Shakira brands Barbie movie as ’emasculating’ and says her sons ‘absolutely hated’ film
Shakira has criticised the Barbie movie as “emasculating”, adding men and women both have a “purpose” in society and one shouldn’t be at the expense of the other.
Speaking to Allure magazine, the 47-year-old Colombian popstar spoke about the blockbuster film released last summer, as well as her new album and her break-up with former footballer Gerard Pique.
Barbie is set in Barbie Land – a matriarchal system where women work all the high-end jobs, while the men (Kens) are subordinates to the Barbies and spend all their time at the beach.
The Mattel dolls travel to the real world where they experience the patriarchy which Beach Ken (Ryan Gosling) wishes to include in the Barbie Land constitution, but is thwarted by Barbie (Margot Robbie) and her team.
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But Shakira said her two young sons “absolutely hated” the movie, feeling it was “emasculating”, something that she agrees with “to a certain extent”.
She said: “I’m raising two boys. I want them to feel powerful too [while] respecting women.
“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.”
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Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is among the top-grossing movies of all time, earning $1.4bn (£1.15bn) globally.
The film also features a monologue delivered by actress America Ferrera, a Mattel employee, about the expectations placed on women by society which ultimately inspires the other Barbies to revolt and save Barbie Land from the new rule.
Margot Robbie as Barbie. Pic: Warner Bros
However, Shakira gave a more nuanced perspective, saying: “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?”
Allure call this the “Shakira Paradox” where she believes women merit agency and power, as do men, who should also exhibit traditional signs of masculinity.
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Barbie v the patriarchy
‘Women No Longer Cry’
Shakira’s sons Sasha, nine, and Mila, 11, are shared with her ex-partner Pique, a former Barcelona defender and Spanish international.
The Hips Don’t Lie singer reflected on her separation with Pique in June 2022 after 11 years together and the release of her first album in seven years – Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, or Women No Longer Cry.
She said following the break-up she was “in the mud” and she “had to reconstruct myself, to reunite all the pieces that had fallen apart” which is explored in the album.
Shakira celebrates the official release of her new album. Pic: AP
The three-time Grammy winner said women used to have “to mind their manners, to hide the pain, to cry in silence”, but in today’s society “no one will tell us how to heal, how to clean our wound”.
Speaking about her autonomy, she said: “No one tells me how to cry or when to cry, no one tells me how to raise my children, no one tells me how I become a better version of myself. I decide that.”
Shakira said there was “something refreshing about women when they get to be themselves and be unapologetic”.
“Because we’ve had to apologise so many damn times in the past,” she added.
Entertainment
Scottish artist Nnena Kalu wins Turner Prize 2025 for hanging Barcelona sculptures and Liverpool exhibition
Scottish artist Nnena Kalu has won the 2025 Turner Prize with two exhibitions, including a series of brightly coloured sculptures.
The Glaswegian, 59, took home the visual arts prize along with £25,000 at an award ceremony on Tuesday in Bradford, this year’s UK City of Culture.
As reported by The Guardian, she is the first artist with a learning disability to win the award.
Nnena Kalu, from Glasgow, is the winner of this year’s Turner Prize. Pic: Nnena Kalu/ActionSpace/PA
Along with Hanging Sculpture 1-10, which European art exhibitors Manifesta commissioned her to create at a disused power station in Barcelona, Ms Kalu won for her presentation in Conversations, a group exhibition at Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.
For the sculpture series, the artist created the vividly-coloured works from repeated lines and wrappings of different materials, making nest or cocoon-like forms.
Hanging Sculpture 1 – 10 by Nnena Kalu. Pic: PA
The installation consisted of 10 large brightly-coloured sculptures that hung from grey concrete pillars of the industrial site.
Meanwhile, for Conversations, Kalu presented work in pen, graphite and chalk pen on two pieces of paper.
Conversations by Nnena Kalu. Pic: PA
The jury, which was chaired by Alex Farquharson, the director of Tate Britain, commended Kalu’s “bold and compelling work” and praised the “lively translation of expressive gesture” in the abstract sculpture and drawing.
