I missed out on the whole Barbenheimer experience when everyone was so psyched about it, but I finally saw Barbie. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. (Really liked Oppenheimer as well, for different reasons. Don’t make me pick.)

I thought it was very witty, a good piece of art. I’m surprised Mattel let Greta Gerwig make so much fun at their expense. Pregnant Barbie? A Barbie with a TV in her back? A dog that poops candy? All those ridiculous dolls really existed… What were they thinking?

I didn’t feel particularly attacked. The fact that nobody ever played with Ken has been a running joke for as long as I can remember. It was obviously targeted at women who have grown up and are realizing society has rules it expects you to follow. They are often unwritten and contradictory. It can leave you paralyzed just trying to be yourself.

I think you could almost flip it around and make it about men, except there isn’t a comparable toy for us. I had a GI Joe and my brother had an Action Jackson when we were kids, but neither of us cared much about them. We were mostly out playing in the mud.

As any guy who’s not getting any will tell you, it’s pretty damn difficult to be a man also. You have traditional roles (aka “peer pressure from dead people.”) and modern roles. Also contradictory and hard to live up to.

I’d sum it up by saying it’s damn hard to be a human being in general. But it’s life, it’s real. When Barbie had a chance, she picked life. Messy, difficult, exciting, real, and a lot more rewarding than the version where everything is predictable and perfect.