“Barbie” is premiering this weekend and is trying to pull off a seemingly impossible task: taking a doll best known for reinforcing conventional stereotypes of women and rebranding it as a symbol of feminism, all without coming off as a shameless ad for the doll’s maker, Mattel. Willa Paskin, a journalist and host of Slate’s Decoder Ring podcast, recounts her conversation with the film’s director, Greta Gerwig, about how she approached the challenge.
Guest: Willa Paskin, Slate’s television critic and the host of Slate’s Decoder Ring podcast.
Background reading:
For more information on today’s episode, visit
nytimes.com/thedaily
. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
The Criminal Indictment of New York City’s Mayor
The Profitable Business of Holding Patients Against Their Will
The Slide Toward War in Lebanon
How the Cost of Housing Became So Crushing
How Telegram Became the Underworld’s Favorite App
'Book Review': Robert Caro on 50 Years of 'The Power Broker'
'The Interview': Sally Rooney Thinks Career Growth Is Overrated
Six Weeks to Go
The Day Thousands of Pagers Exploded in Lebanon
Israel's Existential Threat From Within
A Second Assassination Plot and the New Era of Political Violence
Three Undecided Voters, Two Swing States, One Big Decision
The Sunday Read: ‘The For-Profit City That Might Come Crashing Down’
'The Interview': Demi Moore Is Done With the Male Gaze
The Story Behind ‘They’re Eating the Pets’
How the Election Is Sinking a $15 Billion Business Deal
Harris Baits Trump: Inside Their Fiery Debate
Judge Delays Trump Sentencing Until After Election
The Harris Honeymoon Is Over
'The Interview': Change Can Be Beautiful. Just Ask Will Ferrell and Harper Steele.
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Up First from NPR
Post Reports
Today, Explained
The Headlines
The 7