{"id":3130,"date":"2023-07-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www-prod.greenpeace.org\/usa\/campaign-updates\/3130\/barbie-vs-oppenheimer-two-diametrically-opposed-universes-that-remind-us-of-two-existential-threats\/"},"modified":"2024-11-22T06:20:25","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T06:20:25","slug":"barbie-vs-oppenheimer-two-diametrically-opposed-universes-that-remind-us-of-two-existential-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/barbie-vs-oppenheimer-two-diametrically-opposed-universes-that-remind-us-of-two-existential-threats\/","title":{"rendered":"Barbie vs Oppenheimer: two diametrically opposed universes that remind us of two existential threats"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the Greenpeace community, these two films echo past and present campaigns against very real existential threats: deforestation, plastic pollution and nuclear annihilation<\/span><\/p>\n

BARBIE
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\u201cBarbenheimer\u201d is probably the film event of the year. The simultaneous premieres of two Hollywood blockbusters by two cult directors: Greta Gerwig\u2019s Barbie, a pink fantasy comedy and Christopher Nolan\u2019s Oppenheimer, a sombre and psychedelic drama.The juxtaposition of atmosphere, characters and issues unleashed lively debates in the press and on social media, ranging from hilarious memes to existential questions. For the Greenpeace community, these two films echo past and present campaigns against very real existential threats: deforestation, plastic pollution and nuclear annihilation.<\/p>\n

Barbie: a long love affair with deforestation and plastic<\/h2>\n

Gerwig\u2019s Barbie is a funny and resolutely feminist film. It\u2019s funny and touching to see how everything goes wrong in this perfect universe when the main Barbie, played by actress Margot Robbie, starts to think about death. This existential crisis sees Barbie embark on a journey of discovery to the \u2018real world\u2019: Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

In the REAL real world, Barbie is a plastic doll released by Mattel 60 years ago. The company said that\u00a058 million dolls are sold every year<\/a>, or about 100 dolls every minute, to people in 150 countries. While Gerwig\u2019s Barbie may worry about her expiry date in reality she will most likely last forever, lost in landfills and discarded in dumps.<\/p>\n

Beyond her baggage (promoting an unrealistic body image among young girls<\/a>,\u00a0maintaining anti-feminist sexist stereotypes<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0propagating a particular standard of beauty, marginalising people of colour<\/a>), Barbie has also had a long love affair with plastic \u2014 and ended a very toxic one with deforestation after a very intense intervention.<\/p>\n

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\"Banner<\/p>\n

Action at Mattel HQ in California, June 2011 \u2013 Greenpeace activists dressed as \u201cKen\u201d dolls hang two huge banners at Mattel headquarters. The banner depicts an angry \u201cKen\u201d with a clear message to his former girlfriend: \u201cBarbie It\u2019s Over. I Don\u2019t Date Girls That Are Into Deforestation.\u201d \u00a9 Gus Ruelas \/ Greenpeace<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Greenpeace International investigators had found that the toymaker Mattel was using packaging from materials supplied by Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), which had been exposed for\u00a0wrecking Indonesia\u2019s rainforests<\/a>. At the time, Mattel promised to stop using deforestation-linked materials in its packaging. A promising victory, a step against pulp and paper companies that continue to threaten\u00a0some of the world\u2019s largest remaining rainforests<\/a>.<\/p>\n