0:00:04.791,0:00:09.568
It's hard to overstate the massive[br]cultural impact of the Barbie movie

0:00:09.706,0:00:12.317
"Hi Barbie"[br]"Hi Ken"

0:00:12.835,0:00:17.944
The film Enchanted audiences, wowed critics,[br]sparked heated debates

0:00:17.944,0:00:22.372
and made a truly obscene amount of money[br]at the box office

0:00:22.372,0:00:27.747
"Barbie continues breaking records[br]with over 1 billion dollars at the global box office"

0:00:27.747,0:00:30.135
It's an impressive cultural achievement

0:00:30.135,0:00:36.418
especially considering that the film doubles as[br]a featured-length for a line of plastic dolls

0:00:36.853,0:00:41.973
There was, however, one group[br]who were decidedly unenthusiastic

0:00:43.425,0:00:46.709
"Despite all the bubbly pink fun,[br]the movie's become a target"

0:00:46.709,0:00:48.880
"of some right-wing personalities"

0:00:48.880,0:00:53.095
"They are preaching empowerment[br]by making men look weak and dumb"

0:00:53.095,0:00:56.243
"Feminist diet tribe about the evils of[br]the modern patriarchy"

0:00:56.243,0:00:59.681
"It's a trojan horse to to teach girls[br]daddy is really a dummy"

0:00:59.681,0:01:01.075
"or domineering idiots"

0:01:01.075,0:01:03.852
"It's feminist garbage and[br]it's really about hating men"

0:01:03.852,0:01:06.532
And Ken is like stupid and unlikable"

0:01:06.532,0:01:11.039
"This is an assault on not just Ken,[br]but all men"

0:01:11.524,0:01:14.867
If you've seen the movie,[br]you might be confused

0:01:14.867,0:01:17.724
because the Barbie script goes[br]out of it's way

0:01:17.724,0:01:19.886
to show Ken in a sympathetic light

0:01:20.744,0:01:24.846
If anything, the movie might[br]be a little too sympathetic to Ken

0:01:24.846,0:01:27.345
"I think I owe you an apology"[br]"Huh?"

0:01:27.345,0:01:31.509
Now it's tempting to dismiss this[br]clearly performative outrage

0:01:31.509,0:01:35.507
as just another attempt to fan the flame[br]of the culture war

0:01:35.899,0:01:38.311
But there is something really poisonous

0:01:38.311,0:01:43.180
under-pinning this backlash[br]that I do think is worth taking seriously

0:01:43.699,0:01:47.004
One word in particular[br]seem to touch a nerve

0:01:47.341,0:01:49.387
"Well, I haven't seen Barbie yet, uh"

0:01:49.387,0:01:51.378
"but I've seen people talking about[br]the number of times they use"

0:01:51.378,0:01:52.753
"the word patriarchy in it"

0:01:52.753,0:01:56.423
"Feminism and the patriarchy[br]and fighting it and all that"

0:01:56.540,0:02:00.905
"And actually to call it the patriarchy in[br]the film that phrase is used many times"

0:02:00.905,0:02:04.033
"If you take a shot every time[br]Barbie says the word 'patriarchy'

0:02:04.033,0:02:05.764
you will pass out before the movie ends"

0:02:05.764,0:02:08.743
"As we learned that the use of word[br]'patriarchy' no less than ten times in this film"

0:02:08.829,0:02:12.481
"The patriarchy is a big part of[br]this Barbie film"

0:02:12.481,0:02:16.117
"The word is used endlessly in the movie[br]even though most people"

0:02:16.117,0:02:21.125
"even me actually, have no real idea of[br]what patriarchy really means"

0:02:22.201,0:02:25.247
That is a truly staggering[br]level of defensiveness

0:02:25.247,0:02:27.438
especially coming from people who

0:02:27.438,0:02:31.221
don't really seem to understand [br]what the word even means

0:02:32.257,0:02:37.192
While there are many legitimate criticisms[br]of the Barbie movie's feminism or lack thereof

0:02:37.192,0:02:39.966
this video essay is not going to[br]address those questions

0:02:39.966,0:02:42.764
Instead, we're going to use the movie[br]as a sort of primary

0:02:42.764,0:02:46.078
to help explain[br]what patriarchy actually is

0:02:46.078,0:02:51.036
what it isn't and how it ends up[br]harming everyone including men

0:02:52.523,0:02:53.481
"Watch your flank"

0:02:53.674,0:02:55.965
To have any kind of[br]productive conversation

0:02:55.965,0:02:58.030
we have to get over that defensiveness

0:02:58.030,0:03:01.924
that so many mem feel whenever[br]they come across the word patriarchy

0:03:01.924,0:03:03.932
"This is a real hornets nest in here"

0:03:03.932,0:03:08.381
Contrary to popular belief,[br]patriarchy is not a synonym for men

0:03:08.381,0:03:11.564
nor is it a code word for masculinity

0:03:11.564,0:03:14.279
and it certainly has nothing to do[br]with hating men

0:03:14.279,0:03:16.601
"Yeah, I'm, I... confused about that"

0:03:17.559,0:03:20.261
General confusion about what[br]patriarchy means

0:03:20.261,0:03:22.035
is perhaps not surprising

0:03:22.035,0:03:25.709
given that the word[br]very rarely appears in popular media

0:03:26.333,0:03:30.023
When the term has been used[br]it's traditionally been as a joke

0:03:30.023,0:03:32.809
to mock feminists or feminism

0:03:32.809,0:03:37.093
"Let's take off our brows and burn them[br]in defiance of the misogynistic patriarchy"

0:03:37.093,0:03:39.408
"you know what I think[br]I have to meet Harvey, but um"

0:03:39.408,0:03:41.143
"maybe we can burn[br]our underwear together later"

0:03:41.419,0:03:44.706
"When the last time we had a conversation[br]over 3 minutes it was about"

0:03:44.706,0:03:47.843
"the patriarchal bias of[br]the Mr. Roger's show"

0:03:47.843,0:03:50.840
"Well, with King Friday lording it[br]over all the Lesser puppets"

0:03:50.840,0:03:52.189
"What did I miss?"

