So there is no option one? - No!Barbie · 2023 — Chapter 7 of 26 · 2'43" · B2
Barbie Leaves Barbie Land, Explained: a figure of speech
Barbie prepares to leave Barbie Land for the real world, and her friends see her off. She waves off the absurd travel plan - "It’s a figure of speech" - but the farewell turns honest: "I just don’t want to leave. I’m trying to find reasons not to leave."
What happens
Barbie learns that she has to fix the damage to her world herself, so she sets off alone for the real world. Her friends see her off with a fond bon voyage and an absurd route to Los Angeles. She laughs at the parts that make no sense, then admits she is only looking for reasons not to leave at all.
Listen for
a figure of speechbon voyageI was likebelieve in
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Phrase of the scene
a figure of speech
an expression not meant literally
Barbie looks for the portal, and Weird Barbie admits it was only a figure of speech.
I didn't mean it literally—it's just a figure of speech.
Also in this scene
- bon voyage
have a good trip
- I was like
I said (used to quote someone, casual)
- believe in
to trust in someone's ability or worth
Everything marked in this scene
22 notes across 61 lines
Don’t blame me, blame Mattel. They make the rules.Don’t blame me, blame Mattel. They make the rules.elision
Don’t blame me, blame Mattel. They make the rules.an expression not meant literally
Barbie looks for the portal, and Weird Barbie admits it was only a figure of speech.
- Oh. - It’s a figure of speech.to a camper van, fun, to a snowmobile, brr, which will take you most of the wayThe same way you came, but in reverse.liaison
The same way you came, but in reverse.Like I should move forward but do the order backward or go-- Don’t overthink it. - Oh. Okay.should
Like I should move forward but do the order backward or go-- Don’t overthink it. - Oh. Okay.if-clause
For you see, if you do not find her and fix things, what’s ugly will become uglier,And then you’ll look like me.I understand. I set myself up for that.to trust in someone's ability or worth
Weird Barbie drops the jokes for a moment and tells Barbie she believes in her.
Anyway, I believe in you. - Thank you.liaison
Anyway, I believe in you. - Thank you.have a good trip
Weird Barbie sends Barbie off to the Real World with a jaunty bon voyage.
Bon voyage to reality,bet
Well, you bet both those things incorrectly, and I bet in the opposite direction.I just don’t want to leave. I’m trying to find reasons not to leave.I just wish someone could come with me, but you can’t.wish + could
I just wish someone could come with me, but you can’t.What bird am I thinking of? - Parrot.I’ll bet every woman will say thank you and give you a really big hug. [giggles]Barbie Leaves Barbie Land, explained
What's really going on
The scene is a send-off dressed as a joke, and the joke keeps slipping into sincerity. Barbie is leaving home alone, and her friends cover the fear with comic detail and a cheerful farewell. Even a plain remark about the missing portal has to be explained — "It’s a figure of speech." — as if everyone is negotiating how much reality they can take. The real feeling arrives quietly: "I just don’t want to leave. I’m trying to find reasons not to leave." What makes it land is the contrast, since Barbie Land has spent the whole film insisting that everything is perfect, and here its heroine admits she would rather not go. Leaving, the film suggests, is the first thing she has ever had to do alone.
Theme
IdentityBarbie leaves the world built for her to fix her own flaw, becoming a person rather than a perfect doll.
CourageShe goes alone and scared, admitting she would rather stay than face the real world.
Listen for
- blame Mattel — elision
- in reverse — liaison
- believe in — liaison
Don’t blame me, blame Mattel. They make the rules.A shrug of blame: the speaker points to the company that set up Barbie Land's rules rather than taking responsibility himself.
Weird, I know. Best if you don’t think about it too much.A pre-emptive defense of the film's silly logic, inviting the audience to enjoy it rather than question it.
I understand. I set myself up for that.A comic self-own: Barbie accepts the joke against her because she walked into it herself.
I just don’t want to leave. I’m trying to find reasons not to leave.The scene's honest core: beneath the jokes, she is looking for excuses to avoid a trip she is afraid to make.
I just wish someone could come with me, but you can’t.A wistful wish for company on a journey she knows she has to make alone.
Questions about this scene
Why does Barbie have to leave?
Because her world is damaged and the rip can only be fixed by her. She has to travel to the real world to find the person who can help.
What does "a figure of speech" mean here?
It is Barbie's correction when a line about a portal turns out to be figurative. She is pointing out that something said earlier was never meant literally.
Is Barbie afraid of going?
Yes, though she hides it in jokes. Her line about not wanting to leave shows that she is looking for excuses to stay in the world she knows.
What is the odd travel plan about?
It is the film's joke about how Barbie Land connects to the real world, listing sports cars, rocket ships and a snowmobile on the way to Los Angeles.
What happens at the end of the goodbye?
Her friends wave her off and wish her luck, and Barbie finally sets out, promising to come back changed and to help fix the world.
Barbie · 26 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 8hold it against meBarbie and Ken Hit the Real World
Chapter 1burst their bubbleBarbie Rewrites the Doll Story
Chapter 2the voice of a generationBarbie's Perfect Day in Barbie Land
Chapter 3beach offKen Beaches Off and Gets Hurt
Chapter 4dying toBarbie Asks About Dying
Chapter 5fall into disrepairBarbie's Heels Touch the Ground
Chapter 6be that as it mayBarbie Opens a Portal to Reality
Watching · Chapter 7a figure of speechBarbie Leaves Barbie Land
Chapter 8hold it against meBarbie and Ken Hit the Real World
Chapter 9man upThe Mattel Men Celebrate Themselves
Chapter 10with all due respectMattel Panics Over Barbie in LA
Chapter 11the last resortSasha Confronts Barbie
Chapter 12seek my fortuneKen Tries to Bring Patriarchy Home
Chapter 13up the wazooMattel Execs Try to Box Barbie
Chapter 14Isn't that marvelousBarbie Meets Ruth at Mattel
Chapter 15come off itSasha and Her Mom Pick Up Barbie
Chapter 16dream upBarbie Flees to Barbie Land
Chapter 17fly off the shelvesBarbie Finds Ken's Casa House
Chapter 18snap out of itKen Takes Over Barbie Land
Chapter 19make a run for itBarbie Hits Her Lowest Point
Chapter 20existential crisisIt's Impossible to Be a Woman
Chapter 21tie herself into knotsGloria's Monologue About Women
Chapter 22the old standbyThe Barbies Plot Their Return
Chapter 23take advantage ofThe Kens Build a Patriarchy
Chapter 24took you for grantedBarbie Apologizes to Ken
Chapter 25hold on toBarbie Tells Ken to Find Himself
Chapter 26living in the shadowsBarbie Says Maybe She's Not BarbieChapter 7 of 26 · about 71 min to go