Diablo Cody Exited Sony's Failed Barbie Movie Because of Troubles with the Feminist Twist

[shangri__la]

Original 'Barbie' Writer Exited Sony's Failed Movie Because 'They Wanted a Girl-Boss Feminist Twist on Barbie' and 'That's Not What Barbie Is' https://t.co/Wl4aJA0Ivu
- Variety (@Variety) July 7, 2023
Sony Pictures originally had the rights to Barbie and spent years trying to get a movie off the ground. Actors such as Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway

Comments

[peddlestools]

I feel like we dodged a bullet

[sheisagentleman]

She did that dogshit CW Powerpuff Girls failed tv show, right?

[a_files06]

Oh god. Thanks for that memory

[ladyserenity84]

Oof, if that's the case, a definite no thanks. The CW Powerpuff Girls looked/sounded awful.

[theoryofwar]

Diablo Cody Brook Maurio is such a 'I'm not like other girls, I'm one of the guys! 😜🤪. Barbie can't be feminist because she's a girly girl. I'm punk rock!!'

[queenursula]

She didn’t say anything like that and I’m not sure what the problem is with using a pen name.

[theoryofwar]

Maybe I'm reading it wrong but she says 'they wanted a girl-boss feminist twist on Barbie, and I couldn’t figure it out because that’s not what Barbie is."

Is she not saying that Barbie isn't a feminist? I'm choosing to ignore girl-boss because I hate that word lol. Barbie wouldn't be down for an MLM! Or is she saying that it's the girl boss part that isn't Barbie? I'm on ONTD, I don't read good!

There's nothing wrong with using a pen name. I've just never liked her so I'm being petty 😂

[drasticigloo]

I think she was pointing out that around 2010-2014, there very much was a cultural feeling of “feminine = bad, strong female characters shouldn’t be girly”. See also, the dumb discourse about Disney princesses being bad role models. So trying to make a feminist Barbie message using those tools was not something Diablo Cody felt she could do.

We seem to be moving away from that thankfully, and recognizing that feminine and strong are not exclusive in media

[smilerocket]

For the best then

[dibbydooby]

she's getting ripped for a completely valid and reasonable take.

[queenursula]

A lot of people hate her on principle.

[dibbydooby]

you're definitely right, i'm hazy on what that principal is exactly though.

[violue]

i remember years ago people on ontd seemed to hate her because she was a stripper

[evett]

If you see Barbie with her good natured personality and ten thousand jobs and hobbies as just an anti-feminist pink loving bimbo all because shes a pretty skinny blonde with big boobs then yeah you were never the right writer for her story.

[sandstorm]

I think she was trying to play off the then-cultural perception of Barbie. I remember parodies of Barbie that didn't emphasize the good to neutral qualities. I can 100% imagine someone going "No, this woman you've been making a mockery of is AWESOME because she's xyz."

[smilerocket]

I agree. I truly mean no shade when I say this - but what Diablo Cody is saying and knowing that it's in the context of AMY SCHUMER being Barbie, already seemed like the movie back then was going for unconventional. So although what she said was a reasonable take, she just couldn't/didn't want to flex it - which is okay! But also, whew, for the rest of us excited for this iteration of the Barbie movie.

[corrykennedy]

I feel like when you're talking about a commercial product developed in the 50s, who for a lot of its lifespan embodied unrealistic beauty standards (as in she could not stand up straight if she had those dimensions irl), there's at least a valid argument that she is there to represent patriarchal values that are inherently anti-feminist.

Diablo is also just saying that in 2014 she wasn't sure how ready the world was for girlbossified barbie and she's probably right. That's right when pop feminism was starting to have a resurgence and was still seen as radical. or at least too radical for a feature-length toy commercial.