It's a Barbie world, we're just living in it

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     July 20, 2023 Are you ready for Barbenheimer weekend? At risk of sounding like I work in PR, it's the blockbuster movie event of the summer. Greta Gerwig's Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, shares a release date with Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, starring the atom bomb. Twitter user @godlikemind sarcastically [summed up the hype](: "Has anybody noticed that Oppenheimer is low key dark and edgy af while Barbie is lighthearted and fun, making for a playful dichotomy at the box offices." I, unfortunately, am not ready for Barbenheimer weekend, because I didn't buy my tickets ahead of time and now the only seats available at my local theater are in the front row. Instead of risking neck pain, I've been revisiting the Mother Jones archives, because we've written a lot about Barbie over the years. In 2001, [we wrote](, “No matter how much we wish she would, Barbie just won’t go away.” We have commented on Barbie's negative effects on the [environment]( and on [young girls' body image](. And, in a particularly interesting excerpt from Peggy Orenstein's Girls & Sex, we published a piece on the phenomenon of young women r[emoving all of their pubic hair]( to conform to a smooth, plasticky Barbie ideal. Our coverage gives the impression that Barbie has had a net negative effect on society, and that might be the case, but it's not going to stop me from enjoying a [star-studded]( movie with a killer soundtrack and endless meme potential—as soon as I can get tickets. And if Oppenheimer is more your speed, don't miss the story of its [disastrous 1947 precursor](, which amounted to "little more than pro-bomb propaganda." —Abigail Weinberg Advertisement [House BookShop Ad]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [I’m a Striking TV Writer. Here’s Why We’re Doing This.]( It's our generation’s labor fight: Tech vs. humans. BY RAFAEL AGUSTIN SPONSORED CONTENT FROM AFROLA MEDIA GROUP   Trusted news with an unapologetic voice AfroLA is data-driven and community-centered news for all Los Angeles—not just Black L.A. Covering [environmental justice and climate change](, [innovative approaches to the housing crisis]( and more, AfroLA is nonprofit solutions journalism told with insight, context and nuance unconstrained by the 24/7 news grind. [Learn more]( about AfroLA's mission and subscribe to The Breakdown, AfroLA's [weekly newsletter](. [Trending] [Let me ride my bike through the crosswalk if it's dangerous in the street]( BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG   [Wesleyan did right on legacy admissions. Let's talk about the Ivies now.]( BY MICHAEL MECHANIC   [The everyday workers of Hollywood's historic double strike need you to know some things]( BY ARIANNA COGHILL   [A landmark ruling is making Florida respect disabled kids' rights]( BY JULIA MÉTRAUX Advertisement [House Donations Ad]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [The Disastrous Oppenheimer Movie You’ve Never Heard Of]( "Oppie" signed off with assurances, but MGM's big-budget picture didn't go as he'd hoped. BY GREG MITCHELL [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755