Barbie Ending Explained: Why Does Barbie Visit the Gynecologist at the End?

Barbie Ending Explained: The Greta Gerwig fantasy comedy is out in the theatres now creating a roar like no other. Gerwig directed the film and wrote the screenplay for this movie with her longtime partner, Noah Baumbach. The cinematography is by Rodrigo Prieto with the runtime being 144 minutes.

Margot Robbie stars in the titular role of this film along with Ryan Gosling as Ken. The film has an ensemble cast featuring America Ferrera as Gloria, Rhea Perlman as Ruth Handler, Will Ferrell as the CEO of Mattel, John Cena as Kenmaid, Helen Mirren as the narrator, Michael Cera as Allan, Ariana Greenblatt as Sasha, Jamie Demetriou as a Mattel employee and Connor Swindells as Aaron Dinkins. We will see various versions of Barbie played by Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Sharon Rooney, Dua Lipa, Nicola Coughlan, Ana Cruz Kayne and Ritu Arya. Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Scott Evans and Ncuti Gatwa will play different variations of Ken.

First things first, the film is surely not everyone’s cup of tea. The movie might just be the funniest movie of the year so far and Ryan Gosling is just too much Holland March kinda Ken making every scene worth it, the film is sure to generate a mixed set of responses. We say this because people have had subjective experiences which will generate a subjective viewing, like most films. The way we are about to decode this Barbie ending explained might be very different from what you think happened in the film and, it is completely fine!

Barbie Ending Explained

So the film ends with Barbies getting Barbieland back from the Kens who dubbed it as ‘Kendom Land’ through scheming ways. Kens understand that they are ‘kenough’ and not ‘just Ken’. The Barbies become more inclusive by including Weird Barbie and the Kens in their world. But, what about Margot Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie?

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Well, Robbie’s character has had the taste of the real world making her want to be human. The ghost of Ruth Handler tells her that when she made the doll, it was not supposed to have an ending. Barbie is an idea of a perfect woman that lives on. But, this one no longer wishes to stay in Barbieland after visiting the real world and knowing the world for what it is. So she passes on to the real world with Ruth’s blessing or curse, we are not sure.

The film ends with Barbie now living with Gloria and her family which includes Sasha and her father. Barbie, who now goes by Barbara Handler is dropped by Gloria and her family to a place. In all honesty, we were expecting Barbie to finally find the answer to her existential question about what she wants in life and what her ending could be: maybe she is heading for a job interview! But no, we see Barbie aka Barbara visit a gynecologist. Man, what is that about? Well, let us tell you what we think.

Greta Gerwig is a master of disguising theological themes in her movies (remember Lady Bird?). So, when the director compared her upcoming movie to the story of Adam and Eve in one of her interviews, we did not miss out on it and that is where the ending clicks. Broadly, the film’s ending hints at the way Milton’s Paradise Lost wraps up. After having a taste of the real world (picking and eating the apple from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil), Barbie can no longer go back to her paradise (Barbieland).

In some sense, she is cursed. She meets her creator (Ruth aka the God here) and gets to know that humans have only one ending- death (mortality comes as a curse for picking the apple from the tree). Barbie is Eve and, is now doomed to live a mortal life. Her visit to the gynaecologist refers to the natal curse where all women are doomed to motherhood and give birth in pain; her banishment comes with the weight of motherhood and, because genitals were not a part of the Barbieland aka Eden, she needs to get it checked right away for her duties to be fulfilled.

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The ending isn’t an isolated incident that hints at Milton’s work. As you can very well see in the film, Barbie is a prideful Eve whereas Ken is a loving Adam. Our titular character’s weakness is her vanity, much like Eve because what she singularly appreciates and cares about are the other Barbies (a reflection of herself). Much like Eve, it is Barbie who breaks the space-time continuum and has to go to the world outside and, Ken simply follows (this is the part where we argue that Weird Barbie is possibly the Serpent but, that is for some other time).

Much like Greta’s heroine and Milton’s Eve, women are not born submissive. Her thoughts of death and flat feet foreshadow Eve’s dream of temptation and downfall which is what happens leading both these powerful female characters to go from being independent to dependent.

The film is now streaming in theatres near you. So go and check it out!

To read our review of the latest film, click here.

Let us know in the comments below how you liked the movie and what was your interpretation of the ending!

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