Why Shakira Hated ‘Barbie’

Barbie may have been one of the biggest and most buzzed about movies of 2023, but at least one superstar wasn’t a fan. Sharing her thoughts about the Greta Gerwig-directed blockbuster in an interview with Allure, Shakira revealed that her two sons “absolutely hated” Barbie because it was “emasculating,” adding that she somewhat agreed.

“My sons absolutely hated it,” the Colombian superstar told the outlet. “They felt that it was emasculating. And I agree, to a certain extent. 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.”

The Grammy-winning singer, who shares sons Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9, with ex Gerard Piqué, added that she believes “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.”

The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer said that while she supports empowering women, “why not share the load with people who deserve to carry it, who have a duty to carry it as well?”

Gerwig’s Barbie stars Margot Robbie as the beloved doll, with Ryan Gosling taking on the role of Ken. The film largely examines the effects of patriarchy from the lens of dolls and focuses on Barbie and Ken as they leave Barbie Land and enter the real world.

Shakira is far from the first person to criticize the film and express their beliefs that it was emasculating. Podcaster Matt Walsh said the movie was”the most aggressively anti-man, feminist propaganda fest ever put to film,” with Bill Maher claimed that Barbie was “man-hating.”

Addressing the criticisms, Gerwig told The New York Times in July, “certainly, there’s a lot of passion. My hope for the movie is that it’s an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren’t necessarily serving us as either women or men. I hope that in all of that passion, if they see it or engage with it, it can give them some of the relief that it gave other people.”