Current:Home > MarketsBill Maher Ken-not with Barbie fighting the patriarchy: 'This movie is so 2000-LATE' -SovereignWealth
Bill Maher Ken-not with Barbie fighting the patriarchy: 'This movie is so 2000-LATE'
View
Date:2025-04-13 17:19:02
Bill Maher doesn't think Greta Gerwig's representation of life in plastic is all that fantastic.
The "Real Time" host shared his thoughts Monday about "Barbie" on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Though the film starring Margot Robbie as the titular character has surpassed $1 billion at the box office since its July 21 release date, Maher wasn't impressed.
"I was hoping it wouldn't be preachy, man-hating, and a #ZombieLie - alas, it was all three," Maher began. He described a "zombie lie" as "something that never was true, but certain people refuse to stop saying it (tax cuts for the rich increase revenues, e.g.); OR something that USED to be true but no longer is, but certain people pretend it's still true. 'Barbie' is this kind of #ZombieLie."
'Barbie' review:Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling dazzle in hilariously heady toy story
Maher continued, taking issue with portrayal of Mattel's board in the film as "12 white men! The Patriarchy!" he wrote. "Except there's a Mattel board in real life, and it's 7 men and 5 women." Mattel's website currently identifies 11 Board of Directors, consisting of six men and five women.
"OK, not perfect even-steven," Maher went on, "but not the way the board IN THE MOVIE - which takes place in 2023 - is portrayed. And not really any longer deserving of the word 'patriarchy.' Yes, there was one, and remnants of it remain - but this movie is so 2000-LATE."
"I know, I know, 'How could I know about the patriarchy, I AM a man!'" Maher wrote, preemptively going on the defense. "That argument is so old and so silly. Of course, none of us can know exactly what others go through life, but I can see the world around me, and I can read data.
"The real Mattel board is a pretty close mirror of the country, where 45% of the 449 board seats filled last year in Fortune 500 companies were women," Maher added. "Barbie is fun, I enjoyed it - but it IS a #ZombieLie," Maher wrote in conclusion. "Let's live in the year we're living in! Hi Ken!!!"
Though, it appears Maher might be quoting from older data. According to this year's Heidrick & Struggles' Board Monitor US report, there were 414 Fortune 500 board appointments made in 2022 (a decrease from 449 in 2021). And only 40% of the 2022 openings were filled by women, per the report, down from 45% in 2021. Furthermore, the company's analysis of CEOs released in 2022 found that women made up 7% of CEOs around the world. Last year women in America "earned an average of 82% of what men earned," per Pew Research Center findings that looked at "median hourly earnings of both full- and part-time workers."
'Barbie' ending:Greta Gerwig talks 'emotional' final line, creator Ruth Handler (Spoilers!)
veryGood! (6587)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Montana asbestos clinic seeks to reverse $6M in fines, penalties over false claims
- UPS driver suffering from heat exhaustion 'passed out,' got into crash, Teamsters say
- Vance and Walz are still relatively unknown, but the governor is better liked, an AP-NORC poll finds
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Love Island USA’s Kenny Rodriguez Shares What Life Outside the Villa Has Been Like With JaNa Craig
- Orlando Bloom and Son Flynn, 13, Bond in Rare Photo Together
- What Ben Affleck Was Up to When Jennifer Lopez Filed for Divorce
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Taylor Swift sings with 'producer of the century' Jack Antonoff in London
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Fannie Lou Hamer rattled the Democratic convention with her ‘Is this America?’ speech 60 years ago
- Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Split: Look Back at Their Great Love Story
- Disaster declaration approved for Vermont for July flooding from remnants of Beryl
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Mega Millions winning numbers for August 20 drawing: Jackpot climbs to $527 million
- Some of Arizona’s Most Valuable Water Could Soon Hit the Market
- A Victoria Beckham Docuseries Is Coming to Netflix: All the Posh Details
Recommendation
Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
Target’s focus on lower prices in the grocery aisle start to pay off as comparable store sales rise
FAA sent 43 more cases of unruly airline passengers to the FBI for possible prosecution
Florence Welch joins Taylor Swift on stage in Wembley
Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
Incumbents beat DeSantis-backed candidates in Florida school board race
RHODubai's Sara Al Madani Reveals Ex Maid Allegedly Plotted With Kidnappers to Take Her Son for Ransom
Delaware State football misses flight to Hawaii for season opener, per report