Shakira thought ‘Barbie’ emasculated men and the internet has thoughts

International superstar Shakira shared her thoughts on Barbie and now the internet is in shambles.

Shakira is Allure‘s cover star for April and the talented Grammy winner dished on new music, her beauty secrets, and feminism. The Colombian artist spilled on the powerful women who influenced her upbringing, from her mother to Wonder Woman, But when asked about her thoughts on Barbie, a film that’s been at the center of feminism discourse in movies since it came out last year, her takes didn’t seem to land well with fans.

When asked by the interviewer about her thoughts on the film, Shakira stated her sons “absolutely hated it” and that they thought it was “emasculating.”

“And I agree, to a certain extent,” Shakira said for Allure. “I’m raising two boys. I want ’em to feel powerful too [while] respecting women. 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 complement should not be lost.”

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The interview asked the follow up question of “Just because a woman can do it all doesn’t mean she should?”

To which Shakira responded with, “Why not share the load with people who deserve to carry it, who have a duty to carry it as well?”

Well, the Internet has a few thoughts on Shakira’s Barbie take. Some folks were quick to call out Shakira’s thoughts as flawed, being that the film didn’t emasculate men, but rather highlighted the impact of patriarchy and oppression on women and even gave the Kens (the men within the film) a redemption arc with no consequences.

Others pointed out that, even though the film is about empowering women, but that the discourse is still around men.

Then there were those who were hoping Shakira’s words were a part of an April Fool’s joke, but alas, they’re definitely in print.

In all, the Internet wasn’t having it with Shakira’s thoughts on Barbie.

And this pretty much sums up the internet’s thoughts on Shakira’s take.

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