Barbie Director Greta Gerwig Addresses the Ups and Downs of the Doll's History (Exclusive)

Barbie is one of if not the most iconic of toys, especially for young girls, but she's also not without controversy. Over the doll's nearly 70-year history, Barbie has come under scrutiny for her representation of gender stereotypes and norms and the messages that sends to children, particularly girls. In many respects, the doll's history and its ups and downs in perception is reflective of the experiences of those who grew up with Barbie and for Barbie movie director Greta Gerwig, honoring both the joy that Barbie gives to children as well as the complicated nature of looking back at the experience was a "trick" of the movie itself.

"I think it's just that, stepping into this sort of thorniness and the complications of it and not wallpapering over anything that felt yucky, that we wanted to create the story out of what felt like things that you couldn't say," Gerwig told ComicBook.com's Jamie Jirak. "We wanted to say it and see where that led us. I think that that was at the heart of it. Then, also, just how do you capture the joy and the excitement of being a little girl looking at that stuff and just loving it and the hair and the sparkles and all the things? there's a real sense memory of that. Then also being able to look at it as a grown woman and being like, 'I see it all differently now,' and being able to honor both of them. That was kind of a trick of the movie."

Barbie Director Greta Gerwig Was Discouraged From Playing With Barbies Growing Up

In a recent interview, Gerwig revealed that she has her own complicated history with Barbie as a toy, noting that she was always intrigued by them, but the doll wasn't something that was particularly supported in her household growing up — though her mother did eventually relent.

"I was always intrigued," Gerwig said of Barbie. "Barbie was, if not exactly forbidden in our house, well, it was not encouraged." She explained, "Oh, the usual criticisms. 'If she was a real woman, she wouldn't even be able to stand up; she wouldn't be able to support her head.' My mum was a child of the 60s. She was like, 'We got this far, for this?'" However, Gerwig's mother eventually gave in. "She got me my own," Gerwig shared. "Fresh out the box."  

Gerwig continued, "I played with dolls until... I don't want to say too late, but I played with them long enough that I didn't want kids at school to know I still played with them. I was a teenager. I was about 13 and still playing with dolls. And I knew that kids at that point were already kissing." She added with a smile, I was a late bloomer." 

"I always think that 8, 9, 10 years old is peak kid," Gerwig explained. "I was brash and unafraid and loud and big. And then, you know..." Puberty. "It's a shrinking. Wanting to make yourself smaller, less noticeable, take in all that spikiness and bury it. And you're profoundly uncomfortable because you're going through metamorphosis, literally ... But also, you're getting tall. You're getting your period. You get spots." She explained, "My experience of it was wanting to hide."

Barbie Star Margot Robbie Had Her Own Surprising History With Barbie

While Gerwig revealed that she had a complicated history with Barbie, speaking with ComicBook.com, Robbie revealed that she didn't have any photos of herself with Barbie dolls as a kid that she could share as so many others have shared with her as she's done press for the movie.

"I called my mom before this press tour, and I was like, 'Are there any pictures of me, like with Barbie, playing with Barbie, opening a Barbie on Christmas or anything?' And she was like, 'I couldn't get you to wear a dress!' And I was like, 'That's not helpful.' So, I don't have a photo like that, but I love how many people have shown me things like that."

Barbie is Just the Beginning for Mattel When it Comes to Movies

Barbie is already tracking to be a major hit this summer, and it's just the start when it comes to Mattel and movies. The New Yorker recently took a deep dive into Mattel's movie strategy — and revealed just how many adaptations they are currently developing.

According to their reporting, there are a total of 45 Mattel-related movies in the works, including (but not limited to) Barney, Hot Wheels, Polly Pocket, and He-Man. Their reporting stresses that some of these films will be a little bit self-aware, including a Tom Hanks-led Major Matt Mason movie, which plays off of the toy inspiring his protagonist from the Toy Story movies, Buzz Lightyear. Other projects that have been announced to be in development over the years include American Girl, Big Jim, Chatty Cathy and Betsy Wetsy, Magic 8 Ball, Matchbox, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Thomas & Friends, Uno, View-Master, and Wishbone.

In Barbie, to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken. From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig comes Barbie, which hits theaters on July 21st. Barbie stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera , Kate McKinnon , Michael Cera , Ariana Greenblatt , Issa Rae , Rhea Perlman , and Will Ferrell. The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey , Hari Nef , Alexandra Shipp , Kingsley Ben-Adir , Simu Liu , Ncuti Gatwa , Scott Evans , Jamie Demetriou , Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya , Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren . Gerwig directed Barbie from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach , based on Barbie by Mattel . 

Barbie opens in theaters July 21st.