0:03:52.832,0:03:56.064
"The oppressive patriarchal values[br]that dictate our education"

0:03:56.064,0:03:56.921
"good"

0:03:56.921,0:03:59.457
It's only after the rise of[br]the me too movement

0:03:59.457,0:04:01.647
that we begin to see[br]a shift in this pattern

0:04:02.509,0:04:03.712
"Stay out of it Courtney"

0:04:03.712,0:04:06.130
"You stay out of it.[br]I'm dismantling the patriarchy this year"

0:04:06.130,0:04:08.215
"and I'm not afraid to start with you"

0:04:08.215,0:04:12.263
These days the word is most often[br]written for snarky teenage characters

0:04:12.562,0:04:14.608
"So you were Guided by Lon chivalry"

0:04:14.608,0:04:17.551
"a tool of the patriarchy to extract[br]my undying gratitude?"

0:04:17.551,0:04:20.132
"Mhm, you know[br]most people just say thank you"

0:04:20.132,0:04:25.657
It's meant to identify them as brash,[br]rebellious or naively idealistic

0:04:25.657,0:04:29.316
though not necessarily wrong[br]in their observations

0:04:29.316,0:04:33.246
"I think marriage is just a patriarchal system[br]designed to make women less autonomous"

0:04:33.246,0:04:37.054
"You become your husband's property,[br]you have to bear his children"

0:04:37.841,0:04:39.852
"You even have to take his name"

0:04:39.852,0:04:43.333
"Hey, didn't you say that prom was a postcolonial..."[br]"A postcolonial patriarchal construct"

0:04:43.601,0:04:44.342
"It is"

0:04:44.342,0:04:47.116
"But we would go as a group[br]as a form of protest"

0:04:47.724,0:04:50.941
"Hey hey, ho ho,[br]patriarchy has got to go"

0:04:51.143,0:04:54.668
"Hey hey, ho ho,[br]patriarchy has got to go"

0:04:55.523,0:05:00.187
Even in this new limited context, the[br]word is still delivered as a punch line

0:05:00.187,0:05:02.048
"I'm jus... I mean is that it?"

0:05:02.048,0:05:04.892
and its meaning is left[br]intentionally vague

0:05:04.892,0:05:06.818
"It's called Little Women[br]and it's about four sisters"

0:05:06.818,0:05:08.946
"who overcome poverty[br]and the patriarchy..."

0:05:08.946,0:05:10.908
"Nope, dolls"

0:05:10.908,0:05:13.730
The lack of specificity guarantees that

0:05:13.730,0:05:17.384
only those who are already in the know[br]will get the joke

0:05:17.554,0:05:19.825
"Down with the patriarchy!"

0:05:20.171,0:05:21.499
"Idiot, ah"

0:05:21.722,0:05:25.948
Everyone else is left[br]either bewildered or extremely threatened

0:05:26.093,0:05:28.420
"Why didn't Barbie tell me[br]about patriarchy?"

0:05:28.425,0:05:31.780
"which to my understanding is where men[br]and horses run everything?"

0:05:32.057,0:05:34.321
"I'll silver away!"

0:05:34.321,0:05:37.566
Sorry, Ken, but there are no[br]horses involved

0:05:37.931,0:05:41.555
Although, it does kind of make sense[br]why he might think that

0:05:42.147,0:05:45.903
"That's not fair is it? You know[br]is it the fault of the patriarchy?"

0:05:45.903,0:05:49.035
"Also, what is a patriarchy?"

0:05:50.746,0:05:55.131
In its modern usage,[br]patriarchy refers to a type of society

0:05:55.131,0:05:59.059
that's constructed to promote[br]male power and authority

0:06:01.104,0:06:04.832
In sociological terms, it's what's called[br]a social system

0:06:04.832,0:06:06.790
rooted in four distinct principles

0:06:07.005,0:06:11.711
"a society is patriarchal to the degree[br]that it's male-dominated"

0:06:11.711,0:06:18.135
"male centered, male identified and[br]organized around an obsession with control"

0:06:18.668,0:06:21.283
We're going to go over[br]what all of that means in detail

0:06:21.283,0:06:23.886
but the important thing to remember[br]about social systems

0:06:23.886,0:06:28.270
is that we are not those systems[br]and those systems are not us

0:06:28.270,0:06:31.168
"Because Barbie land is now Kenland"

0:06:31.168,0:06:36.694
So, in the Barbie movie The Kens have a coup[br]and Implement patriarchy

0:06:36.694,0:06:40.876
But the Kens as a group are[br]not patriarchy itself

0:06:40.876,0:06:42.497
"Here I'm just a dude"

0:06:42.497,0:06:46.513
The Kens make patriarchy happen[br]by doing it

0:06:47.247,0:06:52.321
When they stop participating the[br]social system effectively ceases to exist

0:06:53.886,0:06:57.450
In the same way that we can describe[br]a board game and its rules

0:06:57.450,0:07:02.186
without saying anything about[br]the personality of the individual players

0:07:02.186,0:07:06.220
so, too, can we talk about[br]the system of patriarchy and how it works

0:07:06.220,0:07:09.100
without condemning every individual man

0:07:10.369,0:07:15.134
Now keep in mind that the Barbie movie[br]focuses mostly on straight white characters

0:07:15.138,0:07:19.521
but patriarchy impacts people in[br]different ways based on their sexuality

0:07:19.521,0:07:22.636
and race, class or geographical location

0:07:22.636,0:07:24.534
"Is there a problem officers?"

