Barbie’s Pink Is a Nod to Mexican Culture and It’s All Thanks to This Latino

From promotional videos of the movie to memes on social media, the pink color of the new “Barbie: The Movie” is everywhere. And it’s not just any color. In fact, Latinos know it very well — it’s the Rosa Mexicano.

Renowned cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto has introduced this hue, typical of traditional Mexican culture, into the bright world of Barbie that attendees can see this weekend in theatres worldwide.

The spectacular talent of Rodrigo Prieto

Recognized for his previous work with influential filmmakers like Martin Scorsese in projects such as “Silence” and “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Prieto has once again collaborated with Margot Robbie, who stars as Barbie and serves as a producer. Through their partnership, the movie has been elevated beyond what one might expect from a film based on a doll.

At Netflix’s “Que México Se Vea” conference, aimed at expanding Mexican cinema, Prieto shed light on working alongside Robbie as an actress and creator.

He hailed her as an “exceptional actress who understands the technicalities of cinema yet is always brimming with emotion.” These qualities, Prieto believes, bring “depth” to Barbie, transforming a potentially superficial character into a complex, relatable figure.

For his part, Prieto’s exploits have not gone unnoticed.

With three Oscar nominations to his credit, thanks to his remarkable cinematography on “The Irishman,” “Silence,” and “Brokeback Mountain,” he is hailed as one of the world’s top cinematographers.

Barbie’s world through the eye of a Mexican artist

In an interview with Mexican radio host Javier Poza, Prieto explained that he first heard about the project while working with Scorsese on “Killers of the Moon” in Oklahoma.

Despite being immersed in a different universe, he was excited by screenwriter and director Greta Gerwig’s proposal to photograph Barbie. He had long wanted to work with Gerwig, known for her unique blend of talent, humor, and humanity.

“When they tell you about a Barbie movie, you imagine the ‘Barbie Girl’ song. You imagine something silly,” Prieto said. “And (the movie) does have things that are, let’s say, ridiculous, but it’s a comedy with a strong background. It deals with very interesting topics and is a movie that children, girls, and adults will enjoy because it addresses issues that concern all of us. Deep social issues are treated there as if they were very underwater, but suddenly you say, oh boy, this is very interesting.”

Taking on the “Barbie” project presented Prieto with intriguing challenges. From fitting Barbie’s neighborhood into a limited studio space in London to doing an entire beach scene indoors with a sea of hard plastic, it required innovative solutions. Despite the artificial setting, a mix of visual effects and careful staging created a compelling and immersive world.

An essential part of this process was the meticulous work with colors, particularly the pink tones. Robbie herself took time during the press tour to praise Rodrigo Prieto’s contribution to the film.

“He is the most lovely, sweet, kind man and wildly talented,” she said.

Mexican Pink comes to Barbie’s world

While the famous doll has always been associated with pink and bright shades, Rodrigo Prieto’s work gave a twist to the chromatic concept of the film.

“Just seeing all the shades of pink and blue and yellow, but mainly pink, it was like, let’s see, there is this range and how each pink is photographed. And then I suddenly said, well, Greta, you have to include the Mexican pink,” Prieto remembered. Gerwig had no idea what he was talking about. Neither did the production designer.

He showed them the color, and they decided it “must” be part of the film.

“There are many details of Rosa Mexicano in the film, so that’s my stamp,” he said.

Before Barbie, Rosa Mexicano is one of Mexican culture’s most powerful visual elements

More than a specific color, Rosa Mexicano is a shade based on the natural colors of the bougainvillea tree.

Legendary designer, photographer, and painter Ramon Valdiosera created this shade of pink in the 1950s as an attempt to promote Mexican fashion on the international scene.

However, Rosa Mexicano is not the only element of Latin and Mexican culture that Rodrigo Prieto brought to the set of “Barbie.”

Just watch this video, shot on the last day of filming, and listen to the song “La Chona” by Los Tucanes de Tijuana.