Hi Barbie!

When I was a child I was obsessed with Barbie. I remember when my mum used to bring home the Argos catalogue (those of you from the UK will know about this catalogue), I used to open it and go straight to the pages near the back where the Barbie products were and show my mum all the barbie toys I wanted. My mum only ever got me one Barbie doll as we didn't have much financially (I recently saw an interview with Nicki Minaj who pretty much said the same thing about only having one Barbie growing up). 

Despite being in my thirties, when I heard about the Barbie film I was so excited! The inner child in me was screaming with joy! Though I didn't know what the storyline of the film would be about I knew I had to see it regardless. I saw so much marketing and promotion of the film everywhere. I read online that $150m was spent on marketing the film, which cost more than actually making the film. There were numerous companies that had collaborations with Barbie including Zara, Forever 21, Primark, Nyx Cosmetics, Air BnB, Burger King plus many more. I kept seeing the colour Pink everywhere, plus the numerous Barbie related Reels and TikToks all over social media.

My friend bought us tickets to see the film on the opening day. We all wore something pink to go with the theme. As we got to the cinema many people of all ages and genders were wearing pink. I loved it! All the Barbie fans knew the assignment. The film surprised me as it had deep messages that I did not expect. I'm going to discuss the themes in more detail.

Diversity

One of the key points I took from the film was about diversity. In Barbieland all the women are called Barbie and all the men are called Ken. The Barbies and Kens come in all different skin tones and sizes. What this showed to me is that any girl can be a Barbie, you don't need to have Blonde hair and blue eyes to be a Barbie. I think this sends a powerful message to little girls that they can also identify themselves with Barbie regardless of how they look. There have been past criticisms about Barbie pushing unrealistic beauty standards on little girls which can be damaging, this topic is discussed in the movie. In the film the main Barbie played by Margot Robbie is known as the "stereotypical Barbie", she is white, slim and has blonde hair and blue eyes. This is the image of Barbie that we all know. This film did a good job of pushing away from this narrative and making Barbie inclusive.

Feminism

Barbieland is a feminist's heaven. The Barbies run everything, the Presidency, the Supreme Court, and all the professions. There is the President Barbie, Doctor Barbie, Lawyer Barbie, writer Barbie etc. The Kens are more so background characters that play a supportive role. I believe the message of this is to show little girls that they can be anything they want to be and can aspire to have high-level careers which are normally dominated by men.  I see Barbieland as the inverse of reality where men dominate in positions of power.

Patriarchy

Another theme that is discussed is patriarchy. When Ken goes to the real world he discovers patriarchy and for once he feels that he is important as a man, whereas in Barbieland he didn't. He takes his new knowledge into Barbieland and brainwashes all of the Barbies and Kens. Now the Kens run Barbieland and all the Barbies are subservient to the Kens. What was Barbieland becomes Kendom. What was once a matriarchal society has now become Patriarchal. In the film Mattel, the company that created Barbie is run by men even though their products are for girls. The board of directors are all men and there is only one female member of staff (Gloria) in the whole company. For Mattel, making money is their priority, they don't care about the impact their products have on girls.

Womanhood

There was an emotional monologue by Gloria about womanhood and how difficult it is to be a woman in modern society. As women we are expected to adhere to a lot of unrealistic expectations such as beauty standards, always having to be selfless and putting others before ourselves. If we are bosses then we can't be assertive otherwise we are seen as being mean. Dealing with the difficulties of motherhood without complaining because we'll be seen negatively. We have to be humble about our accomplishments so that we don't make others uncomfortable. We are sometimes blamed for the bad behaviours of men. We have to be likeable. We are not allowed to fail. Being unable to keep up with these standards can make us feel like we are not good enough. The monologue hit deep for me because the experience of being a woman is very complex and nuanced. These are real challenges women go through and this monologue will resonate with many women.

I don't think the Barbie film would be for everyone, especially if you are not a Barbie fan already or a little girl. Overall, I do believe this film will leave a positive message to the viewers especially little girls.

African American History Museum

I recently travelled to the USA to visit family and I was staying in the DMV area. As a lover of black history I've always wanted to visit the African American History Museum since I first heard about it some years back. I finally got the chance to attend the museum in Washington DC and it was a great experience. I went with my cousins and we were literally there for 5 hours. The museum is huge and has 7 floors, so to have the full experience it will take most of the day to explore each floor. I know some people split this into multiple days. As I was only around for a short time I wanted to explore the whole museum in one day.

