What Weird Barbie can teach us about trauma recovery and neurodivergence
So many have written about the Barbie Movie and (apart from a long post about America Ferrera’s phenomonal monologue when it first came out) I’ve resisted. But one of the characters stayed with me
This voiceover was recorded, unedited, in my bedroom, while I have my first ever bout of Covid. I imagine I'll improve (with the voiceovers. Am already improving health wise) and hope you find it beneficial.
Kate McKinnon’s Weird Barbie is up their with her SNL Hillary Clinton as iconic roles.
(READ MORE about (including full text) ‘Gloria’s’ monologue)
Far away from all the other Barbies, Weird Barbie does her own thing.
The other Barbies are initially a bit freaked out by her falling into the splits and odd movements.
She is SO different to them.
What’s wrong with her?
One whispers about how she’d been the prettiest but her human had played with her too hard
It happens.
It happens to too many humans, too.
Broken by the humans around them and discarded and yet there IS always that potential for post traumatic growth and trauma recovery
Read the new blog for some simple ways to connect with your trauma survivor and/or neurodivergent (and other) subpersonalities (parts).
Stronger in the broken places
Weird Barbie’s house was, for me, the true Barbie Dream House. (And I’m not the only one - House Beautiful published an article about it being the most valuable property in Barbie Land (READ MORE)
If Weird Barbie hadn’t found herself and learned to thrive away from the gaze of all the ‘normal’ judgmental Barbies and Kens, she wouldn’t have become the beacon of embodied Barbie wisdom that helped them save Barbie Land (although I still wish they’d evolved and moved closer towards equality for ALL.)
How did YOU feel about the ending?
Weird turned her pain into joy (LOOK at those colours and shapes!) and helped the other discontinued toys and misfits.
I didn’t have a Barbie or Sindy growing up but loved the feminist themes of the movie.
While my mother hadn’t wanted me playing with dolls (she was the only mother I knew who worked part time back in the late ‘70s and ‘80s) a key message of the film was that Barbie broke the mould.
She offered little girls a chance to play at imagining futures that weren’t all about an inevitable motherhood but motherhood as a choice.
And other roles.
President Barbie. Doctor Barbie, Astronaut Barbie…
By Weird Barbie and Stereotypical Barbie teaming up (and with Gloria finding her Existential Barbie voice), everyone’s emotional landscape got a bit wider and brighter.
Want to explore more?
Yesterday’s Personal Peace post has journal prompts to help you connect with and embrace your ‘weird’ self.
Extra Embodied subscribers will have a new oracle card reading and unique yoga nidra (around integrating your own ‘weird’ and ‘normal’ parts). You’ll also get an invitation to this evening’s live self care coaching call from 8.30-9pm.
And, as mentioned above, the new blog post has a simple introduction to some ‘parts work’ (subpersonalities, in psychosynthesis terms) you can do yourself.
Give yourself some time and space this week (or whenever suits) to dig deeper into your own dreams, darkness and light.
And let me know how you’re getting on.
with love,