Barbie fascist joke explained: meaning behind movie's 'railways' joke, what is a fascist - links to Mussolini

The highly anticipated Barbie movie finally graced screens in late July, captivating audiences with its blend of humour, a pastel pink colour palette, and its surprisingly insightful commentary on patriarchy and other societal issues.

The film, directed by Greta Gerwig, features Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, venturing beyond the confines of Barbie Land into the real world. So far, so innocent. But one particular line involving a reference to fascism has sparked both fascination and controversy (and more than a little confusion) from viewers.

So just what exactly does the Barbie movie's "fascism" joke mean, and how did it come to be in the film in the first place? Here is everything you need to know about it.

What is the 'fascism' joke?

At one point in the film, once Barbie has left Barbie Land in search of the girl who’s playing with her, the titular character goes to an LA high school and meets Sasha, played by Ariana Greenblatt. Greenblatt's character launches into a tirade of accusations directed towards Barbie, claiming that she promotes unattainable beauty standards and ultimately makes women feel bad about themselves.

She concludes by referring to Barbie as a "fascist," to which the Mattel doll responds: “She thinks I’m a fascist?! I don’t control the railways or the flow of commerce!”

What does the joke mean?

Fascism is a political ideology that emerged in the early 20th century, characterised by authoritarianism, extreme nationalism and a centralised government led by a single charismatic leader. It often emphasises the suppression of individual rights and freedoms in favour of the state's interests and goals.

The joke is based on the long-running misconception that Mussolini, the first widely acknowledged fascist leader, was responsible for keeping the trains on schedule.

Benito Mussolini was an Italian politician who became the leader of Italy and established the first fascist government in the world. Mussolini's rise to power and his tenure as Prime Minister marked a significant turning point in the history of Italy and had lasting effects on the course of world events.

Mussolini began his political career as a socialist and journalist, but he later became disillusioned with socialism and turned towards nationalism and anti-communism. In 1919, he founded the Fascist Party (Partito Nazionale Fascista) with the aim of creating a strong and unified Italy, opposing what he saw as the weakness of liberal democracy and socialism.

Mussolini claimed to have made Italy's trains run on time during his rule. In doing so, he aimed to showcase Italy's progress and efficiency under fascist rule, and improvements to transportation networks, including trains, were part of this narrative.

However, the claim is largely a myth and an exaggeration. While Mussolini's regime did implement certain changes in Italy's transportation infrastructure which may have led to some marginal improvements, the idea that he miraculously transformed the train system's punctuality is not entirely accurate.

The claim of making the trains run "on time" was likely exaggerated for propaganda purposes. The Mussolini regime wanted to project an image of efficiency and strength, and portraying the trains as running with punctuality served that purpose.

How did the joke get into the movie?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the inclusion of the "fascist" joke wasn't met with enthusiasm from Mattel, the company behind Barbie, and Gerwig told the New York Times that she never got the "full" seal of approval from the company. She said: "I got a tentative, 'Well, OK. I see that you are going to do this, so go ahead and we'll see how it goes.'

"But that's all you need, and I had faith once it was in there and they saw it that they would embrace it, not fight it. Maybe at the end of the day, my will to have it in was stronger than any other will to take it out."

The New Yorker previously reported that Mattel's chief operating officer and president, Richard Dickson, went into London for one of several set visits to talk with Gerwig and Robbie, who both produce and star in the movie, about the conversation concerning Barbie's influence on girls' self-esteem.

Mattel Films executive producer Robbie Brenner also reportedly informed Mattel company leadership that they would be "white-knuckling it the whole time" while viewing the movie, according to Time. Gerwig also told the Times that she thought it was critical for the movie to explicitly confront the societal criticisms of Barbie, and that it was crucial to have a "really smart character" deliver those arguments directly to the doll after Barbie has has just discovered that her existence does not, in fact, solve all problems for women.

"Also, I grew up with a mom who was kind of against Barbie, so that's how I knew all that," Gerwig said. "If you don't give voice to that, then you're nowheresville."