Breaking Dualities: Barbie's Insight on Logic and Emotion

I want to revisit a quote from Barbie, which has a particular resonance: “This makes me emotional, and I'm expressing it. I have no difficulty holding both logic and feeling at the same time. And it does not diminish my powers. It expands them.” Barbie’s statement, “I have no difficulty holding both logic and feeling at the same time,” employs the term ‘logic’ in its colloquial sense, positioned in contrast to ‘feeling’. This reflects a common trope in societal dualities, as articulated by Val Plumwood: man versus woman, human versus nature, truth versus falsity, reason versus emotion, and so on. Plumwood developed this theory of dualities in her eco-feminist work, identifying such dualities as logical constructs that skew power towards the dominant element of the duality — favoring man, reason, and logic.

Plumwood's framework is instrumental in understanding how hierarchical dualities pervade society and create a deceptive sense of naturalness for those in dominant positions. Feminism has critically challenged the dualistic subjugation of women by men, paving the way for a recognition that a hierarchical structure, though it may be articulated with coherence, is neither necessary nor beneficial for anyone. The message is nuanced and still often met with resistance or attempts to silence, but the critique remains potent. Men benefit from an imbalanced power dynamic that bestows upon them a multitude of privileges across various aspects of life.

In this context, Barbie's assertion that simultaneously embracing logic and feeling augments her abilities is a profound challenge to the unjust structure of a dualistic society that places men, with their supposed monopoly on logic and reason, above women. Barbie is correct: she possesses logic and reason as much as feelings and emotions. These qualities are not something she needs to reclaim from men; they are inherently present in her, as they are in everyone. A significant aspect of the systemic oppression women face is the explicitly forced suppression of their logical faculties. My assertion is not that Barbie should learn to prioritize logic and reason over feelings or emotions, as that would perpetuate the norms of a dualistic society. Rather, as Barbie herself articulates, the goal is to embrace both simultaneously, thereby expanding her powers.

This insight challenges the traditional narrative and invites a more integrated and equitable understanding of human capabilities, free from the confines of outdated dualities.