Shakira Reveals Her Sons Felt ‘Barbie’ Was ‘Emasculating’ & She Agrees ‘to a Certain Extent’

‘My sons absolutely hated ‘Barbie,’ Shakira said in a new interview and believes in ‘giving women’ the ‘tools’ to feel empowered ‘without losing our femininity.’

It seemed like the whole world loved Barbie when it came out last year, but Shakira‘s sons aren’t big fans. The 47-year-old “Waka Waka” artist revealed in a new interview that Sasha and Milan — whom she shares with ex Gerard Piqué — “hated” Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie‘s 2023 film.

“My sons absolutely hated it,” Shakira told Allure in an interview published on Monday, April 1. “They felt that it was emasculating. And I agree, to a certain extent. I’m raising two boys. I want ‘em to feel powerful too [while] respecting women.”

The music artist continued, “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 compliment should not be lost.”

See more

Shakira gives her opinion on the ‘Barbie’ movie to Allure:

“My sons absolutely hated it. They felt that it was emasculating. And I agree, to a certain extent. I'm raising two boys. I want ‘em to feel powerful too [while] respecting women. I like pop culture when it attempts to… pic.twitter.com/Dk1JFS1Tl1

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 1, 2024

After being asked, “Just because a woman can do it all doesn’t mean she should?” Shakira elaborated,  “Why not share the load with people who deserve to carry it, who have a duty to carry it as well?”

After premiering in July 2023, Barbie was met with widespread praise, but a few critics slammed it for its jokes about men. Some even accused the project of being “anti-male.”

However, Ryan Gosling — who played Ken in the film — has been a proud speaker for the film and his collaboration with Greta and Margot. The 43-year-old actor even performed his character’s hit song from the movie, “I’m Just Ken,” at the 2024 Oscars. The performance received high praise, and Ryan also called out the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for snubbing Greta and Margot for Oscar nominations.

Despite how much Shakira’s children “hated” Barbie, the “Puntería” artist explained to Allure that she finds it “refreshing” when women can be their “unapologetic” selves. She reflected on the cover of her 2005 album, Oral Fixation, for which she posed as the character Eve.

“Eve was a story created by misogynists to put women in the little box where we have to remain silent, not speak our minds, and not be a catalyst for change. To keep things as they are,” she pointed out. “I’ll take that as a resounding ‘no.’ I think there’s something refreshing about women when they get to be themselves and be unapologetic. Because we’ve had to apologize so many damn times in the past.”