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Two decades back, Ryan Gosling played the lead in what has been hailed as one of the most adorable Hollywood love dramas – The Notebook. Based on a novel by the same name by Nicholas Sparks, the story – in a way – painted an ideal picture of a near-perfect relationship. But the first few minutes into the movie have some very discomforting moments. Ryan Gosling is chasing a girl he is crushing over at a carnival. He asks her for a dance. She says no. He then persists (like a typical rom-com hero), and then the girl – who is already out on a date – is forced to say yes to a date with this mad guy who threatens to jump off the ferris wheel.
There is one particular moment when Noah (Ryan Gosling) jumps on Allie (played by Rachel McAdams) in a bid to, may be, prove his passion. It could well be seen as unwelcome gesture which can make any woman uncomfortable. All this has been the norm in romantic dramas. It’s cute to watch? Man chasing woman till she succumbs to a yes?
2023, and thankfully, The Times, they are changing (as Bob Dylan famously said once).
Ryan Gosling plays Ken in Barbie. And he is not just Ken (pun unintended). Ken is every man who is insecure despite living in a world where patriarchy sets the rules. The metaphors of horses and chivalry, mansplaining, toxic masculinity – Barbie has been able to dig deep into everyday sexism.
Most brands usually stick to popular opinion, even if it’s wrong, to ensure profit. For what it’s worth, Mattel took a bet and took a joke on itself too. It admitted the flaw in the design of the dream it had been selling to young girls for so many decades, including me. We were immersed into the perfect picture so much that we could not see misogyny written all over.
Thanks to Greta Gerwig, finally we have a movie where patriarchy is the villain. (And to people who only care about money, fight against sexism can be profitable too, also on the box office)