The panel also acknowledged her scale, composition and colour, highlighting “the powerful presence” her works have.
Nnena Kalu’s nominated Turner Prize works. Pic: PA
Kalu is also a resident artist at ActionSpace’s studio, which supports learning disabled artists across London at Studio Voltaire, and beat out fellow shortlisted artists Rene Matic, Mohammed Sami and Zadie Xa.
The works by the four artists are currently available to see at a free exhibition at Bradford’s Cartwright Hall Art Gallery until 22 February.
Jonathan Orrell views work by Nnena Kalu for the Turner Prize. Pic: PA
Named after British painter JMW Turner, this year’s prize marked the 250th anniversary of his birth.
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Previous winners include artist Damien Hirst in 1995 and filmmaker Sir Steve McQueen in 1999, while last year’s winner, Jasleen Kaur, picked up the prize for Alter Altar – which covered a red sports car with a giant ornamental doily mat.
Entertainment
Rappers Bob Vylan sue Irish broadcaster RTE over claim lead singer led ‘antisemitic chants’ at Glastonbury gig
Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan are suing Irish national broadcaster RTE for defamation, claiming it misrepresented chants led by the band when they played this year’s Glastonbury festival.
The group, which performed at Dublin’s Vicar Street last month, claim they were defamed in a report by RTE News that said the lead singer led antisemitic chants when they played the Somerset festival in June.
During their performance, singer Pascal Robinson-Foster, whose stage name is Bobby Vylan, led a chant of “death, death, to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]”.
File pic: PA
Pic: PA
It provoked widespread criticism of the artist, including from Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis, and the BBC, which live streamed their show.
Phoenix Law launched legal action on behalf of Robinson-Foster and drummer Wade Laurence George at Ireland’s High Court on Monday, according to court records.
The firm said: “The proceedings arise from a broadcast aired by RTE News following Bob Vylan’s performance at Glastonbury Festival on 28 June 2025.
“During this broadcast, comments were made alleging that the lead singer of Bob Vylan led antisemitic chants. These allegations are categorically denied by our clients and are entirely untrue.”
Phoenix Law said Bob Vylan had made statements expressing support for Palestinian self-determination and criticising military actions by the IDF (Israel Defence Forces).
His comments did not target Jewish people or express hatred towards any group, the firm said, suggesting they were “politically charged but not antisemitic in nature”.
Solicitor Darragh Mackin said the pair “are no stranger to utilising their freedom of expression to speak out against the genocide in Gaza“.
Mr Mackin said there was “a fundamental distinction between speaking critically about the role of the Israeli state forces, and being antisemitic”.
“The former is speech within the confines of political expression, whereas the latter is a form of hatred directed towards Jewish people,” he added.
Read more on Sky News:
Who are Bob Vylan?
The BBC apologised, including to the Jewish community, and said it regretted not pulling the live stream of the set and promised not to live stream “high-risk” acts in future.
It partially upheld complaints made over the broadcast, accepting the live stream broke the corporation’s editorial guidelines.
Ofcom’s chief executive, Dame Melanie Dawes, said the BBC needed to “get a grip quicker” on handling such controversies and complete its internal reports and investigations sooner.
Last month, the Metropolitan Police said detectives would take no further action over similar alleged chants made at a Bob Vylan gig in London in May.
The individual was not arrested but an investigation was ongoing, the Met said.
Avon and Somerset Police said a man, in his 30s, understood to be Mr Robinson-Foster, had voluntarily attended an interview in relation to the band’s Glastonbury performance. Enquiries are ongoing, the force said on Tuesday.
The US condemned the act’s “hateful tirade”, revoking their visas, while several festivals cancelled their upcoming appearances.
Speaking to Louis Theroux in October, Bobby Vylan said he had no regrets about the chants and would do it again “tomorrow”.
Sky News has contacted RTE for comment.
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