The marketing campaign for the Barbie movie has been something to behold. From brand collaborations, to meme-able cast posters, Warner Bros. is determined to draw out an audience to the theaters opening weekend. The film is also being released worldwide, with several posters being drawn up for different languages. Apparently the French poster didn’t quite translate as planned from English, resulting in an hilarious dirty pun on the poster.
The tagline of Barbie has been “She’s everything, and he’s just Ken.” The tagline has become somewhat of a meme, with many people on the internet posting their own version of the Barbie/Ken dynamic advertised. However, when making the French poster, the marketing team opted for the similar tagline “She can do everything. He’s just Ken,” but it’s in French with the literal French translation being “Elle peut tout faire. Lui, c’est juste Ken.” This phrase is also apparently chalk full of French slang, especially around the word “Ken” and the tagline can also be translated to “She knows how to do everything. He just knows how to f**k.”
While it’s unclear whether WB understood the double meaning, The Hollywood Reporter asserts there is no way that the marketing team would have not noticed. The publication alleges that no French speaking person wouldn’t have picked up on the raunchy implication, especially considering the imagery on the poster, which shows a shirtless Ryan Gosling, lifting an impeccably dressed Margot Robbie as Barbie on his shoulders. The Barbie posters thus far have been super detail oriented, so I can’t see this passing through without a second thought. Also, considering the slight change to the tagline for the French poster, it does feel pretty deliberate. Here, take a look:
thinking about the french barbie poster (si tu sais tu sais) pic.twitter.com/2I6RoJ9UZoJune 22, 2023
While we will never know for sure if the marketing team wanted to let this dirty French pun slide, it certainly wouldn’t be completely out of character for the movie. The trailer itself has many funny nods to the sexless innocence of Ken and Barbie’s relationship, even though they are “girlfriend-boyfriend.” Also, despite the childlike subject matter, Barbie has achieved a PG-13 rating, and is not being advertised as a movie for children. Given all of this, I think this subtle crass tagline is fitting, purposeful or not.
Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie have also suggested that the movie will be about feminism and carry more complicated themes about young girlhood. Even the first trailer referenced 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is a 1968 film by Stanley Kubrick. Barbie is set to be a lot more meta and existential than many first realized, suggesting a complex movie going experience. With all it’s trying to achieve, it has earned its little dirty joke. Also, there is a long storied history of filmmakers hiding adult content in innocent places, so some could see it as carrying on a movie tradition.
Barbie is one of the most anticipated movies of the summer, and it hits theaters on July 21st. It features tons of pink and sparkly moments fit for the Mattel icon, and an all-star cast, so make sure to check it out. For more information on other movies coming to cinemas later this year, you can consult our 2023 movie release schedule.
