When I was young, I remember being in love with Barbies. I had everything you could ever imagine, the pale pink camper with pretty designs on it, the hot pink jet with all of the accessories. I had four cars; my favorite was the bright pink convertible Corvette that I could control with a remote as Barbie would drive to the beach to ride her pink jetski on the water [it was actually a blue piece of construction paper.] And of course, the big Barbie mansion glowed bright pink, with three floors, and an elevator that could move up and down.

 I had a collection of the dolls ranging from the little girls to the collectible Barbies. The expensive collectibles, gifts from my grandma Joan,  stayed in their boxes out of reach. My favorite was the Barbie with the pretty long blue and gold dress. I told my dad that dress was the dress I was going to wear to prom. 

My dad fed into my Barbie obsession. Every time I would go to his house we would stop at Toys “R” Us where he would let me pick out a new doll and a couple of sparkly, pink dresses for her [I was spoiled.] There were seven storage boxes that were filled to the brim. Three of them were all the Barbie dolls, two were filled with all the clothes and accessories, and another two were filled with all of the decorations for Barbie’s houses. 

 My obsession grew and it led to Barbie having her own room in the upstairs of my father’s home. It was filled with everything she needed and wanted. In one corner of the room was her town. “Barbie Town” was equipped with a supermarket, a mall, and restaurants. In another corner, we move into  Barbie’s neighborhood with the big Barbie mansion in the middle and a pool in the backyard. On the other side of the room was Barbie’s beach where Barbie could jet-ski and hang out with mermaids. 

The obsession got so bad that I had to have a Barbie head bedspread that was pink, blue, and purple on one side, and the other side had different emojis that described Barbie. “High heel” “Purse” “Necklaces.” The matching sheets with Barbies’ heads all over them made me feel like a princess.

Eventually, I had a whole catalog of  Barbie movies. Of course, I watched them on repeat. Barbie in A Mermaid Tale was on auto-repeat. I loved the beach and the ocean and when she found out she was the lost mermaid princess I wished that could have been me.  I would love to eventually learn how to surf and in the movie, Barbie is a professional surfer. So I was naturally drawn to the movie. 

Barbie was my whole world. She inspired me to dream big. 

When I heard that the new Barbie movie was screening at Evergreen Drive-In I knew we had to go and see it. I have always loved going to watch movies on the drive-in screen ever since I was little. Going to the drive-in was something my mom and I used to do when I was younger. We would always grab all the blankets and pillows we could find, all the snacks and popcorn, and my friend Anna and her mom and we would all go watch movies. We used to make a fort in the back of my mom’s car and snuggle up next to each other.

 This time when we went to the drive-ins I went with my mom, my stepdad, and my own personal Ken, Zyan. My mom, Zyan, and I were all snuggled in our fort eating the popcorn and Sour Patch Kids Watermelons, Hershey’s Chocolate Bar, gummy bears, and Twizlers that we got at the Dollar Store. Zyan ended up falling asleep which was lame, but me and my mom could bond over the movie. Even though we sat in silence you could tell that the movie was bringing us closer. Something about the movie was so inspirational that it left us in a daze. It was very nostalgic and sentimental. During those two hours, I did not go on my phone once. 

As a 17-year-old, witnessing Barbie in real life was life-changing. Watching all the movies when I was little and now seeing the newest Barbie movie on the drive-in screen satisfied my younger self. Margot Robbie brought Barbie to life Barbie as Ryan Gosling became the most handsome

Ken. As the movie began I was immediately drawn in by the catchy music and all the different Barbies dancing. As the movie went on I started to understand the different themes. Self-acceptance stood out to me the most. I realized the need for self-acceptance. I feel that this is a challenge that many people struggle with, even Barbie. She felt she needed to be the “typical” Barbie with the perfect hair and clothes, but she found out that wasn’t who she was. Barbie felt that she had other talents and other wants and needs. To every little girl, Barbie was perfect, and wanted to be just like her. I even wanted to, but this movie showed me that you are more than just what is on the outside. Everyone has their talents and wants in this world and those are what make every single person in this world unique.  

The original Barbie, made in the 1950s, showed young girls of that generation that they can be anything they want to be and do any job just as well as a man. The patriarchal 1950s was a time when men held more power over the household than women. Barbie empowered so many girls during the 50s and still does to this day. 

In the present 2023, there is no such thing as a woman staying home and taking care of the kids. Women are able to make an impact in this world without being told, “This is a man’s job,” or,” You can’t do that you are a woman.” Instead, women are changing the world. For instance, Kamala D. Harris is the first woman Vice President and is making a difference every day.  

Barbie was an inspiration to me and many other young girls and this movie enhanced that. I want to be just like Barbie in the movie when I grow up. I loved the idea that she was anything and everything from a doctor to a flight attendant to even an astronaut it made me believe that I could be ANYTHING and EVERYTHING just like Barbie was.