Barbie Movie to Blame for Early Election Results? Matt Gaetz Thinks So

Screenshot of Matt Gaetz’s X post. Photo by X

It is no secret that Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz and his wife, Ginger Gaetz, have strong feelings against the Barbie movie. His wife actually made a whole social media post about it. Then the day before Election Day, in what some people would consider an offensive post on X, Matt Gaetz blatantly criticized the Barbie movie for interfering with male voters. 

Back in July 2023, when the Barbie movie was released, Ginger Gatez posted a negative review of the film on X. She recommended “skipping the theater” because the movie “neglects to address any notion of faith or family, and tries to normalize the idea that men and women can't collaborate positively (yuck)”.

Comparatively, Ginger Gaetz said that the version of Barbie she “grew up with was a representation of limitless possibilities, embracing diverse careers and feminine empowerment”, not a disappointing “portrayal of big dreams causing anxiety instead of inspiration” with “low T from Ken”. 

Subsequently, at 7:48 a.m. on November 4, 2024, Matt Gaetz got on his X account to say that the “core plot of the Barbie movie was distracting men so they wouldn’t vote”. He paired this statement with a gif of Margot Robbie’s character, Barbie, from the movie.

Clearly concerned about Vice President Kamala Harris’ lead in the polls at the time, Gaetz also added “Don’t make the Barbie movie come true”. He was apparently not interested in what Chappell Roan might have called a “femininominon” if Harris would have won. 

Regardless, by the time that Gaetz made this post, tens of millions of Americans had already voted. According to the United States Mission to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, around 83 million Americans voted early.

Furthermore, the University of Florida’s (UF) Election Lab reported on November 5 that, nationally, more women voted in this election than men. These statistics are based on the six states that report voter gender data: Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, North Carolina, and Virginia.

UF’s Election Lab found that during in-person early voting, 53.7% of voters were women, 43% were men, and 3.3% had unknown genders. As of Election Day, the statistics changed to show that 54% of voters were women, 43.8% were men, and 2.2% had unknown genders.

In light of these facts, Gaetz’s last minute effort to prod men into voting probably did not do much. Plus, his preferred candidate, Donald Trump, won anyway. 

Article by Ema Tibbetts