0:07:24.852,0:07:26.151
Moving forward in this video

0:07:26.151,0:07:29.168
I'm going to be heavily borrowing from a[br]book called The Gender Knot

0:07:29.168,0:07:31.982
by sociologist Alan G Johnson

0:07:32.691,0:07:35.411
Since the devil is in the details,[br]let's use Kenland

0:07:35.411,0:07:36.504
"Kendom"

0:07:36.504,0:07:37.001
"Kendom"

0:07:37.001,0:07:37.774
"Kendom Land"

0:07:37.774,0:07:39.374
"Land of the..."[br]"Land of the free of the men"

0:07:39.374,0:07:40.921
"Right. Well, this place"

0:07:40.921,0:07:45.288
Let's use Kendom land to help illustrate[br]how patriarchy works

0:07:45.288,0:07:47.161
"I shall seek my fortune there"

0:07:47.161,0:07:48.271
"Alright"

0:07:48.543,0:07:53.456
The first characteristic of a patriarchal[br]society is that it's male dominated

0:07:53.624,0:07:55.488
This is relatively straightforward

0:07:55.599,0:08:00.932
All it means is that "positions of authority[br]are generally reserved for men"

0:08:01.802,0:08:05.877
Basically, when you look up in[br]the various hierarchies of society

0:08:05.877,0:08:08.401
you'll tend to see more and more men

0:08:10.221,0:08:15.505
The Barbie movie gives us a vivid illustration[br]of what male dominance looks like

0:08:16.041,0:08:21.383
We are presented with a montage of images[br]featuring powerful and important men

0:08:22.054,0:08:24.435
It's notable that up until recently

0:08:24.435,0:08:27.908
women have largely been[br]excluded from these fields

0:08:28.911,0:08:31.451
"I'll take a high level,[br]high paying job with influence, please"

0:08:31.451,0:08:32.845
"Okay you'll need at least an NBA"

0:08:32.845,0:08:35.194
Ken also learns an important lesson

0:08:35.194,0:08:37.624
when he demands to be given[br]a powerful position

0:08:37.624,0:08:40.152
he has unceremoniously rejected

0:08:40.152,0:08:43.774
"No, I won't let you do[br]just one appendectomy"

0:08:43.774,0:08:44.472
"But I'm a man"

0:08:44.472,0:08:45.223
"But not a doctor"

0:08:45.223,0:08:45.736
"Please"

0:08:45.736,0:08:46.449
"No"

0:08:47.229,0:08:53.656
This is because male dominance does not[br]mean that every individual man is powerful

0:08:53.656,0:08:56.055
"I'm a man with no power[br]does that make me a woman?"

0:08:56.055,0:08:58.390
In fact most men living in patriarchy

0:08:58.390,0:09:01.180
will never acquire[br]a formal position of power

0:09:01.180,0:09:03.227
"This is bad. This is really bad"

0:09:03.227,0:09:04.290
"What?"

0:09:04.290,0:09:08.048
Instead, they'll spend their entire lives[br]laboring under the boot of

0:09:08.048,0:09:09.997
other more powerful men

0:09:10.846,0:09:12.721
"Are any women in charge?"

0:09:13.451,0:09:16.542
Despite what this[br]Mattel boardroom scene implies

0:09:16.542,0:09:20.908
It's not impossible for a woman to[br]ascend to the top in patriarchy

0:09:20.908,0:09:25.615
It just means it'll be much much harder[br]for women to gain and maintain power

0:09:25.883,0:09:30.102
and she will be tokenized and regarded as[br]a special exception to the rule

0:09:30.597,0:09:32.272
"I love you guys"

0:09:32.272,0:09:34.406
Unlike in the fantasy world of Barbie land

0:09:34.406,0:09:37.486
there has never been[br]a female president of the United States

0:09:37.627,0:09:39.227
"How come you're so amazing?"

0:09:39.227,0:09:41.111
"No comment. Ah ha ha ha"[br]

0:09:41.111,0:09:44.102
But even when a woman eventually[br]does win that position

0:09:44.102,0:09:47.423
it will not mean that patriarchy is over

0:09:47.426,0:09:50.728
Because patriarchy is a dynamic[br]and resilient system

0:09:50.728,0:09:53.525
It has evolved and changed[br]over the decades

0:09:53.525,0:09:54.863
and indeed centuries

0:09:54.863,0:09:59.660
thanks to countless women who have fought[br]hard for a few seats at the table

0:09:59.568,0:10:02.518
but the table is still male-dominated

0:10:03.048,0:10:06.210
"You guys are clearly[br]not doing patriarchy very well"

0:10:06.210,0:10:10.434
"No. Ha ha. No, we're uh,[br]we're doing it well, yeah"

0:10:10.434,0:10:12.806
"We're just uh, hide it better now"

0:10:15.041,0:10:19.502
The second aspect of a patriarchal society[br]is that it's male centered

0:10:19.502,0:10:21.944
This simply means[br]that "the focus of attention

0:10:21.944,0:10:25.613
is primarily on men and boys[br]and what they do"

0:10:26.384,0:10:29.445
One of the reasons Barbie land[br]is so visually startling

0:10:29.445,0:10:33.447
is because it's a rare vision of[br]a female centered world

0:10:34.601,0:10:37.165
It's something we almost never[br]see in Hollywood

0:10:37.165,0:10:40.532
outside of cheesy Sci-Fi movies[br]from the 1950s

0:10:40.532,0:10:42.523
"Landing on an unknown planet"

0:10:42.523,0:10:45.595
"they are captured by long limb beauties"

0:10:46.241,0:10:48.578
"When they say take me to your leader

0:10:48.578,0:10:51.444
"and they take them to[br]a creature like this"

0:10:51.444,0:10:54.197
"you know they're on planet Venus"

0:10:54.823,0:10:55.958
"Hi Barbie"

0:10:56.590,0:10:57.919
"Yeah, space!"

0:10:58.224,0:11:01.455
In Barbie Land the focus of[br]attention is naturally

0:11:01.455,0:11:04.222
placed on the Barbies and what they do

0:11:04.222,0:11:08.280
but after the coup, the Kens immediately[br]push the Barbies aside

0:11:08.881,0:11:14.653
and put themselves and masculinity[br]at the center of absolutely everything

0:11:14.653,0:11:16.734
"Everything, basically everything"

0:11:16.734,0:11:20.157
"exists to expand and elevate[br]the presence of men"

0:11:20.526,0:11:25.045
This is an exaggerated reflection of[br]our own male centered world

0:11:25.615,0:11:29.306
All you have to do is turn on the news[br]or go to the movies

0:11:29.306,0:11:33.419
and you'll be inundated[br]with endless stories centering men

0:11:35.589,0:11:37.791
"A symbol to the nation"

0:11:38.506,0:11:40.947
"A hero to the world"

0:11:42.833,0:11:45.814
"A beacon of hope, shining up"

0:11:46.438,0:11:50.694
Obviously, this doesn't mean that[br]women are never centered under patriarchy

0:11:51.011,0:11:54.714
But when they are[br]it's often framed as a woman's story

0:11:54.714,0:11:57.117
rather than a human story

0:11:57.818,0:11:59.496
The Barbie movie for example

0:11:59.496,0:12:02.768
is very specifically a story about the[br]gendered experience

