'Barbie' was one of the biggest box office successes of 2023 - but it seems that not everyone was enthused about Greta Gerwig's adaptation of the iconic doll's story.
The film was roundly praised for its storyline which imparted a feminist message - that a world run solely by men was not the ideal - but pop star Shakira says that her sons found the film 'emasculating'.
The Colombian pop star shares two sons, Milan (11) and Sasha (9) with her ex-husband, footballer Gerard Pique - and when asked in a new interview whether she had seen 'Barbie', responded: "I watched it, yeah," before pausing and taking a deep breath.
"My sons absolutely hated it. They felt that it was emasculating," she continued. "And I agree, to a certain extent. I’m raising two boys. I want ’em to feel powerful too [while] respecting women."
She added: "I like pop culture when it attempts to empower women without robbing men of their possibility to be men, to also protect and provide. I believe in giving women all the tools and the trust that we can do it all without losing our essence, without losing our femininity. I think that men have a purpose in society and women have another purpose as well. We complement each other, and that complement should not be lost."
Many would argue that that was the message that was ultimately imparted by the film, but the 'Whenever, Wherever' star's comments have not gone down well on social media...
