For masses of adults across the country, the Barbie movie has been a resounding success – a nostalgic look back at their childhood in the bright light of the modern world.
But for the seven-year-olds who are still very much in their Barbie era, the experience was more confusing.
Because the target audience of the iconic toy – children under the age of 12 – have not been able to see their hero in action.
One of those girls is Olivia Barrett, who this week wrote a letter to the film’s director, Greta Gerwig, expressing her intense disappointment.
A doll connoisseur with her very own Barbie DreamHouse, she was stunned when her mother, Emily, told her she wouldn’t be able to go.
Barbie mad Olivia Barrett, 7, was distraught when she saw the new Barbie movie had a score of 12
Outraged by the film’s 12 rating, Olivia wrote a letter to director Greta Gerwig
Her mother Emily watched the film on her own before deciding it was not right for her child
The Barbie movie passed the $1 billion mark at the box office this week (Photo: Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie)
Coming out at the start of her summer vacation, with ads appearing to be on every billboard across the country, youngsters have been taunted for not understanding why they couldn’t see their favorite toy come to life.
And so—taking up her pen—an irate Olivia wrote, “Why did you make the Barbie movie for older kids?
“I am seven years old and I am sorry that I cannot see it.
‘Are you going to make another movie for seven-year-olds?
‘I love Barbie.
‘Why are there red (sic) words in it?
“Barbies are my favorite toys.”
Emily Barrett, 33, helped her daughter write the letter after seeing her disappointment firsthand.
A business owner from Kent, she saw the movie with her mother-in-law before deciding if it was inappropriate for her little girl.
The seven-year-old asked Greta Gerwig (pictured) if she wanted to make another film appropriate to her age
Investigation session over – she was glad she hadn’t let Olivia come along. With themes of death and sexual illusions, she doesn’t think it’s suitable for people of such a young age.
She said, “She’s always been a big fan of Barbie. She has a Barbie house that she plays with constantly and the Barbie movie came out in primetime in the summer when all the kids are free.
“There’s been a lot of advertising around it — like Margot Robbie in the Barbie car that looks fantastic.
“She was so gutted and she kept saying to me, ‘Why can’t I see the Barbie movie?’
“There’s stuff in there that I don’t think she’s ready to hear.
“It’s just really sad for them that it’s been put on a rating and there’s enough stuff in there that would discourage parents from taking their little ones to see it.”
“I took her to the cinema yesterday and it’s all Barbie everywhere – it’s a reminder of, ‘This isn’t fair, I’m not allowed to watch it!'”
Emily didn’t even tell Olivia when she went to the movies because she was afraid of upsetting her.
And to compensate for not being able to see the movie, her mom Sue bought her a special Barbie top.
Olivia has now become the star of the family’s WhatsApp chat after her letter was posted – and everyone was very impressed with her determined handwriting.
Emily continued, “When this eventually comes out on Netflix, I can show her the first 15, 20 minutes of it where Barbie Land is all about and it’s exactly what the little girls want to see.
“It’s all the pretty dresses and the car and the dancing and it’s really, really fun — that’s what you expect from a Barbie movie!”
“But once you get into the human world, it gets pretty grown up and it’s all about feelings and older connotations and thoughts.
“I’d show her the first 20, but probably not any further!”
Emily hasn’t told Olivia she’s gone to the movies because she’s afraid of upsetting her
The tentative mom has said she can show Olivia the first 20 minutes of the film – but no more
The Barbie movie passed the $1 billion mark at the box office this week, making history as the first female-directed film to do so after its release just three weeks ago.
It was infamously released alongside Oppenheimer and Mission Impossible – leading some theater buffs to see all three at once in a challenge called ‘Mission Barbenheimer’.
But for Emily, the fun was undermined by adult themes in a movie about her kid’s favorite toy.
She continued, “Having some thoughts of death just made it a little unnecessary. The sort of thing they were exploring in it was kind of strange.
“There are a lot of connotations of death, a lot of allusions — there’s quite a bit of sexualization in there.
‘She’s seven years old. I don’t want to expose her to that stuff too early, but she’s just really upset. She is so crazy about Barbie.
“I kept telling her it’s not a kid’s movie — and that’s just so confusing for kids.
Grabbing a Barbie doll and saying that kids aren’t really supposed to look at it — especially when they make this bright pink poster featuring the Barbie in the car.
She asked me so many valid questions and she said to me, “I want to speak to the person who made it!”
‘So I let her go with it, and I said why don’t you write a letter – and she did! I helped her write with the spelling and stuff, and I thought it would be really good for her to give her opinion on it.
“We’re not exactly activists, but I just thought it was really important that she voiced her opinion!
“If something makes you sad, you can do something — whether you get a reaction or not, I have no idea, but I thought it was the right thing for her to do.”
But Emily fears her troubles aren’t over – and she knows some parents may have been more liberal than she was.
She’s worried that when Olivia goes back to school she’ll be upset that some of her classmates might have seen it when she couldn’t.
She added: “The problem is that there’s been a mix of opinions from parents, with some people taking their kids thinking they might be overlooking the connotations – but there’s also some very obvious parts in.
She’s going back to school in September and some of her friends may have seen the movie — and does that make us bad parents?
“It’s made it quite tricky for parents who don’t know if it’s appropriate or not.”