0:12:02.768,0:12:04.602
of being a woman in society

0:12:05.239,0:12:08.481
"Anxiety, panic attacks [br]and OCD sold separately"

0:12:09.089,0:12:11.656
We can contrast that[br]with a movie like Oppenheimer

0:12:12.177,0:12:16.236
which is a story about becoming death[br]the destroyer of worlds

0:12:16.970,0:12:20.416
Yes this destroyer of worlds[br]happens to be a man

0:12:20.416,0:12:23.790
but notice the story isn't focused on the[br]gendered experience

0:12:23.790,0:12:25.890
of being a man in society

0:12:27.810,0:12:32.313
In fact, all of Christopher Nolan's film[br]center very important men

0:12:32.681,0:12:34.791
but none are about their gender

0:12:35.114,0:12:40.376
They are built as stories representative[br]of the human experience writ large

0:12:41.548,0:12:44.512
Greta Gerwig's movies on the other hand[br]all center women

0:12:44.512,0:12:50.274
and are very explicitly about being a[br]woman trying to navigate a man's world

0:12:50.857,0:12:52.035
"Very well"

0:12:52.035,0:12:53.108
[Inaudible]

0:12:53.458,0:12:56.049
That's not a criticism of[br]either director by the way

0:12:56.049,0:12:59.665
It's just a stark illustration of what[br]male centered means

0:13:00.092,0:13:04.030
In patriarchy men are viewed as[br]the default for human

0:13:04.030,0:13:09.466
and therefore, male experiences are framed[br]as an exploration of the human condition

0:13:10.242,0:13:12.142
While women's experiences are

0:13:12.142,0:13:15.798
first and foremost, framed as[br]being about womanhood

0:13:17.878,0:13:18.983
"Okay"

0:13:19.453,0:13:23.776
Incidentally this deep-seated [br]cultural expectation of male centrality

0:13:23.776,0:13:27.652
helps explain the waves of [br]backlash against any entertainment

0:13:27.652,0:13:32.463
that's made for a general audience [br]but doesn't center men or masculinity

0:13:34.755,0:13:37.555
Male identification [br]is a little more complicated

0:13:37.555,0:13:40.610
but it is a critical piece [br]of the patriarchal puzzle

0:13:40.880,0:13:44.921
It means that "core cultural ideas [br]about what is considered good,"

0:13:44.921,0:13:49.723
"desirable, preferable or normal[br]are culturally associated"

0:13:49.723,0:13:53.607
"with how we think about men,[br]manhood and masculinity"

0:13:55.293,0:14:00.239
This is why professions that elevate [br]qualities like toughness, competitiveness

0:14:00.239,0:14:05.780
strength, control, rationality [br]and invulnerability are so highly valued

0:14:05.780,0:14:08.345
and highly paid in our society

0:14:09.186,0:14:10.032
"Monsters"

0:14:10.032,0:14:12.545
While occupations that revolve[br]around qualities

0:14:12.545,0:14:16.950
thought of as feminine like[br]compassion, sharing or caregiving

0:14:16.600,0:14:20.004
tend to be systematically[br]devalued and underfunded

0:14:20.004,0:14:21.965
"You know Greg's in medicine too, Larry"

0:14:21.965,0:14:23.563
"Oh, really what field?"

0:14:23.746,0:14:24.438
"Uh, nursing"

0:14:24.739,0:14:25.510
[Laughter]

0:14:27.210,0:14:31.832
In the Barbie movie, The Kens establish[br]an aggressively male identified society

0:14:32.878,0:14:36.259
They do this by stripping [br]Barbie land of its feminine identity

0:14:36.259,0:14:40.999
and superimposing a version of hyper[br]masculinity that seems to have been

0:14:40.999,0:14:43.181
lifted from 1980s action movies

0:14:44.654,0:14:48.177
They replace all the pink furniture with[br]black leather recliners

0:14:48.531,0:14:51.833
drape everything in obnoxious [br]cowboy motifs

0:14:51.833,0:14:54.919
and litter the landscape with gym[br]equipment and sporting gear

0:14:55.211,0:14:57.377
"Don't question it [br]just roll with it, tiny baby"

0:14:58.622,0:14:59.847
"He call me baby?"

0:14:59.847,0:15:03.769
But male identification goes[br]much deeper than aesthetics

0:15:04.174,0:15:08.999
When Ken decides to embrace patriarchy,[br]his behavior shifts accordingly

0:15:08.999,0:15:12.285
as he tries to project[br]male identified values

0:15:12.421,0:15:15.500
"You can stay if you want,[br]as my bride wife"

0:15:15.500,0:15:18.020
"or my long-term low commitment[br]distant girlfriend"

0:15:18.020,0:15:21.401
He buries self-doubt and hides [br]his hurt feelings

0:15:21.401,0:15:23.566
behind a layer of false bravado

0:15:23.566,0:15:24.938
"Bruski beer me?"

0:15:25.163,0:15:27.743
"I will not Bruski beer you"

0:15:27.743,0:15:29.644
"Ha ha ha, that's fine"

0:15:29.980,0:15:34.438
Under patriarchy the concept of leadership[br]and indeed power itself

0:15:34.438,0:15:37.856
is closely identified with masculinity

0:15:38.812,0:15:43.551
It follows then that all men are[br]socially elevated by default

0:15:43.935,0:15:48.428
while women and feminine things[br]are devalued and seen as inferior

0:15:48.730,0:15:49.822
"Oh you got fries with that?"

0:15:49.822,0:15:52.038
"If I said you had a hot body[br]would you hold it against me?"

0:15:52.038,0:15:55.892
This means that even men[br]who don't hold any institutional power

0:15:55.892,0:15:59.349
can still see themselves[br]as superior to women

0:16:00.497,0:16:02.238
That point is underscored

0:16:02.238,0:16:05.930
when we see that the Kens[br]are generally inept at running society

0:16:05.930,0:16:08.163
"Go face day drunk right now"[br][laughter]

0:16:08.371,0:16:09.632
[inaudible]

0:16:09.832,0:16:14.013
They spend their time day drinking,[br]playing games, and goofing off

0:16:14.691,0:16:16.400
"Every night is boy's night"

0:16:16.621,0:16:19.932
And yet they still see themselves [br]as superior

0:16:19.932,0:16:23.539
simply by virtue of being men [br]living in a patriarchy

0:16:23.951,0:16:26.928
"You're like I can't believe how great [br]this place is!"

