Shakira claims Barbie movie was ‘emasculating’ for sons as it robs ‘men of their possibility to be men’
Shakira has claimed her two sons – Sasha, nine and Mila, 11 – hated the Barbie movie and claimed it is “emasculating” for young boys.
The film, which was directed by Greta Gerwig, follows the journey of Barbieland being controlled by women until the Mattel dolls experience patriarchy by entering the real world.
It also features a powerful monologue delivered by actress America Ferrara about the hypocritical expectations placed on women by society and has been seen as a tongue-in-cheek feminist tale.
However, despite the staggering reviews from most of those who watched it, the Hips Don’t Lie singer slammed the film when asked how she felt.
She told Allure magazine: “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 (them) 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.
“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.
“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.
“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?”
The comments from the Colombian singer seemed to divide many social media users, as one X user simply penned: “Shakira is 100% right.”
“Strong men are good for society just like empowered women. It’s possible to have both. Movies like Barbie wrongly make it seem like it’s a binary choice,” another noted.
A third wrote: “This used to be what everyone felt. It didn’t even need to be said, now we are shocked when someone has the balls to say it publicly!”
“Identity politics is a cancer. Be kind. Have consideration for others. Stop making it about sex, race, gender, sexual preference, and all this other nonsense.
“Notice how quickly the concept of being anti-bullying went away? It’s too broad and doesn’t make anyone feel special,” another said.
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A fifth expressed: “Little boys are being robbed of their ability to be little boys. Society is pushing them to conform to gender-neutral ideology emasculating them because masculinity is supposedly bad and must be eradicated.”
“I disagree I thought Ken was the throwaway character in the beginning of the film but by the end he was KEN! He was my favourite character. A Ten!” one passionate X user noted.