It’s the main mic drop moment of theentireBarbiemovie: When America Ferrera, who plays Gloria, a Mattel employee and mom, delivers a monologue about the painful plight of being a woman in America circa now.
It begins like this:“It’s literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful and so smart and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.”(You can read Gloria’s monologue in full here.)
For audience members—male and female, per Gerwig inan interview inThe Cut—this is the moment when tears begin to streak their cheeks. I had a similar experience, but it was compounded by another factor: The sheer joy I felt for Ferrera, the actress, mom and trailblazer whose career I had followed for years.
It’s also why I think thatshouldwe be gifted aBarbiesequeldown the road, it better have Ferrera front and center. Heck, Gloria deserves her own spin-off film.