8 - Tuesday, January 9, 2006 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom What happened to my Barbie? Too easy. Stand and delivered SWANK AVOIDS PITFALLS FOR UNEXPECTED TRIUMPH By IMRAN SYED Daily Arts Writer For an actress like Hilary Swank, having a movie open in January - the first weekend, no less - can't be a good thing. Withaudiencesfocusingon **'* expanding Oscar contend- F ers from the previous year Freedom ("Munich" and "Brokeback Writers Mountain" last year, "Chil- At Showcase dren of Men" and Let- and Quality16 ters From Iwo Jima" this Paramount year), the first weekend of the new year is generally when the studios can dump their garbage new releases with the least attention. That's probably why, in the past five years, the number of Academy Award winners to star in a film released in the first two weekends of January is exactly zero. Considering this, "Freedom Writers" is a pleasant surprise. Based on a true story, the film stars Swank ("Million Dollar Baby") as Erin Gruwell, a young teacher who begins work at an underperforming high school in Long Beach. Suffering the birth pains of court-mandated integrationand the aftereffects of the L.A. riots of the early '90s, Woodrow Wilson High School is a war zone. Gangs of several ethnic groups (whites, blacks, Latinos and Cambodians) wage war against each other, and the school is simply another arena for their hatred. As Erin works to neutralize the student vio- lence, her efforts are stonewalled by the school administrators - led by a poisonous Imelda Staunton ("Vera Drake") - who believe it's their job to teach onlythe gifted kids and simplybaby- sit everyone else. But like every assiduous ideologist before her, Erin only becomes more convinced of what has to be done as more and more people tell her to take the easy way out. Sacrificing her free time, mar- riage and potentially even her job, she puts a per- sonal stake on resolving her students' problems. Like nearly every against-the-odds under- dog story in recent years, "Freedom Writers" is platitude-heavy and dragged down by the need to resolve the massive problems it pres- ents. Though the gang members in Erin's class read "Anne Frank" and find that it's "dope," for example, we're still left with the sense that not all will turn out well for the students. Even with its gift-wrapped resolution, how- ever, "Freedom Writers" doesn't denythe harsh- ness of real life, and that makes it somewhat unique. The film's final saving grace is the mere fact that its storyline is a true one - the cease- less efforts of one teacher actually did save these particular kids from lives of crime and poverty. Several even went on to college. In attempting to maintain a sense of reality in a movie that should have a more convention- al happy ending, "Freedom Writers" is easily darker than its genre's counterparts. And that's where Swank's naively exuberant take on her role becomes important. She doesn't fall into the trap of matching her portrayal to the grim mood of the film and appropriately serves as the coun- terforce to all the negativity that other char- acters bring to the table. Her acting is simple, perhaps not much different from her real-life personality, but it exacts the same prescience of human tendencies that made her best perfor- mances legendary. After a season of film that disappointed great- ly (see: "The Black Dahlia," "The Good German," among others), we have in "Freedom Writers" another film that defies expectation, though this time pleasantly so. This is but further proof that what studios think is the best, even at winning awards, is usually way off the mark. How fitting that a film about overcoming low expectations brings some quality to a time defined by cin- ematic garbage. i'mnot ashamed to admit that I for the better part of my child- hood, I was a Barbie person. While some kids had a corner for their molded-to-perfection dream house or a chest overflowing with fluorescent pink miniskirts, I had an entire room dedicated to the world of Barbie. I lost hours, days even, invent- ing and reinventingthe lives of my dolls, and I can safely say that I'm not alone. Grossing $1.9 billion annually, the consumer's dollar has voted. Barbie has yet to be replaced, CARO but it hasn't been for lack HAR of trying. For decades, feminist groups have charged the doll with crimes of fostering unfair expectations for young girls in a male-centric world. Sure, Barbie's taken on the roles of cheerleader and flight attendant more than once, but she's also held five different positions in the U.S. military, performed surgery and even ran for president in 1992. If the modern feminist movement champions had a choice, Barbie should be its queen. According to Lenore Wright, a writer and philosopher atBaylor University, Barbie can be seen as "the symbol of female emancipation because she works and does not have to depend on men