In 2023 a phenomenon was brought to movie audiences around the world, the Barbie

movie. The text cues that there’s an odd dynamic between the couple by stating, “She’s

everything. He’s just Ken.”The promotional poster for the 2023 Barbie movie has the iconic pink

Barbie logo as the backdrop to a couple of the century, Barbie and Ken. Except these are not the

same figurines American girls played with during their youth. We see them personified by

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling and looking more plastic than ever: Pink, blonde, and

glimmering in unrealistic Bimbo glory.

The Barbie movie poster promotes a story with nostalgic irony and humorous irony to

revive awareness of the impact of Barbie doll culture. The movie poster executes this by the

couple in the foreground’s posing/styling, facial expressions, and overall color palette alongside

the overall graphic design of the poster.

Point evidence overarching interpretation and switch between the two

Posing is a vital component of the poster because it communicates ironic nostalgia. The

Posing of Barbie and Ken is extremely doll-like, and their clothing is reminiscent of the doll

clothing of American and British Women’s youth, making the viewer look twice. The iconic

couple is posing with Stereotypical Barbie propped on the shoulder of Ken while her right hand

is raised and fully extended like the Statue of Liberty holding her torch. The girl is wearing a

pink gingham dress with a scalloped hem, matching pink plastic jewelry, and sunglasses propped

on her head above her bangs. The guy is stiff, arm flexed, with his pinstripe pastel button open to

display his tan and toned upper body. This pose is stiff and feels malleable to the viewers’ will

and how they viewed Barbie dolls as children. The framing of the personified dolls can have

viewers reminiscing on how they would contort them to their will or how the doll would contort
their views of themselves. The imagery in the poster seems accessible but just on the cuffs of

reality.

(might need to break it up)

The seeming accessibility adds to the ironic nature of the Barbie movie poster. This

poster is highly ironic and is almost mocking itself, striking intrigue in the audience. Barbie has

her mouth agape with her pearly whites on full display. Her eyebrows are raised slightly, and her

eyes were wide open and neutral. As Ken carries her, he maintains an open-mouthed smile,

showcasing his bleach-white teeth. However, his face is partially obstructed by Barbie’s hand.

This imagery supports the ironic nature because of Barbie and Ken’s contradictory dynamic. The

viewer infers that the couple is in complete unison until the view drifts down the poster, and

Ken’s face and lack of objection to the situation are obstructed. Leading Ken to be inferred to be

Barbie’s prop on display. This makes the personified dolls a metaphor for the self-awareness of

the brand Mattel.

Moreover, the display of inconsistent effort in all aspects of the poster gives the viewer

some humorous minute details aside from the absurd dynamic between the main couple in the

foreground. On the left-hand side of the movie poster, there is a small palm tree. Upon further

inspection, this tree is fake. The only proper piece of background in this whole poster is fake,

making us see that the location of Barbie and Ken is not essential to the message, but their

actions are as they can be applicable anywhere. This minute detail is the only background we

have for the couple, considering how the rest consists of text and a pale blue background. The

humble palm tree gives your eyes a break from real people looking at plastic and has plastic
cosplaying as reality. The humor in the glistening picture-perfect couple taking center stage and

the palm tree looking stark in comparison is genius because the viewer perceives this poster with

a light air of humor.

All in all, the viewer of the poster should seek a solid conclusion for the couple and feel

compelled to watch the Barbie movie. The movie utilizes the posing/styling, facial expressions,

and overall color palette alongside the overall graphic design of the poster to exemplify brand

self-awareness and to have the viewer reflect on their growth and the lines between fantastic

plastic and reality. The color palette keeps the tone lighthearted but the posing makes us think if

life in Barbie land is what we have more in common with plastic than when American women in

their youth were led to believe. The viewer should walk away from this poster knowing there is

always more to improve upon and growth starts with acknowledging when you fall short to meet

perfection.