0:16:26.928,0:16:29.907
In Kendom land, all the Barbies [br]are reduced to servants

0:16:29.907,0:16:33.354
"Where are my hungry boys who want snacks"

0:16:33.704,0:16:37.306
But in the real world a small number of [br]women can gain power

0:16:37.306,0:16:40.218
even inside of male identified systems

0:16:40.618,0:16:44.663
However, in order to do so they[br]must prove themselves worthy

0:16:44.663,0:16:49.579
by appearing to be just as aggressive,[br]competitive and even less emotional

0:16:49.579,0:16:52.356
than any man in that same position

0:16:52.785,0:16:56.988
In other words, even though they are women[br]they must adopt and perform

0:16:56.988,0:16:59.966
male-identified patriarchal values

0:17:02.589,0:17:07.145
The fourth and final feature of patriarchy[br]is "an obsession with control"

0:17:07.145,0:17:11.877
"as a core value around which social and [br]personal life are organized"

0:17:11.877,0:17:16.967
"Men maintain their privilege by [br]controlling both women and other men"

0:17:16.967,0:17:18.579
"who might threaten it"

0:17:20.478,0:17:23.926
The Barbie movie downplays it [br]but men's violence against women

0:17:23.926,0:17:26.141
and the everpresent threat thereof

0:17:26.141,0:17:27.558
"Give us a smile, blondie"

0:17:27.558,0:17:30.670
is a critical element in maintaining [br]patriarchal control

0:17:30.670,0:17:34.698
"I'm not getting any of that. I feel[br]that can only be described as admired"

0:17:35.425,0:17:39.236
"but not ogled and there's no [br]undertone of violence"

0:17:39.236,0:17:41.703
"Mine very much has an [br]undertone of violence"

0:17:41.873,0:17:44.295
Control can also be achieved in other ways

0:17:44.295,0:17:46.741
and since the Kens don't really [br]understand violence

0:17:46.741,0:17:51.112
they use coercion and manipulation[br]to control daily life in Barbie land

0:17:51.429,0:17:52.759
"What is wrong with them?"

0:17:52.759,0:17:55.784
"We just explain to them the immaculate[br]impeccable seamless gaunlet of logic"

0:17:55.784,0:17:57.566
"that is patriarchy and they crumbled"

0:17:57.566,0:18:00.360
Not the Kens take over [br]every institution

0:18:00.360,0:18:02.493
they also take control of the Dream Houses

0:18:02.493,0:18:07.566
"This shall henceforth be known as [br]Ken's Mojo Dojo Kasa house"

0:18:07.566,0:18:11.680
and they manipulate the Barbies into [br]embracing their new status

0:18:11.680,0:18:12.682
as objectified servants

0:18:12.682,0:18:14.874
"Anyone need a Bruski beer?"

0:18:15.054,0:18:17.585
"What are you doing? You're a doctor"

0:18:17.585,0:18:19.601
"I like being a helpful decoration"

0:18:19.601,0:18:23.063
The illusion of intellectual[br]and rational superiority

0:18:23.063,0:18:28.100
is critical to enforcing the myth [br]that men are in control of every situation

0:18:28.100,0:18:29.734
"Let me show you"[br]"Here, let me show you"

0:18:29.734,0:18:32.008
"Here, let us show you"

0:18:32.008,0:18:35.293
and therefore deserve their [br]privilege status

0:18:35.546,0:18:36.826
"Now you listen to me"

0:18:36.826,0:18:39.436
This is emblematic of how men [br]in the real world

0:18:39.436,0:18:42.974
will often compensate for feelings of [br]personal inadequacy

0:18:42.974,0:18:46.494
by exercising extreme control[br]over those closest to them

0:18:46.494,0:18:49.330
"You are going to be home at 6 o'clock [br]every night"

0:18:49.330,0:18:52.238
"and you are going to have dinner[br]ready on this table"

0:18:52.424,0:18:55.258
Especially women and children

0:18:55.432,0:18:56.254
"No"

0:18:56.552,0:18:59.957
[Kens play "Push"][br]"I wanna push you around. Well, I will"

0:18:59.957,0:19:03.805
Returning to The Gender Knot:[br]"Men are assumed and expected"

0:19:03.805,0:19:09.172
"to be in control at all times[br]to be unemotional except for anger and rage"

0:19:09.172,0:19:13.519
"to present themselves as invulnerable,[br]autonomous, independent"

0:19:13.519,0:19:19.030
"strong, rational, logical, dispassionate,[br]knowledgeable, always right"

0:19:19.030,0:19:24.115
"and in command of every situation[br]especially those involving women"

0:19:24.115,0:19:25.805
[Barbie chuckles]

0:19:26.137,0:19:27.319
"Who are you texting?"

0:19:27.319,0:19:29.231
"Huh?"[br]"Who are you texting?"

0:19:30.069,0:19:30.729
"No one"

0:19:30.729,0:19:32.431
"Hmm, let me just"

0:19:32.431,0:19:33.311
[Ken giggles]

0:19:33.311,0:19:34.321
"Ken!"

0:19:34.321,0:19:37.578
This obsession with control is[br]so strong in our culture

0:19:37.578,0:19:42.471
that any man who is perceived[br]as not exerting enough control over women

0:19:42.917,0:19:46.096
is likely to be ridiculed as [br]pussy whipped, packed

0:19:46.096,0:19:48.867
or tethered to the old balling chain

0:19:49.858,0:19:53.181
Notice that there are no equivalent [br]derogatory terms for men

0:19:53.181,0:19:57.908
who do control women[br]only for men who don't

0:19:59.772,0:20:05.240
The obsession with control manifests[br]in countless ways, big and small

0:20:05.240,0:20:10.468
"We would love it, if you could just[br]get into that giant box"

0:20:10.468,0:20:14.429
But, control over women, their bodies[br]and their sexuality

0:20:14.429,0:20:16.937
is a core tenant under patriarchy

0:20:17.635,0:20:19.829
"Get in the box! You Jezebel"

0:20:20.689,0:20:23.411
Recall that the Kens take control[br]of the government

0:20:23.411,0:20:27.729
and use its power to actively exclude[br]the Barbies from civic life

0:20:27.729,0:20:30.388
"That's right. In just 48 hours [br]all the Kens will head to the polls"

0:20:30.388,0:20:34.276
"and vote to change the constitution to [br]a government for the Kens of the Kens,"

0:20:34.276,0:20:35.621
"and by the Kens!"

