Growing up, I loved dolls. More specifically, I loved Barbie dolls. Every Saturday morning, I would spend hours entertaining myself playing Barbies with my sister. Every Barbie had a name, as did every Kelly doll and Ken. By the time I shelved all of my Barbies away for good, I had amassed a collection of nearly 100 Barbies, Kens, Kellys, Bratz, My Scene Dolls and Betty Spaghetty dolls.

I had an active imagination, and loved the idea of building my own fantasy BarbieLand. I didn’t want to go anywhere without them. These dolls lived their lives with me. If I was going to the beach, so were they. My Barbies had a Beach cruiser and a wave runner and lifejackets. They went on trains and planes with me, and even sometimes found themselves on the back of a motorcycle with my dad. For Christmas one year, my sister and I were gifted small suitcases that said Jill’s Barbies and Alex’s Barbies, so they could continue their travels with us, but never get lost. These Barbies lived the life of a regular person, but in a Dreamhouse.

Needless to say, I was more excited than most at the idea of the Barbie movie.

I watched the trailer countless times trying to get any hint of what the movie might entail, but it gave little away. All I knew was that Barbie traveled to the real world.

Those growing up in the 90’s may remember the DCOM “Life Size,” starring a young Lindsay Lohan and Tyra Banks.

It centers around a girl who doesn’t care much for dolls, especially the new Eve doll, but is gifted one by her dad’s girlfriend. One night, her doll comes to life and turns into a real person. While scared and frustrated at first, the character played by Lohan begins to really love the idea of having a role model in her life who believes women can do anything they put their mind to.

While I didn’t think Barbie would have the exact same premise, I figured it might be similar.

Barbie takes viewers on a wild journey.

In BarbieLand, the Barbies rule and the Kens drool, literally, but only over the beauty of Barbie.

Barbie is the President, the Supreme Court Justices, the mailwoman, the doctor, the vet and the construction crew.

However, the “Stereotypical Barbie,” played by Margot Robbie is not feeling herself. She has developed thoughts of death, cellulite and flat feet. Gasp.

Barbie learns the child playing with her in the real world must be sad, therefore resulting in her malfunction. She must travel to the Real World to make things right.

So Barbie and Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, travel to the Real World.

In the Real World, Barbie finds out that is not a young girl playing with her, but a mother whose teen daughter is pulling away. The mother has found the dolls they once played with together and started to reminisce. While Barbie attempts to mend their relationship and her own self, Ken learns in the Real World, men are respected, they are even asked what time it is. He checks out several books and sees that men are the President and that real men love horses.

He vows to return to BarbieLand and tell the other Kens.

Ken returns to BarbieLand before Barbie and the humans and tells the other Kens of his newfound knowledge. All the Kens ban together to create new dojos complete with big screen t.v.’s that only play Westerns, purchase all new big, jacked-up trucks, and force the Barbies to dress in maid uniforms and hand them “brewskis.”

When Barbie returns, she is devastated at the mess Ken has made, but Ken informs her all he ever wanted was to be treated as an equal and love her. Barbie makes it clear she doesn’t love Ken in that way, and this is BarbieLand, where Kens are not equals.

Barbie hatches a plan to help return the Barbies to their normal selves, while the Kens fight among each other over which Ken is loved most.

After saving her fellow Barbies, Barbie decides this world ins’t for her anymore and leaves with the humans to go back to the Real World.

Just when viewers think Barbie wants a mother/daughter relationship like the ones she saw in the Real World, they are tricked. Despite the fact Ken has apologized and professed his love, Barbie turns him away, and ends the movie going to the OBGYN.

The ending was supposed to be left up to the viewers’ own interpretation, but I wasn’t a fan. I got no sense of a fairytale ending.

I understand the movie was a nod at female empowerment, and the director was trying to say growing up and going to the “big girl” doctor is empowering, but I assure you it’s not empowering; it’s every girl’s worst nightmare.

I also thought the female empowerment movement doesn’t need to negate men’s contributions to society, just to make women seem powerful.

Barbie can do anything, but in a child’s imagination, so can Ken.

I remember my parents gifting me a Ken doll that was supposed to represent my dad. The Ken doll was on a bicycle with a kid’s carrier seat attached to it. My dad often let me ride his bike with him like that, and the doll was really special.

Kids don’t see the Patriarchy that Barbie tried so hard to put down, all they see is Barbie pushing Ken away and making a mockery of his love and affection toward her. I found this especially odd, considering there is a Wedding Barbie and Ken in real life.

For me, the movie missed the mark. BarbieLand is all about imagination. Kids may imagine the Kens riding around on horses, while the Barbies cater to them or may imagine an all- girl world, where the Kens sleep on the grass, who cares; it’s their world! It didn’t have to be a political statement on the current male-dominated government. It’s a kid’s toy and I wish my lifelong favorite toy wasn’t now tied to some movie with a hidden political undertone.