Shakira agrees with sons, who 'absolutely hated' “Barbie”:“ ”'It was emasculating – I agree, to a certain extent'

"I like pop culture when it attempts to empower women without robbing men of their possibility to be men."

Shakira's tween sons "absolutely hated" Greta Gerwig's summer blockbuster Barbie because they felt it was "emasculating" — and she agrees, "to a certain extent."

The "Hips Don't Lie" singer shared her thoughts about the film that explores feminism and patriarchy in a recent cover interview with Allure. "I'm raising two boys. I want 'em to feel powerful too [while] respecting women," she said. "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," Shakira added. "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.”

The interviewer asked in response, “Just because a woman can do it all doesn’t mean she should?”

“Why not share the load with people who deserve to carry it, who have a duty to carry it as well?” Shakira said.

The perceived emasculation of Ryan Gosling's Ken — who in the film unwittingly unleashes the patriarchy into the feminist utopia that is Barbie Land after he's spent some time in the Real World, where men reign supreme — has been a talking point among conservative commentators, drawing fury from the likes of Ben Shapiro and Piers Morgan.

Gerwig, for her part, has taken the criticisms in stride. "Certainly, there's a lot of passion," she told The New York Times last summer. "My hope for the movie is that it's an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren't necessarily serving us as either women or men. I hope that in all of that passion, if they see it or engage with it, it can give them some of the relief that it gave other people."

The record-breaking film starring Margot Robbie recently earned eight nominations at the 2024 Oscars, taking home the win for Best Original Song for Billie Eilish and Finneas' ballad "What Was I Made For?"

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