for her wealth and posses- sions," but this empowering per- spective is rarely the common one. No toy is perfect, butBarbie is one of the few that has vigor- ously maintained its popular appeal - and for more than her diverse career paths. Any one of the thou- sands of bubbly faces at a Barbie collectors' convention can tell you that the power of Barbie is anything but tame. After naming a Barbie after herself as a kid, Wright came to an enlightening realization: "I could become one of them, and they could be extensions of me. I began think- ingin rudimentary ways about self- identity." Barbie serves as a measure of comparison, and whether it's a real- istic one or not is irrelevant in the minds of children trying to make sense of their lives. What other toy instantaneously summons up a comprehensive society upon open- ing the box? Simply put, Barbie is an exception to the rule. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees. The Barbie Liberation Organization - yes, it's an actual group - has been a long-time opponent of Mattel's shining star. In 1989, the group went so far as to replace the voice boxes in 300 talk- ing Barbie dolls to supplant cheery shoppingslogans with their femi- nist agenda, including the phrase "Dead men tell no lies." Maybe I'm beingtoo sensitive, but that seems a bit extreme. Activist groups aside, my big- gest Barbie pet peeve comes from the creator itself. The innumerable attempts at calculating Barbie's exact measurements have generated little agreement among profession- als, but her size sparks frequent and fervent debate nonetheless. Some claim that her delicate feet would never support the weight of her body, and others put her measure- ments at an unnatural 38-18-34. Regardless, nothing aboutBarbie's appearance inherently dictates her personality or her lifestyle. The same could be said of Wonder Woman or Scully from TV's "The X-Files," but Barbie typically receives all the blame. So in 1997, Mattel 4 ? decided it was time for a change and proposed to give Barbie a "fresh" makeover in order to cre- ate a more realistic image. Barbie's revamped style LINE -including an expanded waistline and reduced 'MANN cup size - dropped her a few notches down my list of nostal- gic favorites. (I won't even mention the quandary of one billion fashions that no longer fit Barbie's drasti- cally modified frame.) Let's be clear about something: Barbie isn't supposed to be real. She's a doll, and the people playing with her are more than aware of that fact. Not only am I disappoint- ed in the company for bending to the will of the "progressively mind- Who ever said Barbie is supposed to be real? ed," but who are they to determine what the normal body standards should be for young girls? Within the doll's-alterations is an implied responsibility to depict the ideal woman, a role that Mattel should never have been forced to take on. Not to saythatBarbie is an innocent victim of feminist harass- ment. It's undeniable that the Malibu-Barbie image is less than role-model material: sexually inviting beachwear, a glossy smile permanently painted on her face and a carefully bent elbow awaiting the arm of her surf-dude sweet- heart, Ken - Barbie does have her moments of pronounced superfi- ciality. And though recent years have given rise to a racially diverse Barbie gang, the collection isn't exactly an accurate depiction of the American melting pot. But accept- ing valid criticism is far different than representing the downfall of the nation's youth, of which Barbie deserves to be exonerated. The anti-Barbie battle is general- ly one of unfounded adult fears and the desperate need to pinpoint an object of blame. For many, Barbie has become the elusive answer to questions of body image insecurity and the housewife mentality, but a children's toy can hardlybe ren- dered accountable. The likelihood of Barbie turning the next genera- tion of youngsters into credit-card dependent chicks is about as prob- able as the Teletubbies turning them gay. She's atoy-store goddess. Get over it already. - Hartmann can be reached at carolinh@umich.edu. 0 IJUDGE & DON HERZTFELDT PRESENT The Anim ion Show Boxset: Volumes 1 & 2 -ON DYD JAN. 16- Personally programmed by Mike Judge (Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill, Office Space) and Academy Award' nominee Don Hertzfeldt, the first two years of The Animation Show brought together award-winning animators from all over the world on the big screen. DVD Boxset includes additional films not included on the tour. Each volume is also available separately at AnimationShow.com. NOT RATED Fuel for your digitallife Stdnts! get any regular pr when you show your ID Card! 6 a InkStop has it all. We're your local one-stop store for a huge selection of Ink, Toner, Paper, Digital Media and more, all at GUARANTEED low orices. 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