The Barbie takeover is in full effect after the film’s release on Friday. Readers share the bright and very pink outfits they wore to the cinema this week and their verdicts on the long-awaited movie.
‘As a child I owned more than 30 Barbies’
I’m 47 now, but as a child I owned more than 30 Barbies. The memories I have of playing with Barbie and Ken are magical. My daughters loved Barbie, too. My 15-year-old daughter Ammie loved dressing up with me for the movie screening. She also loved the uplifting messages in the film, with its focus on feminism and equality. She thought Barbie was a great mixture of comedy, drama and adventure and enjoyed its unpredictable nature. The cinema was filled with laughs and giggles. Becca, 47, young people’s adviser, Hitchin
‘I even got my girlfriend to join me dressed as Ken’
A friend and I planned a Barbie-themed birthday party as soon as we knew the film was coming out in the summer. This costume was originally made for that, and was reworn for a Friday night dress-up screening at Picturehouse Central in London. I have only ever made a pair of trousers and a simple dress before, so copying an outfit I had only seen in a trailer for a few seconds and making it from scratch was certainly a challenge. I managed it with the help of YouTube, fabric glue, lots of pink glitter and my mum’s sewing machine. I even got my girlfriend to join me dressed as Ken. We went to Soho afterwards with other dressed-up friends and the response was brilliant. I am now scheming for an opportunity to wear it again. Maddie Stone, 28, human rights campaigner, south London
‘Barbenheimer was very exciting for us’
As an English teacher in a staffroom full of female teachers, Barbenheimer was very exciting for us. Of course we still had to maintain professionalism on a school day, but we all rocked up on Friday dressed like this. Funnily enough, we all watched the movie separately. I watched Barbie with my husband on Saturday night and we planned to watch Oppenheimer the next day – but our washing machine died and our time was spent replacing that instead. The kids at school loved our dress-up and instantly picked up on the Barbenheimer theme. We spent the whole day greeting each other with: “Hi Barbie!” The students were even saying: “Hi, Miss Barbies!” It was a great way to end the week. Pearl, 32, teacher, Brisbane
‘We’re all wearing pink but without going consumption crazy’
A few of us are heading to the tiny local cinema to see Barbie next week. We have to wait because the island’s only cinema has just one screen and shows one film a week. We are all wearing pink, but deliberately using clothes that we’ve already got, or will get from the local charity shop. I saw ethical fashion campaigner Aja Barber tweeting about the amount of “fast Barbie fashion” likely to be sold in the hype, and the buying of single-use pink items that will inevitably end up in landfill. I think it’s important to remember that we can enjoy the fun and atmosphere around Barbie without going consumption crazy, and causing exploitation and environmental issues elsewhere. Lucy Hodson, 32, wildlife and nature campaigner, Isle of Bute
‘As a surprise, I made a Barbenheimer cake’
It was my birthday on the weekend and my friends and I did the Barbenheimer double – Oppenheimer on Friday then Barbie in costume on Saturday, followed by dinner. As a surprise, I made a Barbenheimer cake. I would note that both films were brilliant and I’d encourage everyone to go and see them at the cinema. Jess Hill, 38, English and philosophy teacher, Adelaide
‘The girl power and the Kenergy was infectious’
After discovering many cinemas had sold out across London, we finally found tickets available at the Camden Odeon. When we arrived, rushing in to avoid the rain, we were greeted by Barbiecore: the pink phenomenon in all its colourful glory. This was an age-neutral event, with gen Z in shiny pink boots, millennials in pink feathers and glitter and the occasional pinked-out guy. Lines of people in pink snaked up the stairway to the screens. We had all grown up with Barbie, craved her sparkly fishtail gowns, swapped versions with friends, and mangled her hair. (Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie was spot-on.) The movie itself bordered on being too much, but was somehow OK – because it was, after all, Barbie. The girl power and the Kenergy was infectious. The cast was amazing, as was Greta Gerwig’s direction. Sarah Browne, London
‘We practically skipped out of the cinema’
Me and my four mates went to see Barbie for my 33rd birthday at Odeon Exeter. It was a lovely girls’ night out, full of nostalgia from seventh birthdays with Barbie cakes with skirts of sponge and marshmallow. My best friend Sam is a wedding hair and makeup stylist, so I looked the part. We practically skipped out of the cinema on a feminist sugar high. The film showed that one gender definition can never provide a fulfilled society for all. The music and choreography was amazing. My favourite scene was the beach bonfires. I feel very spoiled and loved. Martha Lee, 33, Exeter
