Barbie Shines With A Distinctly Mexican Hue
Rosa Mexicano on the big screen, and everywhere else
This past weekend has proven to be the comeback that Hollywood has been dreaming of since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Led by Greta Gerwig's hotly anticipated tongue-in-cheek Barbie, this weekend saw the biggest opening in history for a movie directed by a woman, the biggest opening for a non-sequel or superhero movie, and the fourth biggest box office weekend in history.
But this isn't Hollywood Listo, so why am I talking about the U.S. movie factory and what looks to be its biggest hit this year? Well, it partly comes down to the color pink. Amongst other things, Barbie is a very pink movie (no, not the communist kind - stop living in the 1950s).
But the distinctive pink palette that permeates the cinematic Barbie universe was not born in Hollywood, nor was it a Greta Gerwig invention. Instead, the blame for the color pink now being in short supply in the world's paint stores can be laid squarely at the feet of renowned Mexican cinematographer, Rodrigo Prieto.
Born in Mexico City, Prieto graduated from Mexico's Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica. He would go on to work with such legendary directors as Spike Lee, Pedro Almodóvar, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Martin Scorsese, and has been nominated for three Academy Awards. Prieto's unconventional camera techniques - including the use of bold colors, strong lighting, and overexposure - led director Gerwig to approach him to shoot her movie based on the iconic Barbie doll. At one point during their collaboration, Prieto suggested to Gerwig that they should incorporate the Rosa Mexicano color in the film. Gerwig had no idea what he was talking about.
Rosa Mexicano
Rosa Mexicano is a color based on the bougainvillea plant, which seemingly grows everywhere in Mexico. The color was invented in the 1950s by the Mexican cartoonist and artist Ramón Valdiosera, as part of his effort to introduce to the world fashion based on pre-hispanic roots. It became an overnight sensation in the fashion world, and cemented Rosa Mexicano as a integral part of Mexican art and culture.
After Prieto explained and showed the color to Gerwig, she insisted that it be incorporated into the chromatic vision of Barbie. The rest is... well, here's the rest:
Barbie mania sweeps Mexico
The Barbie movie opened last weekend to an international audience. Helped by a visit to Mexico City by the film's stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and America Ferrera, Barbie's Mexico opening smashed box office records here. Not content with sitting back and watching theaters and movie studios reap all the rewards, Mexico's entrepreneurial spirit has gone into full Barbie overdrive.
From Acapulco to Veracruz to Mexico City, tortilla vendors are adding beet juice to their masa to create pink tortillas. The price per kilo for these pink tortillas is a bit more, but taco stands and restaurants are happy to pay the premium to deliver pink tacos to their Barbie obsessed customers.
In Morelia, bakers are making pink conchas - Mexico's traditional sweet bread - complete with silhouettes of the pony-tailed Barbie rendered in powdered sugar on top.
In Monterrey, Barbie pink and Ken blue elotes (grilled corn cobs) and esquites (sort of a corn salad, typically served in a cup) are on the menu. Barbielote or Kenelote anyone?
Even some Starbucks franchises are bucking the corporate menu to offer Barbie Pinkalicious Frappuccinos.
And not to be outdone by the mom-and-pops (or Starbucks), Mexican discount airline Volaris is cashing in as well, having recently painted the Barbie logo on one of their Airbus A320 aircraft.
And finally, Mexico presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum (whom I've written about here and here and here) has even been dragged into the Barbie hype (not a stretch, given that both Sheinbaum and Barbie share a signature ponytail): vendors in the La Doctores toy market in Mexico City are selling knock-off Barbies styled to resemble Mexico City's former mayor.
Anyway, I'd love to write more, but show time is approaching...
Postscript
The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that I've changed the accent color for Mexico Listo from its former lovely avocado green to Rosa Mexicano (hex code: #E4007C). I am thinking about making this change permanent, since Rosa Mexicano is such a Mexican color. And I like bougainvilleas. But then again, I like avocados. Anyway, if you have a preference, please let me know in the comments! And if you don't have a preference, please let me know in the comments!
Love how you stay on top of current events tied to Mexico! Thank you. Now I’m gonna have to go and see this darn movie. :-) I wish I could bring one of those pink Barbie buns with me to eat while I watch – lol. The good news is that the theaters are air-conditioned, so it doubles as a respite from the heat. And, at least, in my town, it is offered as a double feature with Oppenheimer. I’ll bring my sweater! Woo hoo!
I love bougainvillea too, when I am not pruning it!