The podcast explores the theme of the 'Year of the Doll' in popular culture, discussing movies like Barbie and Poor Things, Sofia Coppola's film Priscilla, and Emma Cline's novel The Guest. The hosts examine the doll-like aesthetic and its connection to women's bodily autonomy, beauty standards, and political backsliding. They also discuss the visual appeal and symbolism of 'Priscilla', the trapped doll concept, and the awakening of white women to these issues. The episode ends with an interview with Dolly and a break announcement for the new year.
The prevalence of doll-like narratives in contemporary culture reflects the ongoing battle for women's rights and agency, particularly in the wake of the erosion of Roe v. Wade.
Doll-like figures such as Barbie, Poor Things, and Priscilla represent certain ideals of femininity and empowerment while also navigating deeper sociopolitical issues.
Deep dives
The Year of the Doll
The podcast episode explores the theme of "The Year of the Doll," discussing the significance and prevalence of dolls in contemporary culture. The hosts analyze various examples, including the movie Barbie, which portrays a cloistered woman breaking free of her circumstances, Poor Things, a film about a doll-like figure discovering the complexities of the world, and Priscilla, a film that depicts a young girl becoming trapped in a gilded cage. The podcast also examines the political awakening aspect of these narratives, highlighting the connection to the ongoing erosion of women's rights, particularly due to the recent undoing of Roe v. Wade. This episode delves into the representation of dolls in culture and the power dynamics surrounding them, ultimately raising questions about agency, empowerment, and societal expectations.
The Influence of Roe v. Wade
The podcast episode explores the influence of the undoing of Roe v. Wade on the prevalence of doll-like narratives in contemporary culture. It highlights how the rollback of women's rights has created a sense of urgency and awareness around issues of agency, control, and autonomy over women's bodies. The episode discusses how these doll-like narratives reflect the larger political reality and the ongoing battle for reproductive rights. It draws connections between the empowerment and disempowerment experienced by the doll figures in these narratives, shedding light on the complex nuances of female autonomy in society.
Representation and Rhetoric in Doll Culture
The podcast episode delves into the dichotomy between representation and rhetoric in doll culture. It explores how doll-like figures, such as Barbie, Poor Things, and Priscilla, represent certain ideals of femininity and empowerment, while also grappling with deeper sociopolitical issues. The episode discusses the limitations of representation in addressing complex political realities, emphasizing the need for nuanced conversations and intersectional perspectives. It also examines how doll narratives navigate the intersections of race and gender, highlighting the predominantly white representations and the need for more diverse and inclusive storytelling.
The Oscillation of Empowerment and Disempowerment
The podcast episode explores the theme of oscillation between empowerment and disempowerment in doll narratives. It delves into how these narratives often depict women as both agents of their own destiny and objects of control and manipulation. The episode discusses the tension between the desire for freedom and self-expression and the societal constraints imposed on women. It raises questions about the complexities of agency, free will, and the power dynamics behind doll-like figures. By examining the struggles and journeys of these doll-like characters, the episode invites listeners to reflect on their own experiences and perceptions of agency in a changing sociopolitical landscape.
In the highest-grossing movie of 2023, Barbie, a literal doll, leaves the comforts of Barbieland and ventures into real-world Los Angeles, where she discovers the myriad difficulties of modern womanhood. This arc from cosseted naïveté to feminist awakening is a narrative throughline that connects some of the biggest cultural products of the year. In this episode of Critics at Large, the staff writers Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz discuss how 2023 became “the year of the doll,” tracing the trope from “Barbie” to Yorgos Lanthimos’s film “Poor Things,” whose protagonist finds self-determination through sexual agency, and beyond. In Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” a teen-age Priscilla Beaulieu lives under the thumb of Elvis at Graceland before finally breaking free, while in Emma Cline’s novel “The Guest,” the doll figure must fend for herself after the trappings of luxury fall away, revealing the precarity of her circumstances. The hosts explore how ideas about whiteness, beauty, and women’s bodily autonomy inform these works, and how the shock of political backsliding might explain why these stories struck a chord with audiences. “Most of us believed that the work of Roe v. Wade was done,” Cunningham says. “If that is a message that we could all grasp—that a step forward is not a permanent thing—I think that would be a positive thing.”
Read, watch, and listen with the critics:
“Barbie” (2023) “M3GAN” (2023) “Poor Things” (2023) “Priscilla” (2023) “The Guest,” by Emma Cline “The House of Mirth,” by Edith Wharton
