King.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices