Greta Gerwig wasn’t allowed to own Barbies as a child
Despite Greta Gerwig directing Barbie, the year’s biggest movie, she has revealed that her mother was not keen on letting her own any of the Mattel dolls as a child.
The director released Barbie in July, which acted as her third film after 2017’s Lady Bird and 2019’s Little Women. However, Gerwig was given a much larger budget for Barbie, which has subsequently grossed over $1 billion.
Barbie stars Margot Robbie as the titular character, with Ryan Gosling portraying Ken. An ensemble cast of recognisable faces, ranging from Michael Cera to Ncuti Gatwa, also appear in the film, which was easily the most-anticipated of the year.
Yet, during an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Gerwig revealed that her mother was initially against the idea of giving her daughter a Barbie doll because she was worried about the stereotypes they perpetuated against women.
“My mom wasn’t so into Barbie,” she explained. “Certain moms, they would be like: ‘I don’t know if this is a good example of womanhood,’ the body type and everything … she was less excited about that.”
Gerwig added, “But I got hand-me-downs from girls in the neighbourhood where I was growing up and so I got a lot of pre-loved dolls.”
However, Gerwig’s wishes were eventually granted, and she received a doll. “Although my mom, I will give her credit, she did give me a doll, a proper doll, for Christmas, in a box. She relented and then I destroyed her [Barbie].”
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