As you enter the museum  there are three floors below. So how it is designed is that you start at the very bottom which starts with the history of how slavery started and Africans being captured. As you move along the museum it is like you are travelling through time. It then continues  to the slave ships and then slaves reaching America. Everything is in chronological order and there is a LOT of information to read. As much as I wanted to read every single thing, I couldn't due to time, we had spent an hour on the first floor alone. We then progressed to the floor above as the journey continued. As you get to the third floor you see a lot more about black power and the whole journey ends with the election of former President, Barack Obama.

I thought this was a great concept as you journey through the history of African Americans. Though it was emotionally difficult to see the horrors that enslaved Africans went through, as you continue the journey it becomes more positive as you see the progress made by African Americans, the black power movement and how they overcame. Despite knowing a lot of black history already, I learned a lot of new information at this museum. The remaining floors of the museum showcases modern African American culture such as sports, music, film and entertainment. 

After this visit I honestly believe that African Americans are the most resilient group on earth. Going through chattel slavery, separation of families, Jim crow segregation, the Ku Klux Klan, being lynched, red lining plus much more, African Americans have been able to still thrive and achieve great things. They never gave up and many were willing to risk their lives so that they and their future generations could have rights and freedoms. If you are ever in the Washington DC area I would highly recommend that you visit the museum. It is free and you can book the tickets online. Here is my tiktok video of my visit below:

Preparing for 2023

It's the end of 2022 and we are entering into 2023. Every January people make new years resolutions in relation to the goals they wish to accomplish by the end of the year, however, the majority of people will fail to achieve it. An example is the typical goal of wanting to lose weight where many people sign up to the gym. I have been an avid gym goer for almost a decade. Every January when I go to the gym it is very packed, but by February the gym is back to its usual capacity. I don't knock resolutions but personally, I believe in bettering myself on a continuous basis in all areas of my life. I am going to share my thoughts on how to level up for 2023.

Mentally

In order to improve yourself on a mental level it is important  to surround yourself with the right people. You need people around you who can give you good advice, push you in the right direction and support your goals and dreams. They say you are a reflection of the 5 closest people to you. If you are around people who try to bring you down, or speak fear into you cut them off (or at least distance yourself). If you can, stay away from toxic environments.

Also be mindful of the information and content you consume. What shows do you watch? what music do you listen to? If you consume negative content it will make you think negatively. Try to consume positive and educational content. Read books, watch documentaries, listen to podcasts that have substance, do online courses.

I would suggest making a Vision Board so that everyday you can physically see the goals you want to achieve. Positive affirmations are a great way to affirm your goals. Anytime you say these affirmations out loud you are putting out into the world the things you want to accomplish. 

Physically 

Do you take care of your body? Your health is extremely important, a number of health issues are due to having a bad diet and lifestyle. Look after your body, exercise on a regular basis, if you can afford to I would recommend  going to a gym. If not, you can do workouts at home, there are numerous fitness channels on YouTube you can watch and follow. Diet is also important, you are literally what you eat. If you are a busy person I would recommend meal prepping. When I do grocery shopping I purposely do not buy unhealthy snacks (chocolate, sweets etc) because I know I will eat it non stop at home, so instead I buy fruits to snack on.  I rarely eat junk food and I try not to eat out a lot as most of the food in restaurants & takeaways are high in sugar and salt.  Over time you can be disciplined regarding what you eat.

The next thing I would recommend, especially for my ladies is self-care,. I like to get facials, massages, nails done, eyebrows done etc. My mum raised me to always look presentable and to take care of myself plus it makes me feel good.

Spiritually 

I know people have different beliefs. If you believe in God I would suggest prayer, pray on a regular basis to keep that connection to God. I would also recommend reading your holy book, so if you are Christian read the bible to give you more knowledge on the word of God. I also like listening to gospel music. For those that aren't christian, meditation music is also good.

I find that being in nature helps my spirit. It helps me feel connected to the source. Journalling is also good where you write down your thoughts and emotions. Spiritually you want to be at peace, if your spirit is not at peace then there is bad energy disturbing your spirit.

In life strive for progress over perfection, we are not meant to be perfect. We are all a work in progress. Focus on your life and your journey which is unique to you. Live your life to the fullest as we only have one of it and don't know when it will end.  

