English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa made her acting debut as Mermaid Barbie in Warner Bros.’ live-action homage to Mattel’s world-famous doll lineup. Barbie explores themes of feminism and existentialism, pokes fun at capitalism, highlights issue with the dominant ideology of patriarchy, and hammers home the importance of individuality and celebrates it.
Closely associated with discussions of feminism is the #MeToo movement, which spreads awareness of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, while providing a platform for survivors to share their stories. The #MeToo hashtag was first used by sexual assault survivor and activist Tarana Burke on MySpace.
For Dua Lipa — who frequently enjoyed the nightlife as a teenager — the threat of sexual harassment was constantly looming overhead. Sitting down with Variety, the “One Kiss” singer shares her thoughts on the #MeToo movement. She describes how scary it can be for women to walk the streets alone and the many defensive techniques used to prevent an assault.
“#MeToo or not, it’s still scary to be a woman and walk down an empty street alone at night on your way home. I have so many memories of times when you get your keys ready in your hand, or you grab your bag, or you pretend to be on the phone… I don’t know if that will ever change.”
In her song “Boys Will Be Boys,” Dua Lipa touches on the immaturity and recklessness of men, while mentioning how women are far more developed beyond their years both physically and mentally. When asked if she feels pessimistic toward the subject of sexual assault and if things will improve over time, she seems rather indifferent.
“Yes and no, because at the same time, I feel so much more solidarity for what women are going through. Guys are listening more. Maybe they’re just scared of being accused themselves one day, but I still feel like a lot of people are realizing that these structures of domination have been in place since forever. And this realization can change things. So it’s going in the right direction, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
And she’s right, there’s still a lot of work to be done. But thankfully, the world is making small strides in giving the #MeToo movement the attention it deserves.
