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TL;DR:

  • Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” uses metaphors to tackle some taboo subjects.
  • A member of the band didn’t want to look like Barbie in the music video for the song.
  • She explanied how she was able to get the record label to accept her decision.

Novelty music has layers sometimes. For example, Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” has a positive message. The new film Barbie has a similar message.

Aqua’s ‘Barbie Girl’ was supposed to have important messages and a light tone

During a 2022 interview with Rolling Stone, Aqua member René Dif, who plays the role of Ken in the song and the video, discussed his interpretation of the track. “The message is that it’s OK to be the person you are and look the way you look and be confident in that,” he said. “You don’t necessarily have to have plastic surgeries to be a better person.”

“Barbie Girl” tried to deal with serious topics in a lighthearted way. “All these metaphors in the song were taboo to talk about, but we came out with a tongue-in-cheek way to present our song,” Dif recalled. “It’s a pop song, but it’s also a song about how it’s OK to be who you are, love who you are, and be yourself.”

Why singer Lene Nystrøm didn’t want to look too much like Barbie in ‘Barbie Girl’

Lene Nystrøm played Barbie in “Barbie Girl” and its music video. Notably, she does not have Barbie’s famous blonde hair. She had no intention of changing that fact. “I don’t get angry very often,” she said. “You can stretch me far. But I had my own kind of opinion about that.

“I didn’t want to look like Barbie,” she said. “That’s against the whole point of the song. I came into the dressing room and the stylists were there. We had a long, hard argument. Universal came in. The director came in. And I just stood my ground.”

In the final video for “Barbie Girl,” text reading “Not Blonde?” pops up next to Nystrøm’s head. While she doesn’t rock blonde hair, she wears a lot of cartoonish outfits that Barbie herself would. In additon, she captures Barbie’s girlishness in her vocals.

Aqua and Margot Robbie used the doll to promote the same message

Notably, Greta Gerwig’s 2023 film Barbie seems to have the same message as “Barbie Girl.” At least, that’s how the film’s star, Margot Robbie, interprets the movie. During a 2023 interview with Good Morning America, she said the film wants its viewers to feel like they’re good just the way they are. She hopes that it uplifts audiences.

Robbie was worried that a Barbie movie could have been superficial. However, she knew that Gerwig would have a lot to say through the film. Notably, Gerwig previously helmed feminist movies like Ladybird and Little Women. Robbie said Barbie would serve as Gerwig’s Trojan Horse to talk about some important issues.

“Barbie Girl” and Barbie are different works of art from different decades and different mediums. Despite this, they came to similar conclusions.

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