Shakira Says Her Sons “Absolutely Hated” Barbie: “They Felt It Was Emasculating”

New Delhi:

Shakira, in a recent interview with the Allure magazine, shared what she thought of Greta Gerwig’s global smash hit Barbie.The pop star revealed that her sons Milan (11) and Sasha (9), with former partner and footballer Gerard Pique, “hated” the film. Shakira said, “My sons absolutely hated it. 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 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.”

Shakira added, “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.” She added, “Just because a woman can do it all doesn’t mean she should? Why not share the load with people who deserve to carry it, who have a duty to carry it as well?”

Barbie explores the themes of patriarchy and power dynamics. In Greta Geriwg’s Barbie, Ryan Gosling’s Ken transforms Barbieland into a “Kendom” with his newfound power and stereotypes about masculinity after he discovers the concept of patriarchy in the real world. Mojo Dojo Casa House is what he calls it. After which, the Barbieland witnesses a revolution of sorts, where Margot and friends, fight to win their power back.

Barbie, starring Margot Robbie in the titular role and Ryan Gosling as Ken, received eight Oscar nominations this year at the Academy Awards and it also won the Best Original Song for What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell. The film smashed all box office records, when it released in July last year, despite its big clash with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr and Emily Blunt in pivotal roles.