Through the years, Barbie has captured the hearts of many children around the world. Brookeville resident Maddie Rohan was no exception.
Rohan, 20, recalls the popular toy having a prominent role within her childhood and that of many others in her generation.
“I think a lot of kids in our generation grew up with Barbie dolls or, like, at least saw them in the store,” she said. “So, I think it was a big part of all of our childhoods. I don’t know if kids still play with them, but they were definitely a big part of my childhood. They were really fun, and I would, like, cut hair and stuff. I love Barbies.”
Rohan is preparing to fully deck herself in Barbie couture with her friends as they prepare for the movie’s premiere.
“My friends and I decided that we were going to kind of dress in all pink, kind of like Barbie,” she said. “We went to a thrift shop and … picked out certain types of Barbie outfits.”
Although the movie officially hits theatres Friday, Rohan and her friends will be seeing an early screening Thursday evening.
Pink is the “it” color this weekend as even Montgomery County businesses are preparing for the release of the Barbie movie.
Co-owner Brian France of Record Exchange, at 8642 Colesville Road in Silver Spring, had customers tap into their Barbie and Ken energy as the store hosted a listening party Tuesday evening for the movie’s soundtrack.
“We definitely wanted to make a big thing about it—doing, like, costume contests, kind of dress up and make it as fun as possible,” he said. “We are excited.”
The soundtrack features songs by Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Khalid, Billie Eilish and the Barb herself, Nicki Minaj. France said the listening party piqued a lot of interest.
“People seem very excited about it,” he said Tuesday prior to the event. “We’ve been getting calls all day.”
The listening party wasn’t limited to simply appeasing people’s ears but also giving away pink visors, sunglasses, and prizes from a raffle.
Although France wasn’t much of a fan of the brand in his youth, he said he’s excited to see the film.
This Friday, the soundtrack will also be available for vinyl in the store, France said.
In addition to bringing Rohan’s beloved childhood toy to the big screen and creating a fun pink night with her friends, without even seeing it Rohan said the film is already living up to her expectations as she is also a fan of its director, Greta Gerwig.
From film clips and trailers, Rohan said she’s seen a theme of inclusion.
“I like how it’s very diverse,” she said. “It’s showing everybody is a Barbie rather than just like the stereotypical look of Barbie [of having] blond hair, blue eyes. I don’t have that [look], like a ton of people don’t but that doesn’t make them not a Barbie.”