When it was announced that Amy Schumer was being cast in a new film as a bitter Barbie who travels to the “real” world to find acceptance after realizing she doesn’t fit in the idealized world of the Mattel toy, the interweb naturally decided to chime in and fat shame her. One can assume that the entire purpose for casting Schumer is that she doesn’t fit the “perfect” Barbie mold, and this is Mattel’s way of trying to make up for decades of the toy creating unrealistic goals for young girls and distorting their view of body images. If that’s the case, then good on them.
However, the idea of taking a line of toys geared for five year old girls and making a PG film out of it starring the crassest female comedian in recent history seems to miss the mark just a bit. Sony is producing a film that may not even be suitable for their target demographic. There shouldn’t be a need for “Parental Guidance” for a Barbie movie. But there’s more money to be made with an older audience, so Sony has decided to tell little girls to piss off apparently.