Three months after the Writers Guild of America strike, screenwriters are leading a backlash against a new range of Barbie dolls. Mattel recently unveiled its “women in film” range, which includes dolls representing various roles in the film industry such as a studio executive, film star, director, and cinematographer. However, the range fails to include a doll representing screenwriters.
Taffy Brodesser-Akner, author of Fleishman Is in Trouble and its screen adaptation, took to social media to express her disappointment. She questioned why there is no “Screenwriter Barbie” and humorously remarked that Barbie could wear sweatpants and have avocado toast on her t-shirt. In response to the sidelining of other crew roles, Brodesser-Akner mentioned that Key Grip Barbie filed a complaint against Lighting Department Head Barbie, which was dismissed by First AD Barbie.
The Wire creator David Simon also criticized Mattel’s range, saying it lacked representation for other important crew roles such as grip, Teamster, and key set PA. Simon sarcastically remarked that the film Barbie taught Mattel nothing about the diversity of roles behind the scenes.
Mattel introduces its annual “career of the year” range to highlight a specific industry or profession. The “women in film” range follows the success of Greta Gerwig’s film Barbie, co-written by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, and produced by Margot Robbie. The film became the highest-grossing movie of 2023 and the first female-directed movie to surpass $1 billion.
Despite recent successes in films directed by women and written by women, studies show slow progress in female representation behind the camera. The USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s latest report criticized the entertainment industry’s performative acts of inclusion, stating they are not genuine steps toward fostering change. Another study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film found that women made up only 16% of directors and 17% of writers on the top-grossing films of 2023, a decline from the previous year.
In conclusion, screenwriters are leading a backlash against Mattel’s “women in film” Barbie dolls, which notably exclude a doll representing screenwriters. While recent successes in female-directed and female-written films have been celebrated, studies show that progress in female representation behind the camera remains slow.