2023-08-03 11:59:37
by Laura Cuppini
Director Greta Gerwig: «I remember well when I was a little girl and growing up I felt embarrassed with my body»
Warning, spoilers: if you haven’t seen the movie «Barbie» don’t read on.
“I’m here to see my gynecologist,” says Barbie (Margot Robbie) to a secretary at a doctor’s office. The film ends like this, in a funny and surprising way. The phrase suggests that Barbie has become a real woman, explained director Greta Gerwig. Visiting the gynecologist means stopping being an “asexual” doll and becoming a full-fledged human. Starting with the first important medical visit in a girl’s life.
“Barbie does it too”
Greta Gerwig told USA Today: “I remember well when I was a little girl and growing up I felt embarrassed with my body. I was so ashamed that I couldn’t even describe it. So much so that I wanted to hide everything. So seeing Margot say what she says with that big smile of hers is like saying “ok, if I can give girls that feeling of ‘Barbie does it too’, then there is both fun and emotion” ». So, after her bumpy journey to being human, viewers leave Barbie at a crucial moment at the end of the film: it’s not the beginning of an extraordinary job as an astronaut, nor the victory of a Nobel prize: it’s a visit from gynecologist.
Reproductive health
“Why is something as ordinary as a doctor’s visit so important to the final scene of the film?” asks CNN’s Madeline Holcombe
. Is it a metaphor for entering into femininity? The reporter asked Leana Wen, a CNN medical analyst, emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at George Washington University. “Reproductive health is not yet considered part of total well-being – explains Wen -. This applies not only to people of childbearing age, but also to those who are in menopause. Much more needs to be done for reproductive health by increasing investment in research and medical care.’
First visit at age 13-15
«Seeing Barbie go to the gynecologist normalizes the experience – continues the expert -, it helps to understand that reproductive health is an integral part of general health. Every girl, every woman, and anyone with female reproductive organs should have regular checkups. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, adolescent girls should have their first ob-gyn visit between the ages of 13 and 15. It is a general prevention visit, in which the doctor begins to establish a relationship of trust with the patient. The internal pelvic exam is usually not done unless there are specific symptoms, such as pain. If the patient has not yet had the vaccine against papillomavirus (Hpv), one of the main causes of cervical cancer, this will also be offered. Visits should be annual for prevention and screening, but they can be more frequent in case of problems”.
August 3, 2023 (change August 3, 2023 | 11:59 am)
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