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Adrienne Lawrence

Legal analyst, law professor & award-winning author

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‘Barbie’ has a message white female voters should heed in 2024

Aug 09, 2023

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White women are coming out in droves to see the runaway hit movie “Barbie,” which has been described as a movie created by women, about women and for women. For many, the “Barbie” message is about female empowerment and male patriarchy.

But Straight Arrow News contributor Adrienne Lawrence asks the question: Will white women take what many see as the movie’s message about “toxic masculinity” to the polls with them next November? Or will many of them vote, as they have in the past, for male politicians who don’t have the best interests of women at heart?

That begs the question: WWBD — what would Barbie do? And I can tell you it’s not vote against her own interests. Yet white women have had a long history of doing just that, as though white supremacy will somehow swoop in and save them, when time and again that has shown not to be the case. Yet they persist.

In Georgia, the recent gubernatorial race, 76% of white women voted for Brian Kemp, even though he is devoutly and openly anti-abortion. Now Georgia has a six-week abortion ban. Oh wow. It’s like you couldn’t see it coming. Sixty-four percent of white women in Texas showed up and showed out for Greg Abbott. And look now, there is a complete abortion ban with very limited exceptions. How is that going for you all down there? In Florida, 51% of white women, Ron DeSantis against equal pay and Violence Against Women Act and so on.

Let’s do this. Come on, white women. Wake up. White women have access to all of the same information as the rest of us knowing that the GOP isn’t here to serve their interests, yet, the demographic continues to uplift the Right and act shocked and shaken when the shit hits the fans and their rights go away. I’m bewildered by the intentional ignorance here.

Barbie is hot. This summer blockbuster crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office last weekend. It made history as the film’s director, Greta Gerwig, became the first solo woman to direct a film earning 10 figures. That’s huge, particularly in light of the feminist theory that’s embedded in the storyline. 

 

Now, if you’re unfamiliar with it, well, Barbie basically conveys that toxic masculinity isn’t biological. It’s a learned behavior that a person can unlearn through things like empathy, understanding, and so on. 

 

And white women have been eating it up. They were the ones who gave this movie life and the boosts of the box office coming out in droves to Dr. Barbie success. 

 

But Will White women take that message of toxic masculinity to the polls with them next November? That is the question. Since 2016. White women have been chided for putting Donald Trump in office. Even though more than 60% of white men voted for Trump. The some 45% of white women who followed in suit have been marked by many marginalized groups as being responsible for Trump’s elevation, which what led to the former reality show host picking three Supreme Court justices and appointing some 231 Other federal judges which led to the reversal of Roe v Wade, and the ensuing ripple effect that includes things like challenges to accessing the abortion pill known as Mr. prestone, and so on. As much as white men share the responsibility for the United States current state of chaos. 

 

Well, they are not suffering to the same extent as white women are, and they were never expected to because it was well known that a vote for Trump a sexist racist xenophobe, as far as I’m concerned, was a vote against the interests of all American women, including white women. And white women knew that yet they pressed forward backing the GOP. That begs the question, WW Bibi, what would Barbie do? And I can tell you it’s not vote against her own interest. Yet white women have had a long history of doing just that, as the white supremacy will somehow swoop in and save them when time and again that has shown not to be the case. Yet they persist. In Georgia, the recent gubernatorial race 76% of white women voted for Brian Kemp, even though he is devoutly and openly anti abortion. Now Georgia has a six week abortion ban. Oh wow. It’s like you couldn’t see it coming. 64% of white women in Texas showed up and showed out for Greg Abbott and look now there is a complete abortion ban with very limited exceptions. How is that going for you all down there in Florida 51% of white women Rhonda Santos against equal pay and Violence Against Women Act and so on. Let’s do this. Come on white women wake up when women have access to all of the same information as the rest of us knowing that the GOP isn’t here to serve their interests yet, the demographic continues to uplift the right and act shocked and chicken when the shit hits the fans and the rights go away. I’m bewildered by the intentional ignorance here. 

 

But perhaps that’s where Barbie comes in. In this moment, white women appear to be galvanized by the onscreen presence of Margot Robbie alongside the beguiling foolishness of Ryan Gosling. Again, white women are eaten it up the storyline of Gosling’s character can realizing that he’s not innately great. In fact, there has been a movement of moviegoers breaking off relationships upon realizing that their male partners suffer from the same affliction that befell Ken Barbie appears to be really empowering white women right now. Many of them finally seem to recognize that like white men, they too are people. 

With an anticipated rematch of the 2020 lineup featuring Joe Biden for the left and Donald Trump for the right. 

 

Hopefully white women will finally go to the polls and truly vote like white men that is in their own best interest.

 

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