By: Renee Riendeau / Movie Revelations At times called the “plastic princess”, the Mattel doll that most little girls grew up with is now a hit movie. Director Greta Gerwig’s film was No.1 at the box office for weeks Some say “Barbie” is poised to become 20<strong>23</strong>’s top film. It is now the biggest movie to be directed by a woman. This award-winning cast includes; Margot Robbie as Barbie, Ryan Gosling as Ken, plus America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Rhea Perlman, Micheal Cena, and Kate McKinnon. “Barbie” is a visually dazzling comedy whose meta humor is smartly complemented by subversive storytelling. To live in Barbie Land, confectionary pink, is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full existential crisis. Or you’re Ken. Ryan Gosling goes all out, especially in his rendition of “I’m Just Ken “, as he acknowledges pressures men face. In one scene, 44 Kens wearing black outfits and Barbie-pink socks, absurdly strike each other with aggressive dance moves. This film is funny, bright, and uplifting! It has a lot to say about the modern world in terms of feminism and gender equality. It’s a wicked satire for everything the Barbie franchise stands for. It’s not mean spirited, in fact, it’s a celebration, a balancing act for the ages. My favorite scene shows Barbie sitting down on a bench where a 91 year old woman is sitting reading a newspaper. Barbie says to her, “You’re beautiful !” And the woman replies with a smile, “I know it.” The movie is clever and I enjoyed going back in time as both of my daughters had played with these dolls, I’m giving this film a <strong>10</strong> and suggest you go see it for yourself. 16 Barbie Renee Riendeau is the movie reviewer for The Vegas Voice. Renee can be reached at rriendeau@aol.com and is anxious to hear from you. October 20<strong>23</strong> Living in the Widowhood By: Pat Landaker / Positive Aging I ’m approaching <strong>10</strong> years as a widow. At times, it’s been tough and challenging, sad and lonely, and scary and intimidating, but it’s also been filled with lessons learned, mindset resets, and lots of reminders calling for self-love, self-care, and lots of self-acceptance. The Widowhood was my home. It wasn’t a bad place to live, until it became my comfort zone. It took a few years before I realized it’s not the place I wanted to live. Grief lasts as long as love lasts, and love lasts forever. I had to figure out how to grieve, accept, and move forward. I had to learn to support myself in my grief, as I continued to accept and adjust to my new normal. I had to shift my mindset. As you probably know, life in the Widowhood comes complete with all the reasons and excuses to stop living and stop enjoying life. You may even begin to exist on auto pilot. However, it also comes with plenty of reasons to reset and re-self. You’ll have to adapt to the YOU that supports your new independence. You’ll never be okay, but you must learn to support yourself and adjust. A mindset reset is in order. Leaving the often-hopeless mindset of widowhood involves a few shifts and lots of self-awareness. It involves self-discovery and self-rediscovery. Some parts of life will need reimagining. You’ll need to take lots of deep breaths; then, you’ll be able to set your soul free. It’s time to be YOU, guilt-free, with a healthy hold on the past and a future vision filled with self-care and self-awareness. It’s time to create and move into an updated, renovated Widowhood tailored to who and where you want to be now. This is positive aging! Pat Landaker is a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) and owner of Living La Vida Senior, Ageless Aging, and CSA Senior Solutions. She teaches Positive Aging at UNLV/OLLI. www.patlandakerAGEncy. com or contact@livinglavidasenior.com
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