In this week’s handle with care, talking about the Barbie trailer.
April 4 was an eventful day: Donald Trump was charged with 34 felonies and arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom. Finland joined NATO. Warner Brothers finally released a new Barbie trailer.
This was the first real peek at the movie, directed by Greta Gerwig. We got the first bits of dialogue, more fashion (some handle with care color schemes), and camp. Barbie drives her car through Barbie Land with no hands on the steering wheel, feet nowhere near the gas… just vibes! MSNBC’s Emma Gray accurately describes Ryan Gosling as an “extremely sweet, extremely blonde himbo of a Ken.” “Fun, Fun, Fun” by The Beach Boys is played, and the Kens are joking about “beaching each other off.” I couldn’t have asked for anything more… except for the Chelsea dolls. Greta Gerwig did not hit my line for that.
There were also character posters released, revealing the kinds of Barbies that will be in the film. Hari Nef is playing a doctor Barbie, Ritu Arya is a journalist Barbie, and Issa Rae is President Barbie. Dua Lipa is going to be a mermaid Barbie, and John Cena is playing her love interest. We also got Michael Cera as Allan!
The posters immediately sparked memes with the help of an AI Barbie poster generator.
I think the secrecy surrounding the plot of the movie is excellent marketing too. I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited to see a movie before! I watched The Super Mario Bros. Movie over the weekend, and they played the Barbie trailer ahead of it, and I was Oprah-gifing in my seat. I already have an outfit planned for one of my movie theater viewings, but I’m also contemplating splurging on this pink boiler suit. Anything for my Joker!!!
It’s me. Hi. I know you haven’t heard from me through this newsletter in a while! Things have gotten a little busier for me recently, and unfortunately, handle with care was put on the back burner. It feels so weird to send one of these after not doing it for a while!! But also, I write this mostly for fun, so it’s kind of unserious to put this much pressure on myself.
Since I started freelance writing, I’ve had trouble trying to even out my work-life balance. When I got my first regular writing gig, I was stressed out. To the point where I would be scared for it to be 9 a.m. because then I had to make myself “available” for the day. That’s why I made a goal to spend more time with friends this year, because I could actually count on one hand how many times I went out last year. My social isolation was done out of my own volition just because of Things I was Going Through. And that made me so sad!! Why did I have to punish and stress myself out? My life is worth living, and I can experience joy at any time.
All that to say, I’m happy to be having fun again. My friends from college come down to hang out with me, and I’m reconnecting with friends from home. I’m reading, baking, and cycling. Of course, there’s still things I have to work on, but I really like where I’m at now.
Some career updates: you can now read bite-sized music reviews from me and the wonderful team at REMEZCLA every Friday. Shoutout to their music editor, Alexis, for giving me a chance. I’ve also been writing away at mitú, where I interviewed Scream VI star Melissa Barrera! It’s my biggest interview to date. We talked all about makeup and skincare. I’ve also been interviewing some amazing Latinx innovators for features coming up. I feel really grateful to be here doing what I love most, and connecting with all kinds of people.
Thank you so much for reading! Regular newsletters should return next week. Obviously, I just really wanted to talk a little about Barbie! Happy holidays! 🐇🌷🥚