Shonda Rhimes: Barbie didn't need to be a feminist manifesto

Shonda Rhimes argues that 'Barbie' "didn't need to be" a "feminist manifesto".

The 'Bridgerton' producer admits that she enjoyed last year's blockbuster featuring Margot Robbie as the iconic toy doll but was disgruntled with the cultural discourse that put unnecessary expectations on the flick.

Speaking to Variety, Shonda explained: "OK, here's what I'll say. If you're expecting a 'Barbie' movie, then I thought it was great.

"But I think a lot of people were expecting so much more, and then tried to make it so much more.

"There was nothing wrong with the movie; I thought it was totally delightful. But the weight people put on a movie about Barbie was very interesting to me.

"I've heard the song 'I'm Just Ken' in my house every single day because one of my kids sings it all the time. But, yeah, I think that people wanted it to be sort of this feminist manifesto that it doesn't need to be."

Shonda is not the only critic of 'Barbie' as pop star Shakira revealed earlier this year that her two sons "absolutely hated" the film as they found it "emasculating".

The 'Hips Don't Lie' singer took her sons Milan, 11, and Sasha, nine, to see Greta Gerwig's movie last summer but they didn't enjoy it because of the themes of feminism and patriarchy and she agrees with the children.

The 47-year-old star told Allure magazine: "My sons absolutely hated it ['Barbie']. They felt that it was emasculating. And I agree, to a certain extent."

Shakira added: "I'm raising two boys. I want 'em to feel powerful too [while] respecting women. I like pop culture when it attempts to empower women without robbing men of their possibility to be men, to also protect and provide.

"I believe in giving women all the tools and the trust that we can do it all without losing our essence, without losing our femininity. I think that men have a purpose in society and women have another purpose as well. We complement each other, and that complement should not be lost."

Read the full feature with Shonda Rhimes at https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/shonda-rhimes-bridgerton-shondaland-projects-netflix-1235984333/