Barbie_Ts is a short film exploring women’s inner beauty and associated existential anxieties, using film to challenge how women are represented in media and films.
Stereotypical Barbie leads a relatively blissful existence in Barbieland. Each morning she wakes up, enjoys breakfast with real milk (or more often just imagines eating one), hops into her car, and drives off towards the beach where she says hello to Allan and Midge as well as all her fellow Barbies and Kens, Allan included. Though she lives a fulfilling life, Stereotypical Barbie begins to experience existential thoughts as well as physical changes within herself that no typical doll should experience.
Once Barbie returns to Mattel, the CEO and other male executives begin trying to force her back in a box. Luckily for Barbie, Gloria works at Mattel and can help her understand what’s happening. Gloria becomes an invaluable ally as she is familiar with how things work at the company and can guide Barbie out of any trouble spots; additionally she’s also a single mother whose own daughter had given up playing with Barbie dolls years prior.
In the movie, other male executives represent men who believe they have it all and represent patriarchy today – they’re clingy, insecure and self-absorbed just like real life males are.