Celebrated music icon Shakira recently graced the cover of Allure magazine and shared her candid thoughts on the blockbuster film Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig. The movie made waves in 2023, grossing $1.4 billion (approx. Rupees 117,000,000,000) worldwide and earning eight Oscar nominations. In a recent interview with the magazine, Shakira revealed that her two sons had a strong aversion to the movie Barbie, and thought that it was “emasculating.” She expressed her partial agreement with their sentiment, emphasising the importance of empowering women in pop culture without diminishing men’s roles or identities.

“My sons absolutely hated it,” Shakira said. “They felt that it was emasculating. And I agree, to a certain extent. I’m raising two boys. I want them to feel powerful too, respecting women. I like pop culture when it attempts to empower women without robbing men of their possibility to be men, to also protect and provide. I believe in giving women all the tools and the trust that we can do it all without losing our essence, without losing our femininity,” she added.

Shakira further elaborated on her views, saying, “I think that men have a purpose in society and women have another purpose as well. We complement each other, and that complement should not be lost.”

The discussion prompted the interviewer to inquire, “Just because a woman can do it all doesn’t mean she should?” to which Shakira responded, “Why not share the load with people who deserve to carry it, who have a duty to carry it as well?”

This perspective resonates with the broader discussion surrounding Barbie and its reception. During its release, the film faced criticism from some table figures, including podcaster Matt Walsh, who labeled it as “the most aggressively anti-man, feminist propaganda fest ever put to film,” and Bill Maher, who criticised it as “man-hating.”

In response to the backlash, Gerwig, the director, had expressed surprise, saying, “Certainly, there’s a lot of passion. My hope for the movie is that it’s an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren’t necessarily serving us as either women or men,” reports Variety.

The controversy surrounding Barbie also prompted support from other celebrities such as Marc Maron, who, as reported by the portal, condemned the backlash as “right-wing explicative” and highlighted the need for men to reassess their reactions to the film.