Turns out we were all wrong! When the main trailer of the movie Barbie came out, we were all led to believe that the adorable woman that appears sitting next to Margot Robbie’s character on a bench was no other than Barbara Handler, Ruth Handler’s daughter. If you already saw the movie or you’re a Barbie fan, you already know that Ruth is the woman who created the iconic doll named after her daughter Barbara.
For months we all swoon with love thinking that Barbara, who all her life tried to mark some distance between the doll and the brand, had decided to reconcile with Barbie and make a heartwarming cameo. However, now that the film is out, we have all realized that the beautiful woman isn’t Barbara, but another important and inspiring woman, Ann Rot
Who Is Ann Roth?
Ann Roth is a very important costume designer in the industry who has won two Academy Awards for her work in The English Patient in 1996 and Black Bottom in 2020. Roth has worked with Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach in the past and Greta considers her a very close friend.
Roth agreed to Greta’s wishes to be part of the movie in a scene the director has deemed as “the heart of the movie.” Although the scene doesn’t really lead to anything and the editing team suggested they could cut it out, Gerwig was adamant in keeping the scene: “If I cut the scene, I don’t know what this movie is about.”
This scene happens right after Barbie is trashed by a teenager breaking the bubble she has lived in all her life. Until now, Barbie believed she was made to help and inspire women, when she realizes some people think of her as a negative stereotype and even a “fascist” as the teen calls her, she has a meltdown. That’s when she meets this lady sitting right next to her on a park bench.
Barbie, still having that helping instinct to empower women tells the old woman that she’s beautiful to which she epically answers “I know.” At this point Barbie learns her very first lesson, we don’t need Barbie’s help, we can be bold and empowered by our own.
Ann Roth’s small part is very powerful, and although we thought the importance of this scene was that Barbie was meeting her sister (so to speak) the meaning is way deeper!