I hope you have a happy and prosperous new year and here are some life lessons I want to share with you all:

• Know your worth and ALWAYS have standards and boundaries, if you don’t people will take advantage of you 

• Take advice from people who have already achieved what you want to. E.g if you want to buy a property speak to property owners

• Don’t associate with low standard people who will discourage you from wanting better for yourself or from achieving your goals 

• Your actions should be in alignment with your goals e.g if you want to be healthier, eat better & exercise 

• Learn to take constructive criticism and don’t get upset by it.

• Take accountability for your choices/actions. Don’t dwell on past mistakes, learn from it then do better. 

• Always upskill yourself because the world is advancing at such a fast pace. Google and YouTube university is free

• Take your health VERY seriously, it can be taken from you in a second 

• Try therapy. Have a support system. Never suffer in silence.

• If you were raised to have strong faith/morals never feel pressured into subscribing to the degenerate ideologies of this world. 

The Woman King

I recently watched the film “The Woman King”. When I first saw the trailer a couple of months ago I was super excited, a film about African history which does not focus on black victimisation. I decided a few years ago to no longer watch black history films which focus on the pain and suffering of black people, this includes slavery films and films about racism. I'm tired of the narrative of black people being victims, when we literally have a whole history which does not involve us suffering at the hands of white people. 

Before the film came out  I noticed that there was controversy surrounding the film. I saw people complain about the film's title and said it should have been called “Queen” instead as the title is masculinising a black woman. In many African languages, including my own, there is no word for “Queen”, the literal equivalent word when translated into English would be “woman king”. I believe that is why this film has that title. A further criticism is that the film portrays dark skin Black woman as masculine as a lot of Hollywood films generally do. Black women are very nuanced and are not monolithic. This film is about female warriors so of course they will be masculine. The Kings wives in this film were feminine and lived a very soft life.

Another criticism I saw is that the film glorifies the Dahomey who were slave traders (this is why some people boycotted this film). Prior to this film I was aware of the Dahomey tribe and their female military. The Dahomey tribe were  heavily involved in the slave trade as they generated a lot of wealth from it. They were brutal and would engage in human sacrifice.  The film does show their involvement in the trade, but the leader of the Agojie Nanisca seemed to be against the slave trade. In the end they are made to be the heroes as they free captives. People need to realise that this is a Hollywood film which purpose is to entertain an audience. Though the film is based on true events, such as King Gezo who did exist, the Dahomey war with the Oyo tribe which actually happened and the Dahomey wanting to trade palm wine with the Portuguese, it is not a documentary so we cannot expect it to be historically accurate. Some things in the film would have definitely been made up and dramatised for entertainment purposes. 

I liked the journey of Nawi, a young woman who refuses to get married off to an old abusive rich man, so her father gives her to the king.  She joins the Kings Guard and trains to become an Agojie warrior. She is stubborn, funny and speaks her mind. She also questions Dahomey traditions, such as why Agojie women can never marry and have families of their own but male warriors can. We watch her grow as a person and become a strong warrior.

Nanisca is the the general of the Agojie. She is strong and fierce. We do get to see her vulnerable side as she was a victim of rape. It is later revealed that she is Nawi's mother, when Nawi is captured by the Oyo to be sold into slavery. Nanisca goes against the King's order to go and save her daughter.

One of the key characters in the film is Malik, the son of a Dahomey slave and a white Brazilian Portuguese father. When Portuguese/Spanish slave owners had a child with a female slave, the child would take on the heritage of their father who would raise them, they would not become a slave. Malik accompanies his childhood friend who is a slave trader to Dahomey in order to see his mothers roots. He is immediately uncomfortable when he sees the slave square. During the film he falls for Nawi,  and does what he can to protect her. He is torn because he is loyal to his Portugeuse friend but his heart is loyal to his Dahomey people. In the end he chooses the Dahomey people over his childhood friend. His character shows the complexities of being biracial, e.g. struggling with identity, never fully fitting in, being forced to pick a side, being caught in the middle.

The film was amazing, I enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoyed seeing the Dahomey culture and practices, the perfectly executed war scenes, the strength and power of the Africans, especially at the end when they fought against the European slavers/colonisers and won.  This is a narrative which is not shown in Hollywood films. I believe this film will make people do their own research into the Kingdom of Dahomey and to learn black history for themselves. I'm glad a film like this was made, I hope that more films about black history (not black victimisation) are made in future.