0:20:36.538,0:20:40.633
Since these are children's toys,[br]the Barbies can't reproduce

0:20:40.633,0:20:42.565
Well, aside from Midge that one time

0:20:42.777,0:20:45.357
But, the rest of the Barbies[br]can't have babies

0:20:45.736,0:20:48.305
but if they could the Kens[br]would have no doubt

0:20:48.305,0:20:52.816
curtailed their reproductive rights[br]just like in the real world

0:20:54.545,0:20:59.560
The social system I've just described[br]is very obviously oppressive to women

0:20:59.928,0:21:02.899
But while patriarchy definitely[br]benefits men

0:21:02.899,0:21:08.360
it's paradoxically a poison chalice[br]because it robs men of their full humanity

0:21:08.360,0:21:11.214
"Okay, here's the deal.[br]It's not just about how they see us"

0:21:11.214,0:21:13.458
"it's about how they see themselves"

0:21:13.458,0:21:16.740
We only have time to scratch the surface[br]on this topic

0:21:16.740,0:21:19.319
but embedded in Ken's story,[br]we can find a few hints

0:21:19.319,0:21:22.170
as to how patriarchy ends up harming men

0:21:23.772,0:21:28.240
Even though Hollywood loves to play on[br]themes of a war between the genders

0:21:28.352,0:21:30.590
that framing misses a critical point

0:21:30.590,0:21:34.522
because patriarchy is not[br]a competition between men and women

0:21:35.329,0:21:38.357
Rather, it's an endless competition[br]for dominance

0:21:38.357,0:21:42.997
wherein men are pitted against each other[br]for a place in what R. W. Connell calls:

0:21:42.997,0:21:45.743
"the hierarchy of masculinities"

0:21:47.199,0:21:50.216
The white heterosexual hyper[br]masculine ideal

0:21:50.216,0:21:52.334
is at the top of the hierarchy

0:21:52.844,0:21:56.550
All other forms of manhood especially[br]those in any way associated with

0:21:56.550,0:22:01.426
homosexuality or femininity[br]are pushed further down on the hierarchy

0:22:01.426,0:22:03.857
"When you're slapped, you'll[br]take it and like it"

0:22:06.117,0:22:10.297
Recall that when the Kens go to war[br]it isn't against the Barbies

0:22:10.971,0:22:12.773
it's against the other Kens

0:22:13.029,0:22:14.111
"We go to war"

0:22:15.358,0:22:16.277
"Against the Barbies?"

0:22:16.277,0:22:17.100
"No, against the Kens"

0:22:17.100,0:22:18.101
"But we are the Kens"

0:22:18.101,0:22:19.259
"The other Kens"

0:22:19.397,0:22:22.919
Up until this point, I've been mining[br]the Barbies movie to help illustrate

0:22:22.919,0:22:24.756
how patriarchy works

0:22:25.012,0:22:27.961
But the usefulness of the film's[br]narrative is limited

0:22:27.961,0:22:30.483
especially when it comes to[br]male competition

0:22:30.632,0:22:33.101
"Looks this beach is a little[br]too much beach for you, Ken"

0:22:33.101,0:22:36.281
"If I wasn't severely injured,[br]I would beach you off right now, Ken"

0:22:36.281,0:22:37.927
" I'll beach you up with you any day, Ken"

0:22:37.927,0:22:39.417
You may remember for example

0:22:39.417,0:22:43.665
that long before they ever discover[br]what patriarchy even is

0:22:43.665,0:22:47.390
Ken and Ken are engaged[br]in a bitter competition

0:22:47.390,0:22:50.442
over control of Barbie's[br]time and attention

0:22:51.082,0:22:53.074
"Bet you can't do a flip like that, Ken"

0:22:53.436,0:22:55.467
This is where the Barbies script[br]is perhaps

0:22:55.467,0:22:57.527
a little too clever for its own good

0:22:57.747,0:23:01.323
Because it's many overlapping[br]metaphors and allegories

0:23:01.323,0:23:04.975
leave us with some mixed messages[br]about the Kens

0:23:05.819,0:23:09.503
The rivalry between the Kens[br]may work as a sort of gender flipped

0:23:09.503,0:23:13.705
commentary on how women are taught[br]to seek validation through male attention

0:23:13.705,0:23:19.091
"I only exist within [br]the warmth of your gaze"

0:23:19.091,0:23:24.406
It is less successful however, as part of [br]the film's larger critique of patriarchy

0:23:24.530,0:23:28.502
because the Ken's competitive rivalry [br]carries with it some uncomfortable

0:23:28.502,0:23:29.649
echoes of male entitle

0:23:29.889,0:23:32.836
"I bet you're scared and [br]I bet she doesn't even wanted to go"

0:23:32.836,0:23:37.669
And that behavior is not attributed to[br]patriarchy in the first half of the movie

0:23:37.669,0:23:40.097
which is confusing because it[br]definitely should be

0:23:40.097,0:23:40.776
"Hi, Barbie"

0:23:40.776,0:23:41.442
[Ken groans]

0:23:41.442,0:23:42.436
"Hi, Ken"

0:23:42.436,0:23:43.379
"Hi, Ken"

0:23:43.448,0:23:45.807
The thing about being obsessed[br]with control

0:23:45.807,0:23:48.035
is that it traps men in a cycle of fear

0:23:48.378,0:23:49.343
"Hi, Barbie"

0:23:50.152,0:23:51.003
"Hi, Ken"

0:23:51.003,0:23:55.425
The more men value control,[br]the more they're afraid of losing it

0:23:56.804,0:24:01.187
This leaves men riddled with anxiety[br]about not measuring up to other men

0:24:01.842,0:24:06.786
which means they can never truly feel[br]secure in their own masculinity

0:24:06.985,0:24:11.416
"I made a double bet with Ken and you can't[br]make me look uncool in front of Ken"

0:24:11.416,0:24:12.630
"Ken's not cool!"

