WHEN A MOVIE becomes a mass culture phenomenon, like Barbie, any negative criticism of it runs the risk of coming off hysterical. Any meanness toward it becomes the mirror version of the reactions of fans who see the movie in the theater again and again, who cry during certain scenes each time, and who tell the world about it on social media with a great sense of pride and purpose, or even with a certain amount of shock about its power over them.
Similarly, rushing to write a takedown, a counter-phenomenon more prevalent with every big new release, shows the same shocked inability to hold it in—to think before writing. It’s not the love or the hate that bothers me—it’s the speed. Rushing to the keyboard isn’t pretty, even if you’re still dressed in pink. In the case of Barbie, the opposite of the hot pink take is dressed just as loud.
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