0:24:12.854,0:24:13.843
"He is to me"

0:24:13.843,0:24:16.338
In the movie the patriarchal battle[br]for dominance

0:24:16.338,0:24:19.246
culminates in an absurdest dream ballet

0:24:19.994,0:24:23.416
but in reality the consequences[br]can be deadly serious

0:24:25.216,0:24:30.355
Most violence in the real world[br]is perpetrated by men against other men

0:24:32.156,0:24:37.259
This Grim reality is part of why the[br]Barbie's plan to overthrow patriarchy

0:24:37.259,0:24:42.095
by tricking the Kens into fighting[br]each other is so wildly misguided

0:24:42.205,0:24:45.205
"You play on their egos and their[br]petty jealousies"

0:24:45.205,0:24:47.404
"and you turn them against each other"

0:24:47.404,0:24:51.974
While the scene is undoubtedly funny[br]and the song choice, absolutely perfect

0:24:51.974,0:24:57.523
aggressive competitive male behavior is[br]a core feature of patriarchy

0:24:57.523,0:24:59.639
not a bug that can be exploited

0:25:00.679,0:25:02.849
"And now they destroy themselves"

0:25:02.849,0:25:06.399
And for the record, men's violence[br]is definitely not something

0:25:06.399,0:25:09.105
that women manipulate men into doing

0:25:10.452,0:25:12.512
Something else the movie doesn't show

0:25:12.512,0:25:17.068
is how the enormous pressures patriarchy[br]places on men can lead to self harm

0:25:17.068,0:25:21.475
either directly or indirectly through[br]addiction and other risky behaviors

0:25:23.945,0:25:28.154
The prohibition on expressing vulnerability[br]compounds the problem

0:25:28.154,0:25:31.794
by making it difficult, if not impossible,[br]for men to ask for help

0:25:31.794,0:25:33.835
or build emotional support networks

0:25:34.890,0:25:35.635
"Ken?"

0:25:35.635,0:25:36.544
"Oh hey, Barbie"

0:25:36.544,0:25:37.276
"Hi"

0:25:37.276,0:25:38.651
"How much of that did you see?"

0:25:38.651,0:25:43.419
Of course all people need love,[br]intimacy and nurture

0:25:44.700,0:25:50.010
But since patriarchy devalues caregiving[br]and labels it as feminine

0:25:50.010,0:25:53.840
many men feel compelled to sacrifice[br]their emotional sides

0:25:53.840,0:25:56.980
in order to preserve [br]their identity as real men

0:25:57.925,0:26:00.839
As a result, many guys, especially[br]straight guys

0:26:00.839,0:26:04.102
falsely believe that women are[br]somehow responsible

0:26:04.345,0:26:06.512
"Oh, but I don't want you here"

0:26:07.012,0:26:07.754
"Is it Ken?"

0:26:08.231,0:26:09.976
"Ken's just a really good friend"

0:26:09.976,0:26:10.462
"Goodnight"

0:26:10.462,0:26:16.257
That being rejected is tantamount to[br]women holding emotional intimacy hostage

0:26:16.257,0:26:20.160
when in reality it's not women[br]but patriarchy

0:26:20.160,0:26:24.497
that's blocking men's access to[br]emotional and physical intimacy

0:26:25.399,0:26:29.318
So when Barbie refuses Ken's advances[br]he becomes resentful

0:26:29.318,0:26:30.565
He lashes out

0:26:30.565,0:26:32.823
"No you failed me!"

0:26:33.275,0:26:36.449
And he ends up harming everyone,[br]including himself

0:26:36.449,0:26:38.269
[Ken bursts out of cry]

0:26:38.269,0:26:39.953
"Don't look at me"

0:26:41.803,0:26:44.157
In her excellent book: The Will to[br]Change

0:26:44.157,0:26:47.791
Bell Hooks doesn't mince words when[br]describing what happens to men

0:26:47.791,0:26:49.453
inside of patriarchy

0:26:49.773,0:26:54.501
"Teaching boys to despise their[br]vulnerability is one way to socialize them"

0:26:54.501,0:26:57.878
"to engage in self-inflicted soul murder"

0:26:59.705,0:27:03.803
It's no wonder then that Ken isn't really[br]happy living in patriarchy

0:27:04.188,0:27:08.649
In fact, in Kendom land he was even further[br]alienated from Barbie

0:27:08.732,0:27:12.139
From his own feelings and[br]from the other Kens

0:27:14.074,0:27:16.566
Part of this interview with Julia Fox

0:27:16.566,0:27:18.633
where she's hooked up to[br]a polygraph machine

0:27:18.633,0:27:20.914
became a viral meme on Tik Tok

0:27:20.914,0:27:24.242
"I hate the patriarchy. There's[br]a lot of really good men"

0:27:24.242,0:27:25.264
"Answer the question"

0:27:25.264,0:27:27.124
"Do I hate men? No"

0:27:27.432,0:27:28.578
"That's a lie"

0:27:29.281,0:27:32.101
The viral audio snippet stopped there

0:27:32.101,0:27:36.570
But when we play the rest of it her answer[br]is Illuminating and nuanced

0:27:36.992,0:27:41.999
"There's a lot of men that benefit from[br]the systemic oppression of women"

0:27:41.999,0:27:47.279
"in our culture and society [br]and religions. And I do wish that"

0:27:47.279,0:27:49.685
"more men could stand up for us"

0:27:49.685,0:27:53.720
She explains that she obviously does[br]not hate all individual men

0:27:53.963,0:27:58.291
What she hates is the fact that most men [br]do absolutely nothing

0:27:58.291,0:28:00.878
to help end the oppression of women

0:28:01.199,0:28:05.528
So what can men do to make a difference[br]in ending this system?

0:28:05.528,0:28:06.901
"The Kens.[br]They found us"

0:28:07.988,0:28:11.857
Let's use Allan as our proxy for this[br]part of the discussion

0:28:11.857,0:28:15.085
since he's the only guy who joins[br]the Barbies' revolution

0:28:15.175,0:28:17.597
Well, aside from these two brief cameos

0:28:17.597,0:28:18.344
"Sugar daddy?"

0:28:18.344,0:28:22.811
"No no no no, I'm not a sugar daddy.[br]This is sugar and I'm her daddy"

0:28:22.811,0:28:24.893
"And I have an earring, a magic earring"

0:28:24.999,0:28:28.083
Notice that all three of these[br]characters are queer coded

0:28:28.083,0:28:30.573
and despite being men, [br]they're marginalized

0:28:30.573,0:28:32.310
in the hierarchy of masculinities

0:28:33.365,0:28:36.631
Allan in particular, embodies a bunch of[br]common mistakes

0:28:36.631,0:28:41.322
that men make when trying to disentangle[br]themselves from the system of patriarchy

0:28:41.823,0:28:45.679
The first thing Allan does is nothing

0:28:46.111,0:28:49.328
He is a bystander who is nonetheless[br]still afforded

0:28:49.328,0:28:51.554
a measure of privilege in Kendom Land

0:28:51.554,0:28:53.457
that the Barbies are not

0:28:53.457,0:28:55.977
"And Alan likes to help me give[br]all the Kens foot massages"

0:28:55.977,0:28:57.347
"No, I don't, I don't like that"

0:28:57.347,0:28:58.673
"We love it"

0:28:58.673,0:29:02.733
Like some men in the real world,[br]Allan might not be actively or consciously

0:29:02.733,0:29:05.285
participating in the oppression of women

0:29:05.285,0:29:07.629
but he doesn't speak out against it either

0:29:10.329,0:29:13.350
The next thing Allan does is[br]try to escape

0:29:13.605,0:29:17.320
As soon as he spies a way out for himself,[br]he tries to take it

0:29:17.320,0:29:17.869
"How are you?"

0:29:17.869,0:29:20.703
"I'm Allan.[br]Don't tell the Ken I'm trying to escape"

0:29:20.703,0:29:23.912
"I cannot sit on one more leather couch[br]it's going to break my spirit"

0:29:23.912,0:29:27.658
The problem is man can't just[br]opt out of patriarchy

0:29:27.959,0:29:31.960
because it's been woven into the very[br]fabric of our whole society

0:29:32.840,0:29:33.765
"What, what do we do?"

0:29:33.765,0:29:35.635
"Just get in the car and keep it singing"

0:29:35.635,0:29:39.913
The next thing Allan tries is to engage[br]in displays of chivalrous violence

0:29:42.073,0:29:45.317
After learning the extent of the[br]injustice women face

0:29:45.317,0:29:48.288
some men try to distance themselves[br]from the problem

0:29:48.288,0:29:53.332
and from any personal culpability[br]by going after particularly bad men

0:29:54.737,0:29:57.007
But patriarchy isn't a person

0:29:57.007,0:30:00.027
and you can't punch a a social system[br]in the face

0:30:00.027,0:30:01.676
as much as you might want to

0:30:03.060,0:30:03.914
"Guess what happened?"

0:30:03.914,0:30:06.390
"I got into a fight. I'm fine, but I..."

0:30:06.390,0:30:08.030
"I think we solved feminism"

0:30:08.030,0:30:09.530
"Yeah! once and for all"

0:30:09.530,0:30:12.156
"It was just like a a total melee,[br]like on the news"

0:30:12.156,0:30:16.352
And most of the time men lashing[br]out in violence isn't helpful

0:30:16.352,0:30:19.597
as it simply replicates[br]the core values of patriarchy

0:30:20.218,0:30:25.057
Allan fumbles around for a while, but[br]eventually he joins the Barbies' revolution

0:30:25.057,0:30:28.146
and figures out how to stand with[br]them in solidarity

0:30:28.735,0:30:32.012
Notably though, Allan never tries to[br]confront the Kens

0:30:32.012,0:30:33.818
about what they're doing

0:30:34.380,0:30:37.631
And that's unfortunate because[br]the most important thing men can do

0:30:37.631,0:30:40.220
is challenge other men[br]on their behavior

0:30:41.043,0:30:44.974
and encourage them to rebel [br]against patriarchal expectations

0:30:47.676,0:30:51.045
Despite all the harm it does to women[br]and to men's well-being

0:30:51.045,0:30:55.036
the system of patriarchy remains[br]invisible to most people

0:30:55.381,0:30:59.339
And the Barbie movie for all its flaws,[br]makes it visible

0:30:59.562,0:31:03.812
This is, I'd argue, at the root of why[br]so many right-wing pundits

0:31:03.812,0:31:07.871
were so extremely threatened[br]by this cartoony fantasy land

0:31:07.872,0:31:11.278
Not only does the film acknowledge[br]the existence of patriarchy

0:31:11.278,0:31:16.078
it dares to suggest that it's not a[br]natural or inevitable institution

0:31:16.469,0:31:21.776
And in doing so it lays bare the[br]fundamental truth about all social systems

0:31:21.776,0:31:23.233
they can be dismantled

0:31:23.233,0:31:27.459
"No Barbie or Ken should be[br]living in the shadows"

0:31:27.459,0:31:28.778
"Or Allan"

0:31:29.090,0:31:31.932
Choosing to confront such an[br]entrenched system

0:31:31.932,0:31:36.288
can be risky for men and[br]extremely dangerous for women

0:31:36.962,0:31:41.437
Nonetheless, all over the world women[br]are challenging patriarchy

0:31:41.437,0:31:44.233
like never before in modern history

0:31:44.563,0:31:48.292
And the reality is that every day[br]more and more men

0:31:48.292,0:31:53.037
are choosing to stand with those women[br]to join the struggle for liberation

0:31:53.037,0:31:55.760
and to reclaim their full humanity

0:31:57.019,0:31:58.464
"Thank you"

0:32:00.645,0:32:01.621
Thanks for watching

0:32:01.621,0:32:04.393
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0:32:04.393,0:32:07.923
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0:32:07.923,0:32:10.685
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0:32:10.685,0:32:11.665
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0:32:11.868,0:32:15.314
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0:32:15.314,0:32:17.634
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0:32:17.634,0:32:20.376
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0:32:20.612,0:32:22.766
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0:32:22.766,0:32:24.880
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0:32:24.880,0:32:28.868
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0:32:28.868,0:32:32.720
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0:32:32.720,0:32:35.947
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0:32:35.947,0:32:37.699
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0:32:37.699,0:32:39.959
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